Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies

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Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies are made of a firm, crispy outer layer and a soft, chewy center. The chocolate chips and chocolate chunks add additional texture and melty goodness, complementing the rich espresso powder. In short, these rich, delectable cookies are a crowd (and family) favorite! {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Fee} 

Spiriteds, have you ever tried an espresso cookie before? How about one made with chocolate chips AND chocolate chunks? Because that’s what we’re doing here. I baked what I baked, and I have no regrets. All the chocolate, all the espresso, all the time. These Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies are to die for. And word to the wise? Just double the batch. Sharing is caring, yet sharing is hard. But making extra cookies makes spreading the espresso love a little easier to do.

Especially if your crowd is like our crowd. Because FOUR OUT OF FOUR in our family LOVE these cookies. Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies definitely qualify as an ALL CAPS recipe to share far and wide. Even my child who doesn’t like coffee-flavored anything loves these cookies. This gluten-free cookie recipe is now on regular rotation in our house. The girls want these cookies as often as we have the time to make them. K-Hubs and I are basically #same. 

It borders on the ridiculous in our house, this love for Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies. So, we’re not gonna fight it. Instead we’re going to bake another batch or two or twelve. Its what we do. Thank you for understanding.

Join us! We can’t wait to share this delectable recipe with you!

Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies are

• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free
• Crispy on the outside
• Soft and chewy on the inside
• Fully of roasty, chocolatey goodness

Side note: I am eternally grateful to Ali at Gimme Some Oven for her Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe and Sarah at Broma Bakery for her Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. Their recipes were the inspiration I needed to create a recipe that is gluten-free and dairy-free.

Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies ingredients

• Gluten-free flour. I use 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour. It’s neutral taste allows all the other flavors to come through.
• Tapioca flour. This fine-textured flour holds all the ingredients together.
• Espresso powder. I do not use ground coffee in this recipe because I want the stronger, more concentrated espresso flavor. That said, I don’t go wild looking for a specific kind of espresso powder. Admittedly, it’s whatever I can get my hands on. If you have a fave brand of espresso powder, then go for it!
• Baking soda and sea salt. Small amounts of each will do the trick.
• Butter. This ingredient will impact the texture and consistency of your cookies. I use an allergen-friendly butter that softens to the touch without being super-runny. See Recipe tips and tricks and Recipe FAQs below for more details.
• Brown sugar and granulated sugar. These ingredients add bulk and flavor, and go well with the espresso powder and chocolate.
• Egg. Just one regular-sized egg should do the trick.
• Vanilla. A splash for extra flavor.
• Chocolate chips and chocolate chunks. If you can swing both, then go for it! The complementary textures and flavors enhance these delicious cookies. Otherwise, all chocolate chips will work fine.

How to make Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
2. To a large mixing bowl add the butter. Cream for about 30 seconds using an electric mixer. Then add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until well combined. Next add the egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Now add the dry ingredients, if necessary in batches, to the wet ingredients. Mix on a LOW to MEDIUM speed until the wet and dry ingredients are blended together.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a fabric bowl cover, and chill for at least two hours to overnight.  
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls, spaced a few inches apart on the lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 9-10 minutes, rotating the sheet once halfway through the bake time. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Repeat this process for remaining cookie dough.
5. Store cookies in an airtight container for about 2-3 days.

Recipe tips and tricks

• Chill the dough. For as little as two hours to as long as overnight. If the dough has hardened too much, then let it sit at room temperature a little while before you shape the cookie dough balls. If you find the dough at the top of the bowl has firmed up but the dough at the bottom of the bowl is still too soft to handle, then try this: shape the dough that IS ready into the cookie balls. While that batch bakes, put the softer dough back in the fridge to firm up. Repeat this process, if necessary, for each remaining batch.
• If you don’t have chocolate chips AND chocolate chunks, then you can use 1 1/2 cups of whichever you DO have. One reason I love to use both in this recipe is because the combined texture of the two complements the soft, chewy center and crispy outer layer of the cookie.
• The butter used will influence the cookie dough. Cookies made with a softer butter may need more chilling time. Firm butters may product firmer cookie dough that will need to sit at room temperature a few minutes after being chilled. Then they can be shaped into cookie balls.
• Do not over-bake the cookies. They will be crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
• Do not crowd the cookie sheet. This is especially important if you are working with a softer allergen-friendly butter that is olive oil-based or avocado oil-based. But it’s still relevant even with firmer plant-based butters. Crowding the cookie sheet will produce unevenly baked cookies. On a square-ish 17-inch cookie sheet, I bake three rows of three cookies. On a longer cookie sheet, you might be able to sneak a fourth row of three cookies in there. 

Recipe FAQs

• Can I substitute ground coffee for the espresso powder? I have not tried this. I expect the flavor and texture will vary. Espresso powder has a more intense, concentrated flavor than ground coffee and influences the flavor of this cookie significantly.
• If my allergen-friendly butter is firm/soft, can I still use it in this cookie recipe? Absolutely! If using a firmer butter, chill the dough as planned and just prior to baking, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes. If the butter is really soft, then plan to chill it overnight. You may not need to let it sit at room temperature just prior to baking, like you would with a firmer butter. In fact, you may need to pop the dough back into the refrigerator in between baking batches so the cookie dough stays firm enough to handle.
• Can I freeze Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies? Yes, you can freeze these cookies. Make sure they are stored in an air-tight container or package. The longer they freeze, the more the flavor is apt to change, so plan to enjoy them within a few weeks for best results. When you are ready to enjoy them, let them sit at room temperature. You can also enjoy them frozen, if you’d like.  

More delicious chocolatey treats!

If you love these Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies, then you might enjoy these desserts, too. In addition to being gluten-free, these are dairy-free cookies and brownies!

• Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Cookies
• Cookie Dough Brownies
• Chocolate Chunk Crinkle Cookies
• Paleo Zucchini Brownies

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can, and always know I’m glad you’re here. ❤️

Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies

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Gluten-Free Espresso Cookies are made of a firm, crispy outer layer and a soft, chewy center. The chocolate chips and chocolate chunks add additional texture and melty goodness, complementing the rich espresso powder. In short, these rich, delectable cookies are a crowd (and family) favorite! {Gluten-Free + Dairy-Fee}

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Chill: 2 hours
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
• Yield: 12 cookies 1x
• Category: Desserts
• Method: Baking
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Dry ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free 1 to 1 baking flour
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of sea salt

Wet ingredients:

• 2/3 cup allergen-friendly butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup allergen-friendly chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup allergen-friendly chocolate chunks

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Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
2. To a large mixing bowl add the butter. Cream for about 30 seconds using an electric mixer. Then add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until well combined. Next add the egg and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Now add the dry ingredients, if necessary in batches, to the wet ingredients. Mix on a LOW to MEDIUM speed until the wet and dry ingredients are blended together.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a fabric bowl cover, and chill for at least two hours to overnight.  
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls, spaced a few inches apart on the lined cookie sheet. Bake for about 9-10 minutes, rotating the sheet once halfway through the bake time. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Repeat this process for remaining cookie dough.
5. Store cookies in an airtight container for about 2-3 days.

Notes

• Chill the dough. For as little as two hours to as long as overnight. If the dough has hardened too much, then let it sit at room temperature a little while and then shape the cookie dough balls. If you find the dough at the top of the bowl has firmed up but the dough at the bottom of the bowl is still too soft to handle, then shape the dough that IS ready into the cookie balls. While that batch bakes, put the softer dough back in the fridge to firm up.
• If you don’t have chocolate chips AND chocolate chunks, then you can use 1 1/2 cups of whichever you DO have.
• Cookies made with a softer butter may need more chilling time. Firm butters may product firmer cookie dough that will need to sit at room temperature a few minutes after being chilled. Then they can be shaped into cookie balls.
• Do not over-bake the cookies. They will be crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
• Do not crowd the cookie sheet. Crowding the cookie sheet will produce unevenly baked cookies.