Caramel mocha chip cookies are a tasty cookie with the flavors of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. Incredibly addicting and oh, so delicious!
I have a confession to make, Friends. There are things in life that are uncomfortable, and there’s just no good way to sugar coat things. When faced with situations such as these, I tend to approach them as I would a band aid…I take a deep breath and rip that band aid clean off! Or as in this case, blurt out the truth.
I gave up drinking caffeine. Three months ago.
Yes, it’s true! I’ve abandoned my daily chai latte habit in favor of…well, nothing. I’d come to a point that not only did I feel like I needed my morning caffeine-infusion to feel right with the world, but I began to need a mid-day latte to get me through to dinner, and sometimes…sometimes I needed another half-dose-latte to get me through evening activities. Need, need, need! My caffeine habit was getting so wildly out of hand, and my stomach was revolting against all the richness. Due to those facts, I decided to wean myself off of drinking caffeine over a period of two weeks.
I’d be lying if I said the process was anything but brutal.
If the headaches didn’t do me in, I was fairly certain that my family might because I was not very pleasant to be around. Caffeine-withdrawal is a nasty beast.
I’d also be lying if I said that I didn’t miss holding the creamy warmth imparted by a mug filled to the brim with steamy latteliciousness.
Every. Single. Day.
A few days ago, I hit the proverbial wall. I spent half a morning lamenting my decision to live in an eternal state of caffeine abstinence before my knees buckled and I wanted to dive head-first into the nearest espresso bar.
But I totally resisted. Kind of.
Instead of driving to the nearest coffee shop and begging them for an intravenous caffeine drip, I made cookies. With espresso in them. It was a total stroke of brilliance on the fly!
No cheating. Just cookies.
Just exquisitely chewy, espresso-permeated, chocolate cookies speckled with caramel bits and chocolate chips.
Yeah. Caramel Mocha Chip Cookies are enough to satisfy any rabid caffeine craving.
Or, perhaps more importantly to my family, they’ll tame a rabid mother who’s craving caffeine.
♥♥♥
Kirsten Kubert
Yields 4.5 dozen
20 minPrep Time
20 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 C. all-purpose flour
- ¼ C. unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp. instant espresso powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¾ C. granulated sugar
- ¾ C. light brown sugar, packed
- 1C. unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ C. bittersweet chocolate chips (12 oz. bag)
- 1/2 C. Kraft Caramel Bits (sold in an 11 oz. bag)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats; set aside.
- Whisk together flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, instant espresso, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. In a larger bowl, cream together melted butter with the sugars until fluffy. Stir in the eggs and vanilla until blended. Dump half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture, mixing until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and stir to form a soft dough. Fold in the chocolate chips and caramel bits.
- Using a small (1 oz.) cookie scoop, portion balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes for small cookies, or until crisp around the edges with set centers. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
- Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for one week.
Daily Caffeine: Yay or Nay?
Have you given up something you love in order to feel better?
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