Brown Butter Espresso Toffee Cookies
These cookies are rich, bold, and deeply chocolatey with a little coffee-shop energy in the best way. The brown butter gives them that warm, nutty depth, the espresso makes the chocolate taste even darker, and the toffee adds the perfect buttery crunch.
Then come the chocolate cheesecake shards—creamy, fudgy pieces folded right into the dough so every bite has a little pocket of cheesecake-style chocolate. These are soft, chewy, a little dramatic, and honestly even better after chilling in the fridge.
Ingredients for Espresso Toffee Cookie Dough
100 g brown butter, cooled
135 g dark brown sugar
40 g granulated sugar
1 tbsp coffee extract
1 large egg
½ tbsp vanilla extract, or 1½ tsp
190 g all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1½ tsp espresso powder
1½ tsp finely ground coffee
120 g toffee chocolate shards, such as Heath
140 g chocolate cheesecake shards, recipe below
Ingredients for Chocolate Cheesecake Shards
90 g cream cheese, softened
125 g dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
Pinch of salt
Instructions
In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and salt until smooth and creamy.
Fold in the melted dark chocolate until fully combined.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the chocolate cheesecake mixture into a thin, even layer.
Freeze for about 1 hour, or until firm.
Chop into shards and keep frozen until ready to fold into the cookie dough.
Make the Cookie Dough
In a large bowl, cream together the cooled brown butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and coffee extract until combined and slightly lightened.
Add the egg and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture looks glossy, fluffy, and smooth.
Add the flour, espresso powder, ground coffee, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Fold until the dough is almost fully formed. Add the toffee chocolate shards and gently fold.
Add the frozen chocolate cheesecake shards and give the dough one final gentle fold. Try not to overmix so the cheesecake pieces stay chunky.
Scoop the dough into cookie dough balls. Chill for at least 2–3 hours, or up to 24 hours for the best flavor and texture.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350°F and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Space the chilled cookie dough balls apart on the baking sheet.
Bake for 14–15 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft.
Remove from the oven and gently scoot the cookies with a round cutter or bowl to shape them into perfect circles.
Let cool fully on the baking sheet.
For the Best Texture
These are delicious once cooled, but they are especially good after chilling in the fridge for about 1 hour. The cheesecake shards firm up, the coffee flavor deepens, and the cookie turns extra fudgy and chewy.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before eating if you want a softer bite.
If you loved the bakery-style results of these Brown Butter Espresso Toffee Cookies, you will find even more inspiration in my Fantastic Pastry Cookies ebook. This guide is curated specifically for the home baker who wants to master unique flavor combinations—like deeply nutty brown butter bases, bold espresso, crunchy toffee, and rich chocolate cheesecake shards—right in their own kitchen. ☕️✨
Download the Fantastic Pastry Cookies Ebook Here
Disclaimer: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase—thank you for supporting my baking projects!
Brown Butter Espresso Toffee Cookies
These cookies are rich, bold, and deeply chocolatey with a little coffee-shop energy in the best way. The brown butter gives them that warm, nutty depth, the espresso makes the chocolate taste even darker, and the toffee adds the perfect buttery crunch.
Then come the chocolate cheesecake shards—creamy, fudgy pieces folded right into the dough so every bite has a little pocket of cheesecake-style chocolate. These are soft, chewy, a little dramatic, and honestly even better after chilling in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 100 g brown butter, cooled
- 135 g dark brown sugar
- 40 g granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp coffee extract
- 1 large egg
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract, or 1½ tsp
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp espresso powder
- 1½ tsp finely ground coffee
- 120 g toffee chocolate shards, such as Heath
- 140 g chocolate cheesecake shards, recipe below
- 90 g cream cheese, softened
- 125 g dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and salt until smooth and creamy.
- Fold in the melted dark chocolate until fully combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the chocolate cheesecake mixture into a thin, even layer.
- Freeze for about 1 hour, or until firm.
- Chop into shards and keep frozen until ready to fold into the cookie dough.
- In a large bowl, cream together the cooled brown butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and coffee extract until combined and slightly lightened.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Whisk until the mixture looks glossy, fluffy, and smooth.
- Add the flour, espresso powder, ground coffee, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Fold until the dough is almost fully formed. Add the toffee chocolate shards and gently fold.
- Add the frozen chocolate cheesecake shards and give the dough one final gentle fold. Try not to overmix so the cheesecake pieces stay chunky.
- Scoop the dough into cookie dough balls. Chill for at least 2–3 hours, or up to 24 hours for the best flavor and texture.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Space the chilled cookie dough balls apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 14–15 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look slightly soft.
- Remove from the oven and gently scoot the cookies with a round cutter or bowl to shape them into perfect circles.
- Let cool fully on the baking sheet.
