Chocolate espresso walnut cookies are made with browned butter and espresso grounds. They are loaded with pockets of ooey gooey chocolate and crunchy walnuts. The best cookies for coffee lovers!
Chocolate and coffee is such an underrated combination. After making my espresso chocolate chip cookies, I knew I had to make an chocolate cookie version next.
These cookies come together in one bowl. They use brown butter, which adds a strong gourmet taste to these cookies!
My favourite part about this recipe is that there’s no chill required. This means you get your cookies faster!
This recipe is flexible with the types of espresso you can use. I highly recommend trying it with blonde if you’ve got it as it adds an extra nutty flavour with the brown butter!
For more coffee-flavoured desserts, try Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake, Espresso Brownies, and Maple Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake.
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Why this recipe works
- Chocolate and espresso – This is an unbeatable match! The espresso enhances the chocolate and they pair together so well.
- Buttery and chewy – Every bite of these cookies is soft and full of flavour.
- Brown butter – Using brown butter adds a gourmet taste and really enhances the chocolate espresso combo!
Ingredients Notes
Full ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card down below. Here’s a few key ingredients for this recipe!
- Butter – I always use unsalted for baking. This will be melted and browned.
- Brown sugar – I used dark brown sugar. Light brown sugar works as well.
- Espresso powder – Using an espresso powder gives you an intense coffee flavour that compliments the chocolate and cocoa perfectly. If you don’t have this on hand, use regular fine granulated coffee.
- Chocolate – Use a high quality chocolate chip brand for best results. I used mini chocolate chips and dark chocolate chopped up. You can use either or, I preferred both for this recipe though to get those gooey centres. I don’t recommend milk chocolate chips because it will be too sweet.
- Salt – These cookies are balanced with salt and have extra sea salt sprinkled on top after baking for both looks and flavour. If you’re using salted butter, be careful as you may need to half the amount used.
- Walnuts - This adds a nice crunch and flavour to the cookies. Lightly chop them up before adding them into the bowl.
Step by step instructions
Here is how to make and bake these chocolate espresso walnut cookies. You will need one tray lined with parchment paper, a large mixing bowl, a spatula, a whisk, and a standard ice cream scoop.
Step 1 – Brown the butter. Check out the recipe card down below on how to brown butter in detail.
Step 2 – Whisk in the sugars and espresso. Whisk in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and espresso powder until well combined. The aroma of coffee and nutty brown butter that’ll arise in your kitchen’s atmosphere is truly amazing!
Step 3 – Mix in the wet ingredients. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until just combined.
Step 4 – Mix in the dry ingredients. Fold in the cocoa powder, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate and chopped walnuts until just combined. Make sure not to over mix!
Step 5 – Scoop and bake! Scoop 6 cookie dough balls per prepared baking trays. Space the cookies 2-3 inches apart from one another and bake the cookies until the edges are a light golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
While still warm, sprinkle the tops of the cookies with flaky sea salt and extra chocolate if desired. Let the cookies cool on a wire cooling rack and enjoy.
Expert Baking Tips
Here are a few baking tips from my kitchen to yours
- Use a gram scale for the most accurate measurements. To convert this recipe, click the ‘metric’ button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card.
- Use good quality coffee/espresso. This will make a huge difference in your cookies. You can also use an espresso pod from your coffee machine for this recipe.
- If the dough is to soft to form cookie dough balls with, chill for 1-2 hours.
- Speed up the cooling of the brown butter by doing a double boiler method and placing the measuring glass of browned butter in a pot of cold water.
FAQ
Can I chill this dough to use later?
Yes! You can make this the day before and allow it to chill for 1-2 hours, or overnight.
Can I use instant coffee instead of regular coffee?
I tried using instant coffee and it didn’t turn out as good as using regular coffee grounds does, so I wouldn’t recommend it!
Are espresso chocolate chip cookies caffienated?
Yes these cookies have a small amount of caffeine. Feel free to use decaf coffee if needed.
Do I have to brown the butter?
No! Although if you’re already melting it you may as well brown it. The nutty aroma and flavour it gives is a game changer for this recipe.
Check out these recipes
- Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
- Brown Butter Coconut Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups
- Carrot Oatmeal Pecan Cookies
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Chocolate Espresso Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups brown butter melted and cooled
- 1 tbsp espresso powder
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium sized pan over medium heat. Once it melts, it will crackle, then become foamy – continue mixing the butter while this happens to prevent burning. The butter will go from melted to golden brown quickly, and you'll know it's almost done when the aroma of browned butter arrives. The whole process should take about 5 minutes! Once golden, remove from heat and transfer to a glass bowl. Let the butter cool for 30 minutes (Do not let it harden) while you prep on the rest of the recipe.3/4 cups brown butter
- Once slightly cooled, whisk in the sugar, brown sugar, and espresso for one minute until combined.1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, 1 tbsp espresso powder
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp vanilla
- Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Toss in the chocolate chips, chunks, and walnuts, and fold a few times until incorporated.1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/3 cup walnuts, 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips, 1/4 cup dark chocolate
- Scoop 6 cookie dough balls on each tray at a time. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are a light golden brown and the middle is slightly puffy.
- Top off with additional chocolate and a dash of sea salt if desired. Cool the cookies on a cooling rack and enjoy!
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