Description
Bake soft, chewy cookies flavored with espresso and topped with a creamy mascarpone frosting, mimicking the classic Italian dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (for dough)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for frosting)
- 4 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract and the dissolved espresso mixture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and 1/2 cup cocoa powder.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the frosting: In a medium bowl, beat the softened mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, and almond extract (if using) until smooth and creamy.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, spread or pipe a layer of mascarpone frosting onto the top of each cookie.
- Lightly dust the frosted cookies with unsweetened cocoa powder before serving.
Notes
- For a stronger coffee flavor, use 1 tablespoon of dissolved espresso powder.
- If you do not have mascarpone, you can substitute it with cream cheese, but the flavor will be less authentic.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes if your kitchen is very warm, although this recipe does not require a long chill time.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 12 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 20
- Sodium: 100
- Fat: 14
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 55