Irish Coffee Cookies
Irish Coffee Cookies are a gourmet style cookie that’s easy enough for everyone to make while still being a mind-blowingly delicious treat! Three simple, delicious layers with zero cookie dough chilling and options for substitutions and variations!
Buzzworthy St Patrick’s Day Cookie Recipe
Sink your teeth in a bite of these rich, fudgy double chocolate chip cookies! Each gourmet cookie is topped with a creamy Baileys Irish Cream frosting that treats you to notes of nuttiness, chocolate, and vanilla with a subtle hint of coffee flavor!
The 3-ingredient, 10-minute ganache topping completes the cookies with a fudge-like dark chocolate finish that’s thick yet soft enough to bite into! And you get ALL of that unforgettable flavor and texture in this recipe with easy step-by-step instructions!
I LOVE me some gourmet cookies, especially my Chocolate Caramel Cookies that have a hidden filling whereas my kids go crazy for my Dirt Cake Cookies (Crumbl Copycat)!
Rebecca’s Recipe Review
Taste: Deep, rich, and Irish Cream flavor forward.
Texture: Overall, these cookies are pretty soft. The cookies are firm but have an easy bite; the frosting is creamy, and the ganache is fudge-like when firm and gooey when fresh.
Ease: 8/10. They aren’t “hard” to make, but they do require a lot of ingredients and three different processes for each component.
Pros: Unique and delicious flavor perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or even Christmas!
Cons: Your kitchen is likely to be a mess after making these, and you’ll probably be able to fill an entire dishwasher with the dishes 🙈
Would I Make This Again? For sure, but these will probably be a “holidays only” cookie recipe because of the work and time that goes into making them.
Irish Coffee Cookies Ingredients
The base of these gourmet-style Irish cookies is made with pantry staples, like flour, sugar, salt, butter, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, mini chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream, sprinkles, and pudding mix.
However, a few standout ingredients like vanilla bean paste and coffee extract elevate the cookies’ flavor.
Second is the Dutch process cocoa powder instead of regular unsweetened cocoa powder. Dutch process cocoa powder encourages the chocolate chips in the cookies to shine while also giving the cookie a more intense chocolatey flavor due to their acidity being neutralized when processed.
The optional ingredients are malted milk powder and espresso powder; however, they do bring a delicious dynamic of flavor when used.
And, of course, that leaves the star ingredient that gives these cookies their name, Irish Cream Liqueur. This can be storebought or you can make Homemade Irish Cream, which is what I prefer doing!
How To Make Irish Cream Cookies
A full recipe card with step-by-step photos and ingredient quantities can be found at the end of the post.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together.
- Beat the egg and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
- While mixing on low, add the dry ingredients and Irish cream liqueur, alternating between them. Stop mixing once the dough is thick yet soft, but not sticky.
- Fold in the mini chocolate chips by hand until incorporated.
- Portion the dough out and then place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Gently press the top of the balls down to flatten them into discs.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are just set, and the dough looks more matte than glossy.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
- Prepare the ganache once the cookies have cooled.
- Prepare the frosting while the ganache thickens.
- Assemble the cookies by first frosting them, leaving a slight indent in the center of the frosting to hold the ganache.
- Spoon the chocolate ganache to the top of each indented cookie.
- Then, immediately add sprinkles if using them, and allow the cookies to rest to allow the ganache to set.
Since these gourmet-style cookies are a real treat, we want to be sure we nail the recipe the first time! Therefore, I came up with some recipe tips to ensure success in your kitchen when making this recipe for Irish Coffee Cookies!
- Correctly Measured Ingredients – Though you can measure ingredients for this cookie recipe using measuring cups, it’s more accurate to weigh out the ingredients using a kitchen scale. If you’d rather not measure out ingredients using a scale, I encourage you to learn how to measure flour correctly as it’s easy to accidentally add too little or too much to the recipe.
- Chocolate Ganache – When making the ganache, it’s important to pour the hot cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and allow it to set BEFORE stirring. Allowing it to first set on the chopped chocolate traps the heat onto it and helps melt it down to form a perfectly smooth ganache.
- Cookie Portioning – Use a #24 cookie scoop to portion out the dough or use a kitchen scale to weigh the dough out into 2-ounce balls.
- Two Baking Sheets – Since this recipe yields about 20 cookies it’s best to use two baking sheets. This prevents cookie dough from being dropped onto hot baking sheets which would alter the structure of the cookies. Using two baking sheets will also speed up the baking process since you won’t have to wait for one baking sheet to cool before using it.
- Baking Time – These cookies are very soft right after baking; however, they do firm up while they cool so resist the urge to bake them longer.
- Assembly – Be sure to indent the frosting on top of the cookies to create a little nest for the ganache to set in.
How to Serve
Since these cookies are filled with Irish flavor, they’re perfect for St. Patrick’s Day with a sprinkle of green colored sprinkles! They’re also great for Christmas, through the winter, and even year-round!
How To Store Chocolate Irish Coffee Cookies
Store these chocolate Irish cookies in an airtight container in a single layer to avoid squishing the tops of the cookies. Then transfer the container of cookies into the fridge to enjoy for up to 5 days.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let leave a review in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos, or join our Sugar & Soul Show-offs Community and share them there.
Irish Coffee Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 210g
- ½ cup Dutch cocoa powder 50g
- 1 (3.4oz.) box instant chocolate fudge pudding mix unprepared
- 1 tablespoon malted milk powder or powdered milk; optional for flavor
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder optional for a more intense coffee flavor
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup salted butter 110g
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed, 150g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 ounces Irish Cream liqueur
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips see notes
Ganache
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chopped, I used Ghirardelli 60% baking chocolate
- 2 ounces Irish Cream
- 2 ounces heavy cream
Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 ounces Irish Cream liqueur
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or coffee extract for more intense coffee flavor
- ½ teaspoon coffee extract
Topping
- holiday sprinkles St. Patrick's Day, Christmas, or everyday
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup Dutch cocoa powder, 1 (3.4oz.) box instant chocolate fudge pudding mix, 1 tablespoon malted milk powder, ½ teaspoon espresso powder, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, and ¾ teaspoon baking soda. Set aside.
- Cream together ½ cup salted butter, ¾ cup light brown sugar , and ¼ cup granulated sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream for 2 minutes.
- Add in 1 large egg and 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract and beat until fully incorporated.
- Add the dry ingredients and 3 ounces Irish Cream liqueur, alternating between them 3 times, beginning with flour and ending with milk (mix on low so the dry ingredients don't go everywhere). Mix for about 1 to 2 minutes – the dough should be thick but soft and greasy but not sticky.
- Fold in 1 cup mini chocolate chips just until incorporated.
- Use a #24 cookie scoop to measure the dough into balls about 2 ounces each.
- Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking pan at least 2 inches apart and gently press the dough down to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are just set and the dough looks more matte than glossy.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely. Bake the other pan of cookies. These cookies are very soft right after baking and will firm up while they cool.
Ganache
- Once the cookies have cooled, prepare the ganache by chopping and adding 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate to a small prep bowl.
- Then, heat 2 ounces Irish Cream and 2 ounces heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium-high heat just until the edges begin to bubble.
- Pour the hot liquid over the chopped chocolate and let set for 5 minutes before whisking until ganache forms and then set aside for a few minutes to thicken.
Frosting
- While the ganache rests, prepare the frosting by creaming ½ cup salted butter in a large bowl or stand mixer.
- Add 2 cups powdered sugar a little at a time, alternating with 2 ounces Irish Cream liqueur. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste and ½ teaspoon coffee extract and whip on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes.
Assembly
- Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to frost the cookies, leaving a slight indent in the center of the frosting for the ganache.
- Add about 1½ teaspoons of chocolate ganache to the top of each frosted cookie.
- Sprinkle with holiday sprinkles if using, and let rest until the ganache has set.
Video
Notes
- Regular instant chocolate pudding can be used in place of chocolate fudge in the dough.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Hi there just curious you mentioned you can swap the dutch cocoa powder for Unsweetened cocoa powder. I have some really really good dutch cocoa powder but it is Unsweetened. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as sweetened dutch cocoa powder. Am I OK to use Unsweetened dutch cocoa powder? Should I add any more sugar or something since it’s Unsweetened? Or get a sweetened dutch cocoa powder? Thank you
Unsweetened cocoa powder is standard cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa powder doesn’t have sweetener in it, it just goes through an alkali treatment to neutralize the acidity in the cocoa and changes the color and flavor of the cocoa.
delicious! I will be making these again.