Make a batch of Coffee Shortbread Cookies for a delicious and elegant holiday treat. They're made with real coffee and dipped in sweet white chocolate for an indulgent balance of familiar flavors.
These cookies are perfect for holiday cookie swaps, homemade gifts for teachers, or a delicious dessert for your holiday dinner. Fans of coffee will love the warm and comforting flavor of these espresso shortbread cookies!
Jump to:
- 🩵 About This Recipe
- What readers are saying...
- 🧂 Gather Your Ingredients
- 🔪 Let's Make Espresso Flavored Shortbread Cookies!
- 💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- ❔ FAQs
- 📝 Substitutions and Variations
- 🥡 Storage and Reheating
- ⏳ Make Ahead Instructions
- 🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
- 😋 More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- 📋 Recipe Card
- 💬 Reviews and Comments
🩵 About This Recipe
Be the star of this holiday season's cookie swap with these indulgent espresso shortbread cookies! A crumbly, buttery cookie flavored with bold coffee and dipped in white chocolate for the perfect amount of sweetness.
Not only are these easy to make, they also make great homemade gifts for the holidays or just a yummy treat for the fall and winter. Even novice bakers can follow this simple and delicious recipe!
And for even more cookies, try this Mint Chocolate Shortbread or a batch of Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate.
What readers are saying...
Loved these! Made them as part of Christmas cookie boxes, and these were everyone's favorite!
- Jenny
🧂 Gather Your Ingredients
- unsalted butter - adds richness and moisture, contributing to the tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- sugar - provides sweetness to balance the savory richness of the butter.
- finely ground coffee - these shortbread cookies contain real ground coffee for a bold and rich flavor!
- vanilla - creates a subtle warm flavor that pairs well with both the buttery richness and the coffee flavor.
- flour - binds the dough together and creates the cookie's crumbly texture.
- salt - helps to balance out the sweetness of the sugar and enhances the flavors of both the butter and the coffee.
- white chocolate - I like to use white chocolate melts, but you can also carefully melt some white chocolate chips.
- instant coffee - adds extra coffee flavor.
🔪 Let's Make Espresso Flavored Shortbread Cookies!
(Or click here to jump right to the recipe card with measurements!)
Cream Together
Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream together until fluffy.
Add Coffee
Mix the coffee grounds and vanilla into the butter mixture.
Add Dry Ingredients
Sift together flour and salt and slowly add to cookie dough.
Finish Mixing
Continue mixing until all of the flour is incorporated. The dough will be slightly crumbly.
Roll and Refrigerate
Roll the dough into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, and keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Cut Dough and Bake
Once the dough is set, use a sharp knife to cut the log into evenly thick cookies. Bake for 20 minutes, then cool for 10.
Garnish
While the cookies bake, melt the white chocolate and crush the instant coffee into a fine powder. Dip cooled cookies in chocolate then sprinkle with coffee.
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- These coffee shortbread cookies spread very little while baking, so don't worry about keeping them far apart on the baking sheet.
- Be sure to give the dough some time in the fridge to set. This will let the flavors develop, and cooling the dough also makes it easier to work with.
- Wrap your espresso shortbread cookies in fun packaging and give them out to friends and family, or send them to school with your kids for the perfect teacher gifts!
If you love giving homemade gifts, you should check out these creative homemade mixes in jars. They're perfect paired with cookies for thoughtful, pantry-ready presents!
Or go ahead and treat yourself! Make extra cookies to keep for yourself, and then enjoy them with a homemade Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Latte, just like the kind you can get at Starbucks. It's the perfect afternoon pick-me-up!
❔ FAQs
Coffee grounds are just as the name says, ground up coffee beans! You need to brew these with hot water to make coffee. On the other hand, instant coffee has already been brewed, then dried and turned into a powder that can quickly be dissolved.
This is optional, but if you're worried about your cookies not baking evenly, poking holes in the dough is a good way to ensure more even heat distribution. If you've cut your dough into thicker cookies, this might help them bake better.
There are three likely options: one is that your coffee shortbread cookies are overbaked, another is that there's too much flour in the dough, and the third is that the dough was overworked before baking.
🎁 Kristin's Handpicked Gift Ideas!
Looking for the perfect gift ideas for family or friends? I've got you covered with carefully curated gift guides! From kitchen essentials to unique picks for kids or grandkids, these will help you find just the thing to make them feel special!
📝 Substitutions and Variations
- Add a nutty crunch with some chopped pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds.
- Different kinds of coffee grounds will vary the flavor slightly. Try something like dark roast for a deeper flavor, or go decaf if you don't want to be up all night!
- Use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or a unique ruby chocolate to switch up the garnish and flavor.
- Sprinkle some salt onto the white chocolate along with the coffee.
Kristin's Kitchen Tip
For even baking, be sure to cut all of the cookies to the same width and thickness!
🥡 Storage and Reheating
Keep these coffee shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for a week or so.
They can also be frozen, but if you do freeze them, I recommend you do so before you dip them in the chocolate. Let them thaw and then coat them in the chocolate and coffee for best results.
⏳ Make Ahead Instructions
The dough for coffee flavored shortbread cookies can be prepared a day or two ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you're ready to bake.
Keep It Handy
Don't have time for this coffee shortbread cookies recipe right now? Click on or tap the heart icon on the BOTTOM RIGHT of the screen to save it for later!
🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
Pair your coffee flavored shortbread cookies with a hot drink like Spiked Butterscotch Hot Chocolate or this delicious and classic Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate for an extra decadent treat!
😋 More Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies - Experience cookie-ception with these layered treats!
- Red White and Blue Cream Cheese Cookies - These soft and chewy cookies are perfect for patriotic holidays.
- No Bake Cookie Dough Bars - No need to bake; these indulgent cookie dough bars are covered in a layer of fudge!
- Sugar Free Pumpkin Cookies - This recipe from Stay Snatched is the perfect better-for-you fall cookie.
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Espresso Shortbread Cookies
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📋 Recipe Card
White Chocolate Dipped Coffee Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ pound unsalted butter (¾ lb=3 sticks)
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup finely ground coffee
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 3 ½ cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 ounces white chocolate melts
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until well combined.¾ pound unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar
- Add the coffee grounds and vanilla and mix them in.¼ cup finely ground coffee, ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Sift together the flour and salt, then add to the butter/sugar mixture one spoonful at a time and mix on low speed. The resulting dough will be a bit crumble and not very sticky, but will clump together when squeezed.¼ teaspoon salt, 3 ½ cups flour
- Roll into a log about 2 to 2 and ½ inches in diameter, wrap well in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.
- Chill for about 30-60 minutes, then remove from the refrigerator and slice into ¼ inch thick rounds.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown slightly. Cool on the cookie sheet, about 10 minutes.
- While the cookies are cooling, melt the white chocolate and crush the instant coffee into a find powder.12 ounces white chocolate melts, 1 tablespoon instant coffee
- Dip each cookie about halfway in the melted white chocolate, place on a tray covered with wax paper, then sprinkle with the instant coffee powder. Allow the white chocolate to harden.
Notes
- You can prepare the dough a day or two in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
- The cookies can be placed fairly close together on the baking sheet - they don't spread very much.
- Incorporate chopped walnuts, almonds, or pecans into the dough for a nutty crunch.
- Try different types of coffee grounds, such as dark roast or decaf, to vary the flavor.
- Instead of white chocolate, use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or even ruby chocolate for a different taste and presentation.
- For a sweet and salty contrast, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt onto the chocolate before it hardens.
- Recommended method for freezing is to freeze the cookies before dipping in chocolate. Thaw on the countertop overnight, then dip in the white chocolate and allow to harden before serving.
Additional Serving Suggestions:
- Pair these cookies with a cup of coffee for a delightful afternoon treat.
- Package these cookies in airtight containers and give them as gifts to friends and family. They are perfect gifts for neighbors, teachers, delivery personnel, and party hosts!
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in December 2014, and was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in October 2024.
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Happy cooking!
Zoe Simmons says
I have been using this recipe for years and it is a holiday staple in our household now 🙂
Kristin King says
Thanks! It's one of our favorites as well - everyone loves these cookies!
Zoe says
Made this recipe so many times and realized I’ve not reviewed it yet! So good and a hit with everyone that have tried them 🙂 colored the white chocolate red orange and yellow for thanksgiving one year and gave them little chocolate feathers
Kristin King says
What a great idea to color the white chocolate for Thanksgiving! Thanks for the tip. I'm so happy that you love this recipe - it's one of my favorites as well. Thanks for coming back to let me know! 🙂
Vanvisa says
Hi there. Is the butter cold butter or room temperature?
Kristin King says
Great question! The butter should be room temperature. I will add that detail in the recipe card - it really should be there. Thanks for finding my inadvertent oversight!
Hannah says
Is the butter in cups or pounds? When I have 1x selected, the recipe says “ ¾ pound unsalted butter (3 sticks)”, 2x selected says “1.5 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks)” and 3x selected says “2.25 pound unsalted butter (3 sticks)”
Maybe don’t put the number of sticks if it won’t scale with the recipe
Kristin King says
Thanks for that feedback! I list the sticks because it is helpful for some people when they are shopping to know how many sticks they need as opposed to having to do the math right there in the grocery aisle. I can't make the sticks scale, but I will add a note to make it clearer. Thanks so much for bringing that to my attention!
Del says
Hello... I can't wait to make these cookies! I just want to confirm the butter calls for 1.5cups? Thank you 🙂
Kristin King says
Yes, 3 sticks of butter = 1.5 cups (U.S. cups). Hope you love these as much as we do! 🙂
Jenny says
Loved these! Made them as part of Christmas cookie boxes, and these were everyone’s favorite! Thanks!
Lorin says
Lols really yummy! Unfortunately this recipe left my dough into crumbles and I couldn’t get it to a dough form to roll. Any tips?
Kristin says
Hi Lorin, I'm sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe! Usually crumbly shortbread is from too much flour, so carefully measure the flour. Make sure you use a measuring cup for dry ingredients, not liquid. And don't pack the flour down while you are measuring it, but spoon it lightly into your measuring cup. As you are adding the flour into the mixer, add most of it but reserve a bit, and then add the rest slowly as you are mixing, until it seems like it would be a good consistency to roll without crumbling. I hope that helps!