Coffee Bean Cookies

  

Coffee Bean Cookies.  I saw these cookies earlier this week on a blog called One Happy Bite.   I thought that they were really cute! 

They look just like coffee beans!  I don't drink coffee, but I am not opposed to eating it.  I love the flavor of it in cakes and cookies, and  I especially love the flavor of coffee mixed with chocolate! And I tend to keep some good coffee in for guests coming over, which makes these the perfect combo." 

 

Not only were these cookies combining those two loves of mine, ie. chocolate and coffee, but they were cute, cute, cute!

I put them on my "To Bake" list!

 

The recipe makes about 40 smallish, bite-sized cookies.  Soft and almost shortbread textured, they have a rich coffee flavor with a hint of chocolate.

I loved that they were not overly sweet.  Which is what you would expect from a shortbread kind of a cookie.  Mine did not turn out quite as cute as hers did, but I still thought they were cute, and what's more they had a very moreish texture and flavor.

 

As I said, I do not drink coffee.  It is due to a health law in my church called the Word of Wisdom. We are not supposed to drink regular tea or coffee, but it says nothing about eating it.

As with anything it is open to individual interpretation.  I do not drink it, but I do allow myself to eat foods flavored with it.  There are some who won't, and that is fine. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE COFFEE BEAN COOKIES

Just ordinary simple ingredients. 

• 1 TBS instant coffee granules
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 cup cake flour (140g) see note
• 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
• 1/3 cup (76g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 large free range egg yolk
• 7 TBS icing sugar (57g) 

Note - If you do not have cake flour you can make your own. Measure out one cup of flour, remove 2 TBS and replace with 2 TBS of cornstarch.

 

I just used regular salted butter for my cookies. The original recipe called for unsalted butter, but I don't keep unsalted butter in my kitchen as a rule. I just use regular butter.

Corn starch is what they call corn flour in the UK. Cocoa powder is not drinking chocolate. It is unsweetened cocoa powder which has specifically designed to use in baking and cooking. There is no sugar or milk added such as is added to hot cocoa powder.

The two are NOT the same thing or interchangeable. 

 

You will not need the white from the egg, but it doesn't need to be wasted.  Egg whites freeze very easily. 

I freeze them in ice cube trays and then pop them into a zip lock baggie, ready to be thawed and used for meringues or anything else that you will need only the egg whites.

 

HOW TO MAKE COFFEE BEAN COOKIES

These are very easy to make, but do bear in mind that the unbaked cookies have to chill in the refrigerator for an hour before baking. Because of this, don't preheat your oven until just prior to baking.

 

Place the milk in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the coffee granules until fully dissolved. Set aside.

Place the butter into a bowl. Beat together with the icing sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg yolk until pale in color. Beat in the coffee until evenly distributed.

 

Sift together the flour, corn starch, and cocoa powder. Stir into the butter mixture until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Finish by using your hands to knead, mix and press the dough together until smooth. 

Roll the dough into a long log. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Using the palm of your hands shape into oval shapes, resembling a coffee bean. Place onto a large baking sheet which you have lined with baking paper or a silicone mat. (I left about 2 inches between each cookie but they really don't spread a lot.)

 

 

Press down the center of each cookie with the dull side of a butter knife or a toothpick to make an impression like the center of a coffee bean. 

Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.

 

Preheat the oven to 375*F/160*C/ gas mark 3.  Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. 

Cool and enjoy.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

 

I was so tempted to dust these with some icing sugar, but I restrained myself. They might have been prettier with the icing sugar, but then they wouldn't have really looked like coffee beans!

I remember seeing a guy walking around the grocery store once upon a time eating coffee beans.  I can't think of anything less palatable, but maybe it is a cultural thing?

I could not eat a real coffee bean, but I can tell you I will quite happily munch on these tasty cookies!  I can imagine they would go very well with a hot drink!

Coffee Bean Cookies

Yield: 40 small cookies

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 1 H & 15 MCook time: 14 MinTotal time: 1 H & 29 M

Bite sized chocolate cookies with a rich coffee flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 TBS instant coffee granules
• 2 tsp milk
• 1 cup cake flour (140g) see note
• 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 TBS cornstarch (corn flour)
• 1/3 cup (76g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 large free range egg yolk
• 7 TBS icing sugar (57g)

Instructions

1. Place the milk in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the coffee granules until fully dissolved. Set aside.
2. Place the butter into a bowl. Beat together with the icing sugar until creamy, then beat in the egg yolk until pale in color. Beat in the coffee until evenly distributed.
3. Sift together the flour, corn starch, and cocoa powder. Stir into the butter mixture until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Finish by using your hands to knead, mix and press the dough together until smooth.
4. Roll the dough into a long log. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Using the palm of your hands shape into oval shapes, resembling a coffee bean. Place onto a large baking sheet which you have lined with baking paper or a silicone mat.
5. Press down the center of each cookie with the dull side of a butter knife or a toothpick to make an impression like the center of a coffee bean.
6. Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 375*F/160*C/ gas mark 3.
8. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes. Cool and enjoy.
9. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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