These vegan Espresso Martini Cookies are flavoured with ground espresso powder, a hint of vodka and sweet white chocolate. Imitating the smooth flavours of this famous coffee cocktail but in a delicious vegan coffee cookie form.
Mention ‘Espresso Martini Cookies’ to a coffee lover and you’ll be met with a wave of lip-smacking ooh’s and ahh’s!
A generous helping of ground espresso powder adds both flavour and a speckled look to these vegan coffee cookies and pairs beautifully with the subtle hint of vodka. We’ve added vegan white chocolate chunks to fill these cookies with luxurious melted pockets of creaminess to mimic the silky crema topping of an Espresso Martini cocktail.
Quick links:
Why you’ll love these Espresso Martini Cookies
Easy to make and one mixing bowl. These delicious vegan chocolate coffee cookies are made in one mixing bowl to keep washing up to a minimum. First beat the butter, sugar, syrup, vodka and vanilla together. Then stir in the dry ingredients before adding the white chocolate chips.
Deliciously thick and chewy. We freeze the dough before baking as this results in thicker cookies, which suits this recipe. We also use brown sugar (as we do in most of our cookie recipes) to give that delicious chewy texture to these chocolate and coffee cookies.
Great for coffee lovers. These vegan coffee cookies have a distinct coffee flavour from the ground coffee but it is not overpowering. The coffee flavour pairs beautifully with the hint of vodka and chunks of sweet white chocolate. They’ll make a great gift for a coffee lover this holiday season!
Freezer friendly. One of the great things about these espresso cookies is you can store the cookie dough balls in the freezer and cook them from frozen as and when you fancy a cookie or two! You just need to add a few more minutes to the cooking time if you’re cooking them from completely frozen rather than part-frozen.
Success tips for making these Vegan Coffee Cookies
- Beating the wet ingredients. At the first step you want to beat the wet ingredients together (vegan butter, sugar, syrup, vodka and vanilla extract) in a medium bowl until the mixture is light and creamy. You may want to use a food processor or stand mixer for this, or at least give it a good go with the wooden spoon!
- Mixing in the rest of the ingredients. Use a light touch when adding in the rest of the ingredients (all purpose flour, bicarbonate of soda, espresso powder, salt and chocolate) – mix just enough to combine, don’t beat the mixture at this stage.
- Freeze before baking. Freeze the cookie dough balls for 1 hour before baking to give a nice thick cookie. Don’t skip the chill time otherwise your cookies will likely spread on the tray and go crispy around the edges. These cookies need a little longer in the freezer than most due to the vodka. If you choose to exclude the vodka you’ll have a shorter freeze time (please see the recipe notes at the bottom of the recipe card below).
- Cooling. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. The chocolate will remain warm and melted for quite a while after baking so you want to give the cookies time to firm up a little before attempting to move them to a wire rack. Definitely enjoy one whilst they are still warm (not hot), the melty chocolate makes them extra yummy!
- Storing. Store the cookies in an airtight container either at room temperature or in the fridge if you prefer them firmer. Don’t store these vegan coffee cookies with other cookies as the coffee flavor will likely transfer.
- You can make 1/2 a batch. If you don’t want to cook a full batch of cookies you can store any remaining dough balls in an air-tight zip-lock bag in the freezer ready to cook at a later date for the perfect vegan treat.
FAQs
Can I use vegan milk or dark chocolate instead of white chocolate?
Of course! Feel free to switch up the chocolate using a 1:1 ratio.
Can I use instant coffee powder instead of ground espresso powder?
We don’t recommend substituting the ground espresso powder for instant coffee in this recipe. You can use either freshly ground coffee beans or pre-packaged ground coffee.
Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter?
No, we don’t recommend using oil in this recipe in place of vegan butter.
Do I need to use an egg substitute in this recipe?
No, there is no need to use a flax egg or other vegan egg replacement in this recipe.
Can I use coconut sugar, dark brown sugar or white cane sugar in this recipe?
We recommend sticking to light brown sugar in this recipe because it creates the most delicious chewy cookies. You won’t get the same results with coconut or white sugar. Dark brown sugar could potentially work, although we think the caramel flavour from the sugar could be overpowering.
Can I make this dough in advance?
Yes, you can make this dough the day before you want to cook it – just place the dough balls in the refrigerator overnight instead of in the freezer for 1 hour. You may need to increase the baking time by a minute or two – you’re aiming for the cookies to be lightly golden.
Can I adjust the batch size?
I recommend making a full batch as per the recipe but you can store 1/2 of the batch of cookie dough balls in the freezer for baking at another time. You can also double the recipe but you’ll likely need to bake the cookies in batches so they’ve got enough space on the baking trays to cook and spread a little without joining together.
Loved these Espresso Martini Cookies? Here are some more delicious vegan cookie recipes to try
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Vegan Gingerbread Bear Cookies – Perfect for Christmas, these Gingerbread Bears can be iced to look like Polar Bears!
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Vegan Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies – If you’re in the mood for a more classic cookie, why not try these one-bowl vegan cookies?
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These Cinnamon Raisin Oat Cookies are a classic treat with warming autumnal flavours – perfect dipped in a glass of warm oat milk.
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A Christmas classic – these Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies are deliciously sweet with creamy white chocolate chunks and tangy dried cranberries. They’ve got a thick, soft and chewy centre with a lightly crisp exterior.
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These rich and chocolatey Bakery-Style Triple Chocolate Cookies are crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and generously filled with chunks of white, milk and dark vegan chocolate. Ready in under 20 minutes!
I hope you LOVE this recipe for Espresso Martini Cookies! Share this recipe with someone you think will enjoy it and don’t forget to tag @aveganvisit on social media when you try out the recipe – I absolutely love seeing your re-creations! Enjoy 🙂 x
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The Espresso Martini Cookie Recipe:
Espresso Martini Cookies
Ingredients
To make the cookies:
- 240 g dairy free butter* (cold and cut into cubes)
- 190 g soft light brown sugar
- 40 g golden syrup
- 3 tbsp vodka** (optional - see notes for how to exclude it)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 375 g plain flour
- 2 tsp ground espresso coffee powder***
- ¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 150 g vegan white chocolate chunks
To decorate:
- 100 g vegan white chocolate (melted)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl beat the butter, sugar, golden syrup, vodka and vanilla with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light and creamy.240 g dairy free butter*, 190 g soft light brown sugar, 40 g golden syrup, 3 tbsp vodka**, 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Note: As the butter will be quite solid you may find it easier to use a food processor or mixer to beat the mixture. At this stage the mixture may look grainy but once the flour has been added this will disappear.
- Add the flour, coffee powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt. Gently stir until just combined (don’t beat the mixture at this stage).375 g plain flour, 2 tsp ground espresso coffee powder***, 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1/4 tsp salt
- Add the chocolate chunks. Stir to combine.150 g vegan white chocolate chunks
- Use a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to scoop 16 cookie dough balls out of the mixture. Roll them into smooth balls and place them onto a freezer-proof plate. Don’t flatten the dough balls, you want to leave them round so you get a nice chunky cookie.
- Freeze the cookie dough balls for 1 hour. This will help to achieve a thicker cookie and prevent the cookies from spreading out on the tray when baking.
- Whilst the cookie dough balls are in the freezer, preheat the oven to 175°C fan (195°C conventional / 385°F / gas mark 5) and line two large trays with non-stick baking paper. Don’t pre-heat your trays.
- Remove the cookie dough balls from the freezer and place them on the lined baking trays with plenty of space in between each cookie.****
- Bake straight away for 11 mins until they have started to colour slightly.
- Once baked, leave the cookies on the trays on the kitchen side for 10 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Once the cookies have cooled, drizzle some melted white chocolate over the top to create a zig zag effect.100 g vegan white chocolate
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.
