Chocolate Espresso Cookies (Chocolate Oliang Cookies)

It’s cookie season. This season has many meanings and means different things for different people. One thing is for sure: it’s the season for sharing. Whether it’s a cookie swap or cookie tins delivered to your favorite people, it’s evidence that sharing is at the heart of the season.

This season, I wanted to develop a cookie recipe that is reminiscent of home. One that is not pandan. We don’t tend to think about it as an iconic flavor combination in Southeast Asia, but that dark coffee with sweetened condensed milk is undeniably part of the coffee culture in the region. Gaffe yen or oliang in Laos and Thailand, kaafe tuek in Cambodia, and Cà Phê Sữa Đá in Vietnam are all dark roasted coffee or robusta, which is commonly served with condensed milk. I wanted to put those flavors in a chewy cookie form. The addition of chocolate mimics the dark color of the coffee and plays well with the coffee flavors.

These are soft and chewy cookies with chocolate flavors and hints of coffee and sweetened condensed milk. I’ve used the fact that the cookies have coffee in them as an excuse to eat one right after breakfast. These are just darn good cookies.

Notes:

Espresso – instant coffee can be substituted for the espresso powder if you don’t have it. You may have to use up to 1.5 tablespoons if the brand that you are using is not strong. Make sure that at least part of it is added to the condensed milk mixture. After a few attempts, I found that adding espresso to the chocolate batter amplifies the chocolate flavor, but you don’t get a coffee-forward flavor as you would expect from a coffee cookie. Adding the coffee to the condensed milk as well helps to bring that forward.
Don’t overmix – Dollop the condensed milk mixture into the main cookie batter and try not to overmix it. Ideally, you’ll want to create marbling or swirls. You can scoop the batter with the swirls running through the batter for unique cookies.

Chocolate – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips that I had in the pantry. Microwaved it on high at 30 second intervals until they have melted. Let it cool slightly before adding the melted chocolate to the sugar butter mixture.
Cocoa – I used an organic baking cocoa that is processed with alkali. A Dutch-processed cocoa powder or cocoa powder blend would work for this recipe.

Chocolate Espresso Cookies (Chocolate Oliang Cookies)

Makes: 24 cookies
Time: 30 minutes

2 ¼ cup (325g) all-purpose flour, (scoop and leveled), divided
¼ cup (25g) cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) espresso powder, divided
½ cup (4 oz) semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate of choice, melted
¾ cup (170g / 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (220g) packed brown sugar
1 large egg (55g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (80g) sweetened condensed milk

• Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, add butter and brown sugar. Using a hand mixer, beat until combined. Add melted chocolate. Beat to combine. Then add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat after each addition until you get a homogeneous mixture.
• Using a mesh sieve, sift in 2 cups (290g) of flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 2 teaspoons of espresso powder. Sift directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Beat until dry ingredients are well combined.
• In a small bowl, mix ¼ cup (35g) all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon espresso powder. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Mix well.
• Drop dollops of the sweetened condensed milk mixture into the cookie dough. Gently fold in the condensed milk mixture but try not to over mix. You want to create visible swirls.
• Use a cookie scoop or spoon and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches in between the cookies. Gently press the top of the cookies.
• Bake for 9-11 minutes until the tops have slightly cracked. Remove from the oven. Let sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
• Enjoy.

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