Vanilla Bean Espresso Cookies
Warm vanilla bean and brown sugar cookie dough is stuffed with dulce de leche and bathed in a rich espresso and vanilla bean glaze. This vanilla bean espresso cookie is sure to be your favorite coffee treat.
Ok, so this cookie flavor started out with a vanilla latte in mind. A creamy vanilla bean cookie dough base, caramel center to play on the brown sugar in the dough, and a shot of espresso glaze on top. The end result ended up being far better than I envisioned and also very far from a mild vanilla latte.
These vanilla bean espresso cookies are not shy on coffee flavor. The espresso glaze is strong, prominent, and absolutely addicting with the caramel center and warm vanilla flavors in the dough. It’s safe to say this cookie would lean more towards a caffe macchiato where the espresso flavor is more prominent, and the caramel and vanilla bean cookie are strong supporting flavor profiles.
I adore this cookie. After making a hard decision to give up my daily coffee routine (thanks anxiety) I reserve coffee as a treat now. When I say, this was the highlight of my whole month, I mean it! The cookie is sweet but balanced with bitter, creamy, and a touch of spice from cardamom. I enjoyed half a cookie with a hot cup of espresso and cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom, along with organizing my kitchen cabinets and pantry. The caffeine and sugar kick was that good.
If you are a coffee enthusiast and enjoy dark espresso, this vanilla bean espresso cookie recipe was made for you. The recipe is quick and easy with the hardest part spooning caramel into the centers when scooping the dough. Let’s get started!
Why I Love This Recipe
Flavor-I am using layers of vanilla flavor in the base of this cookie by incorporating vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, and vanilla instant pudding mix together. This creates a warm and inviting aroma and taste along with the brown sugar in the dough. Cardamom is also added to the cookie dough to warm the dough up further, imitating the acidic nature of a hot cup of coffee. Cardamom is a wonderful spice to use when brewing coffee, is very aromatic, and has a spicy almost astringent flavor that is interesting when you smell it. This flavor plays with the vanilla, caramel, and espresso flavors of the cookie without the cookie being too spiced.
The caramel center creates a sweet creaminess in the center of the cookie adding another layer of warm inviting flavor to the cookie. The star of the show, in my opinion, is the espresso vanilla bean glaze. Hot espresso is mixed with vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar to create a thick glaze I dunk each cookie into. The sweetness of the powdered sugar is balanced with the bitter espresso and the vanilla bean flavor ties into the warm vanilla flavor of the cookie. A dark chocolate espresso bean is placed on top of the glazed cookie adding a slight bitter bite to a very warm and sweet cookie.
I love the balancing of flavors working with coffee in cookies. The bitterness of espresso and the dark chocolate espresso bean work well with the sweet cookie base and the thick caramel center.
Texture-The cookie dough base has pudding mix incorporated into the dough making these cookies soft, thick, and chewy. The pudding adds cornstarch to the dough which creates a finer crumb that stays soft and moist. The dulce de leche center is thick but smooth and creates a mouthwatering texture in contrast with the soft baked cookie.
Using a thick espresso vanilla bean glaze not only means a thicker coating of delicious coffee flavored topping, but it also means a thicker shell of glaze. When the glaze hardens and sets on top of the cookie it creates a very crunchy crust that adds a crisp bite to the soft cookie underneath.
Coffee Lovers Unite-What I would give to eat these cookies with a hot cup of coffee every morning. A girl can dream. Coffee lovers will adore these cookies and I highly encourage you to make them enjoy with your favorite coffee beverage. Maybe not a part of a healthy breakfast every morning but they are an incredible treat to enjoy.
But Chrissy, don’t you already have an espresso cookie on your blog?? Yes. Don’t shame me. Espresso Shortbread Cookies also combine the awesome flavors of caramel and espresso in cookie form. Just as yummy but totally different!
Ingredients You Need:
Vanilla Bean Espresso Cookies
- Butter-room temperature
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Salt
- Egg
- Egg Yolk- this will create a richer cookie with soft texture.
- Vanilla Extract
- Vanilla Bean Paste
- Vanilla Instant Pudding
- Cardamom-can also use cinnamon as a substitute.
- Baking Soda
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Dulce de Leche- I used Nestlé brand, it’s my favorite. Can’t find it? Use THIS recipe to make your own dulce de leche from a can of condensed milk!
- Dark Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans-optional but really cute.
Espresso Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Bean Paste
- Espresso-freshly brewed. Can also use your favorite coffee as a substitute. I prefer the stronger flavor of espresso.
Cookie Time!
Vanilla bean espresso cookies are pretty simple to put together. The filling is already prepared, and the glaze takes minutes to mix up. I do recommend at least a 30-minute chill time to let the flavors develop in the cookie and to let the pudding mix and flour hydrate before baking.
Cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days or placed in a sealed container and frozen for up to 3 months. If baking from frozen add 2-3 minutes of baking time.
First, I add the room temperature butter to the bowl along with both types of sugar. Using a handheld mixer, I mix the butter and sugar together for a minute or two on high speed. The butter and sugar should be light and creamy.
Next, add the eggs, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean paste. I mix this for a good minute or two because I want the egg to be fully mixed. The mixture will look silky and glossy with no traces of egg white or egg yolk remaining.
After the wet ingredients are mixed together, I add the flour, baking soda, vanilla pudding mix, cardamom, and salt. Gently, I mix these together into a nice soft dough.
The dough will be fragrant and soft and is now ready for scooping and filling. I prepare my filling station to flawlessly master the next step.
Cookie Assembly
This recipe makes 9 stuffed cookies. If you do not have a 3-ounce cookie scoop, you can measure out the dough using 3-4 tablespoons.
Prepare your cookie filling station with:
- Parchment lined baking sheet.
- 3-ounce cookie scoop
- Dulce de leche- contents poured into a container for quick access.
- Teaspoon-to scoop filling into the cookies.
Using a three-ounce scoop, scoop cookie dough. Make an indentation in the middle of the cookie dough that is still inside the cookie scoop. Take a half teaspoon of dulce de leche and place it in the well in the center of the cookie dough. The filling should not be overflowing, it should be nestled in the center with a gap of cookie dough at the top for pinching.
Pinch the dough shut over the filling. These cookies will spread slightly so I want to make sure there is plenty of dough on the bottom, so the filling doesn’t leak out. Repeat with remaining dough.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes prior to baking. This will help the flavors of the cookie to develop while also hydrating the flour and vanilla pudding mix inside of the cookie dough.
Preheat oven to 350* and place 6 cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. The edges and top will be a light golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack prior to dipping them in glaze. If you want to opt out of the glaze (how dare you) you can enjoy these cookies as is or sprinkled with powdered sugar for a vanilla bean caramel cookie.
Espresso Vanilla Bean Glaze
I make this glaze after the cookies have cooled to room temperature. Using hot espresso will make the glaze easy to mix up but it will also want to crust quickly as it cools down. Use the glaze to dip the cookies immediately after making.
In a bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and 4 tablespoons hot espresso. I used a fork to mix together but you can also use a small whisk.
The glaze should be thick like honey. If the glaze is too thick add espresso, one teaspoon at a time, until the desired thickness is achieved. I prefer a thick glaze because I love a thick layer of espresso flavor on top of the cookies. You can thin the glaze if you want a lighter flavor or use a mix of milk and espresso.
One at a time, dip the tops of the cookies into the glaze and place back on the wire rack to allow the glaze to drip and set up. If using dark chocolate covered espresso beans, place on top of the cookies while the glaze is still soft. The glaze will harden around the chocolates and keep them in place.
I allowed the glaze to harden completely before enjoying. The crispness of the espresso glaze is delicious on this cookie. However, you can enjoy them before the glaze sets, so it is creamy and soft!
The glaze will harden within an hour or two depending on how humid your environment is. Texas has been hit with several rainstorms and it has been very humid recently so my glaze took a little over 2 hours to fully set up before I could package them up for gifts.
These vanilla bean espresso cookies will stay fresh for 3 days, although let’s be real, they will not last that long.
Enjoy!
If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!
Vanilla Bean Espresso Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick Butter room temperature, unsalted.
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 pckg Vanilla pudding mix 3.40 ounce box, instant pudding.
- 1 tspn Vanilla Extract
- 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste I used Cook's Brand vanilla bean paste.
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- 1¼ cup Flour
- ¼ tsp Cardamom can substitute cinnamon.
- ½ cup Dulce De Leche I used Nestle brand.
Espresso Glaze
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 4-6 tbsp Fresh Brewed Espresso can use strong coffee as as substitute.
- 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
Instructions
- In a bowl add room temperature butter, both types of sugar and salt. Beat on high speed with mixer until light and creamy, around 3-5 minutes.
- Add in egg, egg yolk, vanilla bean paste, and vanilla extract and mix until combined. The mixture should look smooth and glossy with no traces of egg remaining.
- Next, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and package of vanilla pudding mix. Stir with a spatula until a soft dough forms.
- Using a 3 ounce cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and forma well in the center while the cookie dough is still inside the scoop.
- Place a half teaspoon of filling inside of the cookie dough.
- Pinch the top of the cookie dough to seal the dulce de leche inside. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.
- Place stuffed cookie dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill prior to baking. Cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 350*F.
- Bake cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet. Make sure they have at least 2 inches of space between cookies. I was able to fit 6 cookies per baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges and top are a light golden brown.
- Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack until completely cooled to room temperature before glazing.
Vanilla Bean Espresso Glaze
- In a bowl combine powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and 4 tablespoons fo hot espresso.
- Stir with a for or whisk until smooth and shiny. The glaze will be thick like honey. If the glaze is too thick, add additional espresso.
- Dunk the tops of the cooled cookies into the glaze, making sure the entire top is covered in glaze.
- Place cookie back onto wire rack to allow the glaze to drip and set.
- While the glaze is wet add a dark chocolate espresso bean to the top. (Optional. But not really.)
- Allow the glaze to set and harden, 1-2 hours before storing or packaging.
- Enjoy!
