These Coffee Chocolate Crinkles are one of the best I’ve eaten. The coffee and deep dark chocolate flavor combo creates a complex eating experience, with pockets of salty surprise scattered inside the cookies.
To say that I gained a new appreciation for chocolate crinkles after eating these would be an understatement. I’ve never paid much attention to crinkles because I feel like they’re one of the most easily accessible cookies around. I even used to have a classmate who sold crinkles for some extra pocket money, so I guess you could say that growing up, crinkles were always pretty much a norm of my youth. They were something yummy and familiar, but not really something that excited me, if you know what I mean.
It has been years since I last had a crinkle actually, but when I came across this recipe for Coffee Chocolate Crinkles, it was really the combination of the words coffee and chocolate that captured my attention. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten anything I didn’t enjoy as far as this flavor combo is involved, plus I’ve gone long enough without eating crinkles. I actually found myself missing it.
We all know how the story goes from there for people like me who love putzing around in the kitchen. When we get a craving, there’s an 80% chance we’ll end up making whatever it is.
Crinkles are actually really easy to make, but these Coffee Chocolate Crinkles actually surprised me a great deal. It’s actually kind of hard to explain my love for these in words, only that they gave me a memorable eating experience. The chocolate and coffee actually did a great job deepening each other’s flavors, and the best part was that I could get a hint of salt in every bite that kind of highlighted this deep flavor even more.
Another really interesting part about the flavor of these Coffee Chocolate Crinkles is the addition Kahlua or coffee liqueur. I know that most people probably don’t keep a big ol bottle of coffee liqueur in their pantries, but if you can get your hands on some, I highly recommend it for this recipe. It adds a really nice touch. I could personally get a little whiff and taste of it in these cookies, and I think it adds more layers to the humble crinkle cookie. This is like a gourmet crinkle cookie lol. I also have to say, I’ve never been steered wrong by a Tutti Dolci recipe before, but I’m extra happy about this one!
It never occurred to me that crinkles could have such a complex flavor profile. I do tend to blabber a lot when I love something, but there’s only so much I can say about these Coffee Chocolate Crinkles, or any other crinkle cookie for that matter, that can explain how good they are. The proof is in the tasting, and I imagine the only time you can REALLY relate to what I’m saying is when you make these cookies yourself. So let’s get to my recipe notes now, because I really need to tell you the very crucial bit about not overbaking these babies.
Recipe notes
We start this recipe by melting some unsweetened chocolate and butter together, then mixing in the coffee powder. You want to use instant coffee powder you actually enjoy drinking, and not some random one out there. Remember that the coffee flavor here is quite pronounced, so we want to make sure we’re using the best there is.
You can do this step in the microwave or via double broiler method. Just make sure to mix the coffee powder in while the chocolate mixture is still hot so that it dissolves into the mixture evenly. Set this mixture aside to cool while we prepare the other wet mixture.
In another bowl, you want to whisk together the two kinds of sugars, the eggs, and the coffee liqueur or vanilla. Again, I highly recommend using coffee liqueur like Kahlua, but you can use vanilla if you have none. You whisk this very well until the mixture is homogenous and the sugars are well incorporated into the eggs.
Now we add in the cooled chocolate-coffee mixture. The reason why we have to cool it a bit is because we don’t want to cook the eggs. Whisk this until very smooth.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then use a spatula to fold the flour mixture into your chocolate wet mixture until just combined. Please do not overmix! We never want to overwork dough because this often results in tough baked goods. The dough will be quite thick.
We leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes at room temp. This is just a step to make the dough set a bit more and make it scoopable. During this time, the flour rehydrates, and this in turn will help make the cookies bake more evenly.
Now all that’s left to do is portion out the dough, roll them in powdered sugar, then bake them. You want to set them two inches apart to give room to spread. These cookies can be baked two trays at a time in the oven, as long as you don’t forget to switch the baking trays halfway through.
These cookies take 16 to 18 minutes at 325°F (170°C), but no more. You won’t see any color changes with these Coffee Chocolate Crinkles, but you will notice the edges seem to have become set and the cookies have stopped spreading. The surface will be puffed and will have started to crack, but they should still be very tender. Take them out of the oven to cool. Remember that they will continue to cook thanks to their residual internal heat so it’s best to take them out while they are still quite soft.
It’s important not to over-bake these Coffee Chocolate Crinkles so you get a firm outer layer instead of a hard one, and a fluffy inner layer instead of a firm-chewy one. I know that the cookies will probably look under-baked and exceedingly soft and puffy in the center once the baking time is up, but they will set once cooled so do not be tempted to bake them longer. Although over-baked crinkles will taste good, the experience is maximized when they’re eaten as they should be. Pillowy crinkles for the win!
I hope you guys fall in love with these Coffee Chocolate Crinkles too. I’ve been wanting to make a batch since I started writing this post, but I can’t head out to buy some unsweetened chocolate at the moment. This lockdown has really made previously simple activities a lot more complicated!
Makes 22 to 24 cookies
- 4 ounces (115 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 4 Tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
- ¾ cup (156 grams) white sugar
- ¾ cup (150 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons coffee liqeuer (ie. Kahlua) or vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (60 grams) powdered sugar, for rolling
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl, then heat in microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir the chocolate until it starts to melt. Continue heating in 15-second intervals until the chocolate becomes completely melted and smooth. Immediately stir in the coffee powder. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and coffee liqueur or vanilla, until well-combined. Add in the cooled chocolate-coffee mixture, and whisk until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture until just combined. The mixture will be quite thick. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, portion out balls of dough 1-1/2 inches wide. You can briefly roll them into rounds with your hands if the shape is off. Roll the dough ball in the powdered sugar to coat, the place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet to give them room to spread.
- Bake cookies 16 to 18 minutes, no more. You can bake two trays at a time, but make sure to rotate the pans halfway. Bake until edges are just set but the surface is puffed and still tender. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.
This recipe is also included in this round-up video of 3 Coffee-Flavored Cookie Recipes to try!
Other recipes in this video:
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