Lavazza Series 2015: Cappuccino Coffee Bean Cookies

Cappuccino Coffee Bean Cookies are the Perfect Partner for a Cup of Lavazza!

When I was teaching middle school at Hardisty, I had a parent helper who made the most incredible coffee bean cookies. This was back in the 90’s. I had never seen a coffee bean cookie, and was charmed. She did give me the recipe and I tucked it away to make “one day, when I have the time”. When I was teaching middle school in the 90’s, almost everything got tucked away until “I would have the time.” I recall craving those cookies.

Time went by, she and her son moved on to high school, and I completely forgot about that coffee bean cookie. Until now. When making my list of recipes to share with this Lavazza coffee contract, from my deep, bottomless abyss: the one holding all primordial memories through time, emerged that of the coffee bean cookie. Out came all of the tangled and mangled recipes I have collected through my life. Spewed across the table, I spent hours organizing, sorting and searching for that coffee bean cookie recipe that was so lovingly shared with me, decades ago.

But, it was not there. It was not there. It just was not there.

Onto the internet I went. Through images and recipes and recipes and images. It was not there. Cream cheese was a main ingredient. They would melt in your mouth and I did have enough recollection of the recipe to know I wasn’t finding it, yet not enough to recreate it. So, I decided I would make my own coffee bean cookie recipe in honor of that memory, that mother, and that time in my life. I knew I was going to use Vanja’s favourite “every day” Lavazza. Above, this is the espresso he has been buying for the past 18 years. This is the espresso he drinks every day. This is the espresso in the Coffee Bean Cookie. And, I will add, this is a darn good coffee bean “almost” shortbread cookie. The addition of the white chocolate was brilliant (thank you very much) and creates the sensation of milk with the espresso, and is a true cappuccino cookie!

Before I explain how to make it, I will add, that the Greeks love their Lavazza! Throughout Greece, like Starbucks logos permeate our streets, it is the Lavazza logos that permeate theirs.

Above, mis en place. I make this recipe in my Thermomix, but have written instructions for those without one, as well. When I make my shortbread, I combine the sugar and flour, then work in the butter. Here, I used the cookie method and there is a little more flour in this recipe. Shortbread has a ratio of 2: 1: 1/2  flour, butter, sugar. This recipe has and extra 1/2 cup of flour. This is due to the method I chose to combine all of the ingredients as I needed the espresso powder to melt into the butter sugar mixture.

Once the butter, sugar and coffee was lovely and fluffy, I sifted the flour and salt through the hole in the lid of my Thermomix with the machine stirring low and slow.

It worked beautifully.

Brushing the remainder of the sifted flour into the bowl through the hole, within

Now, I have experience molding cookies, oh my! How I love perfecting little dainty morsels by hand. The cookies I make every Christmas are a testament to this. Once you created the oval, place it on the parchment and pat it down with the heel of your hand, gently, so that it is the same size and shape as the others: just a wee bit smaller.

Once you score it with a skewer, it will spread and align in size with the others, once you get the knack of it.

At this point, I pinch the sides together a bit to make the channel through the cookie more of a line. You can see this on the top cookie, above, left.

Into the 325ºF oven they go.

Valrhona white chocolate callets ground, then melted once the cookies have cooled.

Working with white chocolate is quite different than dark in that it stays in the melted state a very long time.

Cookies may not look baked, but touch them, and turn one over. If a little golden on the bottom and a little firm with give, after 18 minutes, they are ready to cool on the rack.

Even with pinching the channel together, the opening separated. Still, very coffee beany and I am tickled.

Dipped in the white chocolate, each needed a little “somethin’ somethin’ ” to dress it up. The combination of powdered espresso and the 24K gold shards works for me!

So often we think of a cup of coffee as our morning wake up call. Or, “going for a coffee” as a great time for chatting, again, casual. It is “tea time” that holds formality. I suggest adding a little formality to coffee time, on occasion. Not in dress, but in ambiance. A special sweet with that special cup of espresso can make my day. How about you?

Shop Lavazza!

Take a minute to browse the online store. Please use this link as it is designated to me for my US readers, and this link, designated to me for my Canadian readers (shop Canadian!) I am curious to see how many of my readers actually take the plunge and will investigate the offerings there.  Their customer loyalty opportunity is a nice perk! (Don’t even bother to pardon the pun!)

Lavazza Series Posts:

This is my third, but I will be listing each of the 6 I plan to write this year at the bottom of each post if you are a coffee fanatic like me.

• Lavazza Tasting Challenge and Affogato
• La Bête Noire (The Black Beast Recipe)
• Cappucinno Coffee Bean Cookies

Lavazza Prize Opportunity for A Canadian Foodie Readers:

There will be an opportunity for a prize package for my readers at the end of this series. I am just waiting to hear what will be included and we will know next month. If you comment about your favourite coffee memory, recipe or brand, you will be in the draw!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Coffee Bean Cookies

This is an ACF Original Recipe developed specifically for the Lavazza Series 2015. I used my tried and true shortbread recipe, added Lavazza Espresso, and VOILA!

Prep Time45 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course: Cookie

Cuisine: Canadian

Servings: 60

Author: Valerie Lugonja

Ingredients

• 225 g unsalted butter , room temperature (1 cup)
• 100 g granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
• 15 g finely ground espresso or three tablespoons
• 5 g vanilla
• 325 g flour (about 2 1/2 cups)
• pinch of salt
• 300 g white chocolate callets
• 5 g instant espresso

Instructions

Instructions with the Thermomix TM5

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• weigh the flour and salt on the top of the TM bowl before starting; set aside
• Scale butter and sugar into TM bowl; cream for 1 minute at speed 3-4, scraping down the sides of the bowl at 30 seconds
• Add coffee and vanilla to ingredients in TM bowl; mix to combine for 10 seconds at speed 3
• Scrape down sides of the bowl; mix for 10 seconds at speed 3 again
• Place a wide funnel into the hole of the lid; set a sieve on top
• Set the time to one minute, the speed at 2 and sift the flour through the sieve to combine with the ingredients in the TM bowl; brush remaining flour into bowl through hole in lid
• Watching through the hole in the lid, mix just until ingredients form into a dough
• Remove from TM bowl; divide dough into two and wrap with plastic
• Chill for about 30 minutes, then roll tablespoon sized portions into 30 balls
• Shape balls into flattened ovals, score a line down the center with a skewer to resemble a coffee bean shape
• Place cookies on parchment paper covered baking sheet; bake for 18 minutes or until bottom is a light brown
• Remove from oven, and place individual cookies on cooling rack

Instructions for Dipping Cookies in the Thermomix:

• Scale 200g chocolate into TM bowl; melt by setting time for 5 minutes, temperature at 37 degrees F and speed at 2
• Scrape down sides of bowl, as needed; remove melted chocolate into narrow deep bowl for dipping cookies
• Dip each cookie halfway into melted chocolate; sprinkle chocolate with instant coffee powder and 24K gold leaf shards
• Place on parchment paper to set; store in air tight plastic container
• When dipping second batch of cookies, melt remaining 100g of chocolate with the leftover chocolate

Instructions for Cookies without the Thermomix

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• Cream the butter and sugar until well combined; add coffee and vanilla to combine
• Sift flour and salt over wet ingredients, mix on low until dough forms
• Divide dough into two and wrap with plastic; chill for about 30 minutes
• Roll tablespoon sized portions into 30 balls; shape each into flattened ovals, score a line down the center with a skewer to resemble a coffee bean shape
• Place cookies on parchment paper covered baking sheet; bake for 18 minutes or until bottom is a light brown
• Remove from oven, and place individual cookies on cooling rack

Instructions for Dipping the Cookies without the Thermomix

• Melt 200g chocolate; remove melted chocolate into narrow deep bowl for dipping cookies
• Dip each cookie halfway into melted chocolate; sprinkle chocolate with instant coffee powder and 24K gold leaf shards
• Place on parchment paper to set; store in air tight plastic container
• When dipping second batch of cookies, melt remaining 100g of chocolate with the leftover chocolate

Notes

There will be 1/2 of the white chocolate left once the first 30 cookies are dipped
It is best not to melt all at once, as it will thicken and need remelting after second batch is made
Add remaining 100g of chocolate to thickened leftover dipping chocolate, ensuring there are no cookie crumbs in the leftover chocolate
Proceed dipping as with first batch
Chocolate takes a long time to set; place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to expedite the process

Disclaimer

As noted within the text, I have been paid to write a series of posts for Lavazza from now until December 2015. This is one of them.