These Vodka & Chocolate Espresso Cookies Are Easy - And Irresistible
Cookies are great, whether as a snack enjoyed with warm milk, a healthy breakfast when stuffed with oats, or an indulgent after-dinner dessert. They are a perfect balance of sweetness and a unique texture that melts gently on the tongue. Cookies are also deeply versatile, and can be made with a variety of ingredients and additions. It's one such iteration, in the form of vodka and chocolate espresso cookies, that we’re presenting to you today.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Espresso powder
1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup Granulated sugar
1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Vodka
1 cup semi-sweet Chocolate chips
Directions:
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, vanilla extract, and vodka, and mix until well combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the cookies are set but still soft in the center.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
These vodka and chocolate espresso cookies bring together rich, diverse flavours of chocolate, espresso and vodka, to create a truly decadent treat. Because of the addition of vodka, the texture of the cookies ends up being soft and chewy, and one that melts in the mouth.
To make sure you're getting them right, here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind when you're making them:
- Ensure you're using the highest quality ingredients, from good quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content to freshly brewed espresso and deeply flavoured vodka. All these, when combined together, will result in an intense flavour and allow each ingredient to really shine through while also sitting in cohesion together with each bite.
- When adding the vodka to the dough, do it a little at a time. Keep mixing the dough throughout and stop once you've achieved the right consistency. Too much vodka in the dough can result in a runny batter that's going to be harder to bake.
- Once the dough is ready, before you bake it, let it chill for a while. As it chills, it will solidify the fats in the batter. This holds the cookie together and stops it from spreading too much during baking. This also ensures that the flavours develop in a more rounded way since they've sat together and bonded when chilling, to create a more complex, layered and delicious cookie.
- Once chilled, break the dough off into small handfuls, shape them into balls and place them on the baking tray. Using the palm of your hand, press down lightly so that they are slightly flattened. Even as you shape the cookies, you don't want to overwork the dough. Make sure each cookie is more or less uniformly laid down so that it can cook evenly. If you'd like, you can also use cookie cutters to create fun shapes for your special, boozy cookies.
- If you want to add another hint of flavour to your already complex cookies, consider adding a sprinkle of sea salt on top of each cookie before they bake. The salt will bring out the flavours of teh chocolate and espresso in a sharper way and also give the cookies a subtle crunch.
- Make sure you aren't overbaking the cookies. Pull them out when they are still slightly underdone, since they will continue to set once cooled. Pulling them out in time will ensure they have a soft and chewy texture even as they cool and solidify.
- Let the cookies cool completely before transferring them to a wire rack, since the flavours continue developing during the cooling process, as the heat is still working on the cookie. So once they've cooled naturally and set, then you can move them.
