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Three recipes in one week and they’re all cookies! Pretty sure that’s a sign that Christmas is coming! Or maybe it just means that I have a sweet tooth. Either way, I like cookies. Cookies are good.
These little cookies are so pretty with their deep chocolate color and the crinkly cracked snow tops. Chocolatey, with a bit of depth from the espresso, these are sure to be a hit on any Christmas cookie tray. That is, if they make it to the tray. Personally, I’m unable to resist powdered sugar covered chocolate cookies. They get eaten almost immediately. Then my kids cry and I make more. Then I wait until the kids go to bed and I eat all of those, too.
It’s a vicious cycle.
(Also shown in the cookie tray are Peanut Butter Blossoms and Buttons!)
Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 teaspoons instant espresso
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate melted and cooled
- 1 tablespoon milk
- Powdered Sugar for coating
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of your mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until combined and mix in the cooled chocolate. Gradually add in the flour mix. Beat in the milk until just combined.
- Flatten dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze for 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the powdered sugar. After you've rolled all of the balls in the sugar, roll them in again one by one. Each ball of dough should get two coatings of sugar.
- Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies have spread and the coating is cracked, 12-14 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition Information:
recipe from Martha Stewart
Dianne says
These are a staple in my house for the holidays. I get special requests for them all the time.
alyssa says
How do I make them look white and powdery?
When we took them out of the oven all of the sugar had absorbed into the cookie. And yes I froze the dough!
Karly says
@alyssa,
Did you roll them in the powdered sugar twice?
Karly says
Shirley,
Is your dough cold when it goes into the oven? Be sure to freeze it for at least 45 minutes before rolling it into balls. You could also get them completely prepared and on the cookie sheet and then pop them in the fridge for about 15 minutes before baking. Also, check your baking powder to be sure it hasn’t expired. 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Karly
Shirley says
I used this recipe four times now. They always turn out delicious; however, the cookies flatten in the oven, unlike the ones in the pictures. I would like for them to be all pretty and round
Dianne says
I have made these cookies 5 times already in the last week and they’re a HUGE hit. I made them for my daughter’s pre-school class and I omitted the espresso b/c I wasn’t sure if that would make the kids too hyper and didn’t want to get any phone calls from the parents 🙂 and they came out great as well. So if you don’t have espresso on hand, the cookies won’t suffer for it. It’s a great addition, though, and I have added it to my other batches.
Alicia says
I love making these cookies. This year, I added a bit of Kahlua to the mix for a little extra kick. They were so yummy!
Dianne says
2 of my favorite things combined: Chocolate and espresso!! Made these tonight and they’re as yummy as they look!! Definitely adding these to my annual Christmas cookie list!
Jessie says
These sound similar to the chocolate crinkle cookies I make, but the espresso probably adds a killer dimension to them. Yummm!
Rachael says
I didn’t think that would work. So I’ve made them w/o the espresso, but will be sure to pick some up for my freezer so I’ll have some the next time I make them. Can’t wait to try them (the dough is in the freezer right now).
Karly says
Rachael,
Noooooo! Don’t substitute the coffee grounds…it won’t be pretty. 😉
If you really don’t want to run to the store, I would just leave the coffee out of this one. They won’t have quite that same depth without the coffee, but I think they’ll still be okay!
In the future, you can buy the espresso powder and store it in your freezer for emergencies like this. Haha!
Karly
Rachael says
I don’t have instant coffee or espresso on hand. Do you think ground coffee could be a substitute or would that not work???? I really want to make these today but don’t want to run out to the store just for that… any ideas?
Jun says
Holiday season is just a heaven for all cookie lovers like me. The first photo is amazing!
kirbie says
These are one of my favorite Christmas cookies. Yours look so perfect!
Merlot says
YUMM!! I will definitely be making these this holiday season for all the friends and family! Thanks for the recipe!
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says
These look so wintry and amaaaaazing! I can’t wait to try this recipe out — I can’t bake to save my life but I will try for this recipe =)
xoXOxo
Jenn