Made using instant coffee and cocoa powder for a deep chocolate flavor, these soft and chewy Chocolate Christmas Cookies are sure to become a seasonal favorite. Dip them in Candy Melts Candy or top them with your favorite holiday sprinkles for holiday baking fun with the family.
Parchment paper used for baking can be re-used for dipping cookies. If paper is greasy, turn over to the other side.
Vanilla extract substitute
If you don’t have vanilla you can leave it out, use a vanilla bean, vanilla paste or vanilla sugar. You can also sub in 1 teaspoon bourbon, which pairs perfectly with chocolate!
Using instant coffee
The purpose of the instant coffee is to deepen the chocolate flavor, so this cookie is not a chocolate-coffee cookie. The instant coffee doesn’t add a lot of coffee flavor to the cookie and isn’t intended to do so.
Baking frozen dough:
If your dough is already shaped into dough balls it can be removed from the freezer and baked immediately. (It may take frozen dough 2 to 3 minutes longer to finish baking).
If your dough is not formed, remove it from the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours before using
How long do cookies stay fresh?
Cookies can be made about 3-5 days ahead; make sure to store them in an airtight container.
To store baked dough:
After baking, make sure your cookies are completely cooled before storing. Place them in an airtight container or bag and keep at room temperature.
You can also freeze them for several months. Wrap them in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze until ready to eat. When ready to eat, remove cookies from the plastic wrap and foil and spread out at room temperature to defrost.
To store unbaked dough:
If you’re not ready to bake your cookies, you can freeze the raw cookie dough for later. To freeze dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap then place it in a freezer bag. Stored this way, your dough should last several months.
How to keep cookies fresh:
Most cookies will stay fresh when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. If you’re planning to keep them longer than 3 days, store them in the freezer to maintain their freshness!