Cosmic Triple Chocolate Espresso Cookies

I just finished reading HitchHiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, and it was not at all what I expected. I’m not sure how I got it in my head that this was going to be a very serious, proper sci fi book. It’s actually the height of absurdity. I don’t know the last time I read a book that made me laugh out loud, but this one did it. It’s silly and over the top and quintessentially British. I loved it, and I’m excited to have a new series to read now!

I wanted to bake something SPACEY for this book. Which definitely means fancy sprinkles. For flavors I wanted intensity. Enter three types of chocolate and what is (possibly) too much espresso powder. And thus, the Cosmic Triple Chocolate Espresso cookie was born.   

I’ve been a baker for years, and I’m just now starting to experiment with developing my own recipes. One of the reasons that I love baking is that feeling of following the steps of a recipe. It’s relaxing to have a road map. A step by step guide to creating something. So the process of creating a recipe has been entirely different, but maybe just as much fun?

Tips and Tricks for this recipe:

1. Circular Cookie Cutters (One million percent optional). Have you ever been to a nice bakery and wondered how all of their cookies are perfectly round? Even if you use a cookie scoop, you’re bound to get a few funky cookies in every batch. Hot tip from a pro cookie baker : Get a set of plastic circular cookie cutters. When you’re cookies come out of the oven, place the cookie cutter around the outside of the cookie and move your hand quickly in a circular motion. The cookie cutter will shape your cookies into beautiful even circles. Do I do this, even when I’m baking at home? Yes, yes I do. I’m obsessive like that.

I use these guys: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B311CW99/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

2. Chill your dough (Highly Recommended). This dough is very, very soft. I left mine in the fridge for an hour to make it more scoopable. But if you just can’t wait…honestly, I get it.

3. Freeze for Later. I prefer a fresh baked cookie, so when I make a big batch of cookies, I tend to scoop them all out and put them in the freezer. This also (usually) stops me from eating way too many cookies at once.

4. Melting Wafers (Highly Recommended). I recently learned this trick from the patron saint of baking herself, Claire Saffitz. Using chocolate melting wafers instead of chocolate chips is a game changer. It creates delicious pools of chocolate all throughout the cookie. So much extra melt-in-your-mouthiness!

5. Black Cocoa powder (Highly Recommended). You could use regular cocoa powder for this recipe, but if you want a truly black cookie, I would spring for the black cocoa powder. I stumbled upon this trick a few years ago while making a black cake for a friend’s wedding. Black cocoa powder is the perfect way to get a deep black color in your bakes (without turning your teeth black from dye). Bonus : it also adds a richer flavor. I used this cocoa : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MZ76F53/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1

6. Galaxy Sprinkles (Pretty Much a MUST) and Sanding Sugar. I LOVE SPRINKLES. Especially fancy themed sprinkles. I used these beautiful ones from Sprinkle Pop: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FRZ1GKJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1

I also rolled these cookies in a white sanding sugar, which gives them a pretty shimmer and a little extra crunch!

If you made these cookies, I would love to know how they turned out! As always, let me know if you changed anything in the recipe, or if you have any questions about it. Happy baking!