These mocha cookies are brownie-like bombshells that have the perfect hint of coffee. You’ll love the all-around crust they develop & a lightly chewy center!

Are you torn between baking gooey brownies or chocolate cookies tonight? These mocha cookies are a happy in-between and the perfect balance of chocolate flavor and mocha flavor. The best part is that you don’t even have to bust out your electric mixer to make them and can whip up the dough with just a spatula or spoon!
Note: This recipe makes 80 cookies! If you don’t plan on sharing or freezing some, feel free to cut the recipe in half.

Making these Decadent Mocha Cookies
These mocha cookies only require 30 minutes of prep time and a quick set in the fridge before baking. Before you dive in, check out a summary of the simple instructions…
- Mix the Wet Ingredients: In a small pot, melt the unsalted butter with the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Add in the coffee and let it dissolve. Place the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and stir in the white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and whisked eggs until well-combined.
- Make the Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.
- Combine the Dry & Wet Ingredients: Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Shape the Cookies: Form equal-sized balls of the cookie dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 12-15 minutes and allow them to cool on a wire rack. Cookies may be very soft when you remove them form the oven, but they will harden as they sit at room temperature.






A Couple Handy Tips for Along the Way
A couple of handy tips will help you make bakery-worthy chocolate mocha cookies.
- Sift the dry ingredients.To get the lumps out of the dry ingredients, use a fine mesh sieve to strain them together. This will help create a smooth and consistent bite to your cookies!
- Use a small cookie scoop to make even-sized dough balls. To ensure that your cookies bake evenly, make sure that you divide the balls into even-sized pieces. While you can always eyeball it, a cookie scoop helps to take the guesswork out!
- Give the cookies some time to set at room temperature. You know that crispy outer crust we talked about earlier? It’s created when you give the cookies a bit of time to set at room temperature after they come out of the oven. 15-20 minutes will do the trick!
Kitchen Tool Spotlight: Silicone baking mats not only reduce waste, but also prevent your cookies from sticking. That’s a win-win!

Different Add-Ins for Mocha Cookies
There’s a handful of different add-ins you can play around with to make these cookies. Find some ideas to kickstart your creative process here:
- Chocolate Chips & Chocolate Chunks: For added texture, mix in your favorite chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to the batter before you toss it in the fridge. You can even use white chocolate for a pop of flavor!
- Sprinkles: Stir in your favorite colored sprinkle into the dough. We love rainbow!
- Candies: Add crushed candy canes to the cookies during Christmas to turn them into peppermint mocha cookies!
Don’t have instant coffee granules? Swap in three tablespoons of finely ground espresso powder instead. If you like a stronger coffee flavor, add a couple of more tablespoons to taste.
Storing & Freezing Mocha Cookies 101
- Storing: To keep the cookies on hand for up to 2 weeks, store them in a plastic storage bag on the counter.
- Freezing: You can freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. To thaw, pop them in the fridge overnight or leave them on the counter for a couple of hours.
FAQ
What makes chocolate mocha cookies both soft and crispy?
The combination of white sugar and brown sugar helps the cookies become both soft and crispy. You can thank the white sugar for the crust and the brown sugar for the moistness.
What does melted butter do to chocolate mocha cookies?
Melted butter helps turn cookies chewy. On the other hand, softened butter helps turn cookies into a cake-like texture.
Why do chocolate mocha cookies harden a bit at room temperature?
Mocha cookies harden a bit when at room temperature because the butter and fats harden and solidify. This gives them the signature crust on the outside!
Why should you chill the dough for mocha cookies before baking them?
You want to chill the dough to help the butter and fats harden before you bake the cookies. This prevents the cookies from spreading and helps them hold their shape.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Coffee Macarons Recipe – Coffee flavor sandwich cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – Chocolate Christmas cookies
- Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies (Video) – Classic chocolate chips cookies
- Healthy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – 5 ingredients, guilt free
- The Best Peanut Butter Cookies – Sweet and salty peanut butter cookies
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp instant coffee
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a small pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the pot from heat.
- Add the instant coffee into the melted chocolate and give it 5 minutes to dissolve.
- Place the chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Into the mixture, add white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and whisked eggs. Stir the mixture until well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well-combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Using the palms of your hands, form equal-sized balls (about 1 tbsp in size) of the dough and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about an inch away from one another.
- Bake the cookies at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. Cookies may be very soft when you remove them form the oven, but they will harden as they sit at room temperature.
Tried this last night and it was so amazing!!! The cookies were so soft and chewy just perfect!
Ilina, this makes me so happy. They are like a cookie brownie. So good!
Can these be frozen once made?
Hi Vika - Absolutely! You can freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once completely frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. To thaw, pop them in the fridge overnight or leave them on the counter for a couple of hours. Enjoy!
Hello,
The ingredients list has baking powder and salt but those ingredients are not listed in the directions
Can you please clarify?
Hey Milana, thanks for pointing that out. Add it with flour and cacao powder. Enjoy
those came out amazing!
That's so cool!! Glad you guys loved them 🙂
it's perfect :))
Looks delicious, I love coffee and anything with it. Big thank you for your cookies recipes I am trying them one by one with my kids.
That's great that you get your kids involved in baking with you. Cookies are perfect finger dessert with little ones.