Coffee Compost Cookies

Well, hello! It has been ages since we connected, huh? I feel like during these “unprecedented times” (I bet you can’t wait to not hear THAT phrase again!), time moves differently. It feels all at once like the last 14 months was a fortnight and yet also a decade. So in some ways, writing in this space is picking up right where we left off. But in another way, we’re all different people because of Covid.

As the light at the end of the tunnel slowly approaches, we can begin to sluggishly stretch out, blink our eyes open, and stagger out of our apartments. But I can’t help but feel a bit anxious. I don’t know if I want to completely flip the switch back socially to pre-Covid. Waiting outside for 45 minutes to “brunch” or rushing to crowded happy hours after work are not activities I can say I totally miss. Of course, the stress, anxiety, fear, and overall chaos of the pandemic have been absolutely terrible. Not to mention the grief and suffering that some have experienced globally due to losing a job, losing a loved one, or losing a piece of their health from this disease. So there’s nothing more I’d like to hope for than for an end to this pandemic.

However, if I could, I’d like to take some lessons with me from the past year which I’ll outline below.

1. everything seems a lot more efficient now with government organizations, big box stores, doctor’s offices, etc. – I want to maintain online convenience where possible. Seriously, less lines.
2. The “we’re all in this together” vibes I’ve felt in the community is incredible. Neighbors driving those in need to get vaccines, everyone leaving notes for essential workers outside their doors, etc. Let’s keep that energy, okay?
3. There is an awareness, now more than ever, about inequalities in our society. That framework of change needs to be built upon and brought forward with us as we emerge. Only then can we be stronger and more powerful as a country.
4. The emphasis on taking time to check in with ourselves mentally and emotionally. I love that self-care is at the forefront right now. Stretching, exercising, baking, reading, hiking, and bingeing some good tv have all gotten me through the tedium of days at home. And even with more stressful life and work situations, I have the best relationship with my mind and body I’ve ever had. But we don’t need the pandemic as a reason to keep this up, right? I hope not.

So here’s to keeping some of the good bits around. With compost cookies! These cookies are basically like an amped up chocolate chip. There’s chocolate, of course, but also coffee, vanilla, almond, and cardamom (we all know how much I love cardamom). The metaphor comes in here with the coffee. I’ve used spent coffee grounds—basically the leftover beans after your hot water passes through them for your morning cup of joe. We normally throw these away or compost them, but we can add a few spoonsful of them into the cookie dough. They lend a flavor that’s not necessarily coffee-forward after baking, but it’s just enough toasty depth to bring out the extra chocolatey chocolate notes. Plus, they speckle the cookies in a beautiful way. Do you get it? Bringing the old coffee grounds with us into the future to create something else? Okay, I digress.

A few more notes about these. I’ve increased the water to flour ratio which does a couple of things. First of all, the higher water content means that the dough has slightly less structure. This leads to the dough spreading a bit more in the oven than my normal cookie of choice. I generally like them soft and doughy. These particular cookies, however, spread so that the edges get a little chewy. But don’t worry! We won’t bake them too much so that the middle stays a bit pudgy. Secondly, that additional moisture means that we have to chill the dough in order to make it easier to scoop and to prevent the dough from spreading tooooo much in the oven. As you chill the dough, the flour gets more time to hang out and get acclimated. That’s better for the texture as the flour’s gluten structure has time to relax, and the starch sucks up water which has a better gelatinization in the oven. The ultimate formula for our ideal cookie. Also, that extra chilling time has an additional upside. It gives more time for the coffee grounds to infuse into the dough. We’re headed for flavor town.

Another ingredient science thing! I’ve used malted milk powder for a caramel note in the flavor, and it also makes the cookies a bit chewier on the edges. That creates a pretty delightful contrast as you bite into the cookie amongst the edge and center.

Okay, I think that’s it! If I could add one more closing note: the quality of coffee bean and salt you use as a topping does impact the flavor. It’s all in the nuances, people. So, make me proud. Maldon all the way! Let’s bake our way into a covid-free future with more of that good stuff we learned.

Coffee Compost Cookies

Print Recipe

Inspired by How Sweet Eats

Makes 24 Cookies

¾ cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup (213 g) brown sugar

½ cup (99 g) granulated sugar

1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 ½ tablespoons spent coffee grounds (or fresh, see recipe note below)

2 ¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (35 g) malted milk powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

⅓ cup chopped roasted almonds

¾ cup assorted chocolate chunks (I used mostly dark chocolate with a bit of milk and blonde chocolates for fun)

Flaky salt, preferably Maldon, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and arrange a baking rack in the middle of the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, malted milk powder, and cardamom. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together. Add the egg and yolk to the mix and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla extract and coffee grounds and mix to combine. If you’re using dry coffee grounds, (i.e. not from a freshly made pot of coffee) add a teaspoon of water.
4. Slowly add the dry ingredients from step two into the wets using a rubber spatula to gently mix. Add the chocolate chunks and chopped almonds and mix until just coming together. Cover the bowl and put into the fridge. Chill for 30 minutes-1 hour or up to 1 day. This lets the flour absorb some of the moisture and the coffee flavor infuse more into the dough.
5. If the dough still seems too wet to easily scoop, add a couple extra tablespoons of flour.
6. On a parchment-covered sheet pan, scoop the chilled dough by 3 tablespoons leaving 3 inches between the cookie dough balls. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with some flaky salt.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 minutes, rotating halfway through. The dough will look lightly browned at the edges and crackly soft in the middle. Take out of the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.
8. Enjoy!

Want more coffee info? I’ve got you ! 🙂