These crisp Mocha Swirl Cookies combine chocolate cookie dough and espresso-cocoa nib cookie dough for a not-too-sweet treat! Pro tip: for a little extra sweetness, use chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans instead of nibs!
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, and salt) and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Add dry ingredients in two additions, mixing just until incorporated. Remove half the dough from the bowl and set aside. A kitchen scale (see note) helps to ensure that you've divided the dough in half, which will help you have more even swirls. That said, half the dough will be just shy of two cups.
For Espresso-Cocoa Nib Dough:
Dissolve the espresso powder (see note) in the hot water. Add the espresso mixture and the finely-processed cocoa nibs to the first half of the dough and mix to combine. Remove dough from the bowl, scraping away as much dough as possible from the sides of the bowl before proceeding.
For Chocolate Dough:
Place the second half of the dough into the mixer bowl and add melted chocolate, cocoa, and chocolate extract (see note). Mix just until combined.
Assemble:
Portion each flavor of dough into three pieces of equal size. Again, a kitchen scale is handy for this step. You will have three portions of each flavor (6 portions in all).
Place each portion of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll into a square about 7"x7" in size (you will have six squares total). Layer the rolled-out dough (still in-between parchment) on a baking sheet and refrigerate 10-15 minutes.
After chilling, layer one espresso and one chocolate dough. Gently run a rolling pin over the top to seal the layers together a bit. Set aside and repeat with the remaining dough portions. You can alternate which dough is on top to have different-looking cookies! When complete, you will have three portions of dough, each with two layers.
Roll up each portion of dough so that you have three rolled doughs. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about three hours (or wrap in foil and freeze for up to three months!)
Slice and Bake:
After chilling again, preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with silpats (see note) or parchment and set aside.
Cut dough into ¼" rounds with a thin, serrated knife (I find that a bread knife works well) and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1" apart. Bake until the tops of the cookies are set, about 11-13 minutes. Let stand on the pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.Enjoy!
Notes
Note on kitchen scale: A kitchen scale (like this one [here]) helps to ensure that you've divided the dough into equal portions, which will help you have more even swirls. Note on chocolate extract: Chocolate extract lends amazing flavor to chocolate baked goods! You can find some for yourself [here], or even better, make yourself some [Homemade Chocolate Extract] for next time!Note on espresso powder: I’ve found it difficult to find espresso powder, especially one that’s fine in texture and isn’t already as hard as a rock. I use King Arthur Baking’s brand (link [here]), as it’s very fine and made specifically for baked goods.Note on cocoa nibs: I really like the added chocolate flavor notes and subtle crunch from the cocoa nibs! They can be tricky to find, and I’ve never seen them in a grocery store. If you can’t find them, you can buy some online [here].Pro tip: If you're looking to add a little extra sweetness, you could always use ground [chocolate-covered espresso beans] instead! Note on silpats: I like lining my pans with silpats because they can be used over and over again and the cookies brown more slowly. If you’re interested in getting yourself some, you can find them [here]. If you line your pans with parchment paper, just keep in mind that they may be done a little quicker than mine were.Did you make this recipe? Tag @livetosweet on Instagram! Or shoot me an email at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you!