# Coffee Cookies? "Just Say No" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** coffee\ **Created:** [December 24, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023 "2025-12-24T15:13:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/1 "2025-12-24T15:13:21Z")
I was making a second tin of oatmeal cookies when I realized I was out of raisins. All of the ingredients prices are through the roof and the supermarket was hand-to-hand combat… so I tried to find something… anything… to add to the mix. As I searched the shelves I suddenly saw a jar… way in the back. I grabbed it and poured half a cup in. Well, it was instant coffee. No matter; I greased two trays, put six rows on each of mix and added confectionary sugar on top. Twenty minutes later I pulled them out and filled the tins. Just because I was curious, I pulled one out to try it. A Coffee Cookie. Oh Dear God, I may just have invented Cookie Cocaine! Whatever you do, Do Not Bake This Cookie…! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/2 "2025-12-24T15:15:49Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > Oh Dear God, I may just have invented Cookie Cocaine! > Whatever you do, Do Not Bake This Cookie…! - Is this a wake up call? ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/3 "2025-12-24T15:44:01Z")
I’m not sure. But why is everything… moving… so… s-l-o-w-l-y . ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2025, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/4 "2025-12-24T15:52:12Z")
> [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](#): > > A Coffee Cookie. You’re grounded. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/5 "2025-12-25T06:42:12Z")
-confession- We often bake cookies with instant coffee (or strong expresso) and occasionally coffee liquor, and they’re amazing. The following is very close to what we cook from time to time: [https://food52.com/recipes/1172-double-chocolate-espresso-cookies](https://food52.com/recipes/1172-double-chocolate-espresso-cookies) Multiple levels of chocolate, which the expresso powder heightens, and adds just a touch of additional bitterness to offset the sweet. And of course, if you want to up the decadence… Homemade Coffee Ice Cream with Coffee Liquor of your choice and instant coffee/expresso for flavoring, topped with choco-coffee cookies, well, now you’re living life! ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/6 "2025-12-25T09:11:46Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > We often bake cookies with instant coffee (or strong expresso) and occasionally coffee liquor, and they’re amazing. I have a double chocolate cookie recipe (cocoa powder and melted chocolate) from America’s Test Kitchen which is also elevated by the addition of espresso powder. The recipe gives the option to make it a triple chocolate cookie by adding chips and my comment in the recipe book is “too much chocolate”. I had been using instant coffee granules, but the last time I was in the US, I bought espresso powder specifically for this recipe, which is a variation on a childhood favorite: > **[Chocolate Crinkle Cookies Are a Timeless Addition to Any Holiday Season](https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chocolate_crinkles/)** > > In search of a festive chocolate cookie for your cookie trays and swaps this holiday season? Our chocolate crinkle cookies are just the ticket, made with cocoa powder and dusted in powdered sugar, they're the perfect sweet treat for chocolate lovers. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/7 "2025-12-25T11:03:11Z")
I always add instant coffee to box brownie mix. It amps up the chocolate flavor. I use two tablespoons of coffee crystals to one box of brownie mix. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/8 "2025-12-25T15:07:31Z")
Along those lines, if you ever make a cookie/crumb crust out of chocolate wafers or Oreo cookies (what you do with the icing is your business), be sure to add a teaspoon or more of instant espresso powder to the crumbs. With a plain cheesecake, this is divine! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/9 "2025-12-25T15:16:22Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Along those lines, if you ever make a cookie/crumb crust out of chocolate wafers or Oreo cookies **(what you do with the icing is your business),** be sure to add a teaspoon or more of instant espresso powder to the crumbs. With a plain cheesecake, this is divine! - I always lick it off. Why? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/10 "2025-12-25T16:08:53Z")
I’ve been baking them for years. Coffee muffins and fudge, too. Different concentrations. I brew very strong coffee to add to the recipe. Also make a “Wake up” cookie that has concentrated coffee and a little caffeine powder, theobromine, and ginseng in the recipe. I got the recipe from someone who used them as “morning after” cookies for her amazing pot brownies. She had a technique for making VERY strong brownies with normal brownie taste and texture. I don’t back with pot, just stimulants, for the record. Although I usually just take stimulants in pill form. All legal, FTR. Baking is experimenting, as far as I’m concerned. If you’ve never deviated from a written recipe, that’s not baking, that’s just following directions. Substitute tahini for PB in a recipe, some time. Sesame cookies are good. Coffee fudge with a caramel drizzle is good. Turning cake recipes into muffins is easy: little more flour, little less sugar, small adjustment on the leavening, don’t mix as thoroughly, and add something for texture. It’s more or less the reverse to turn a quick bread into muffins. Maybe I should stop hijacking, and start a “recipe tweak” thread? anyone interested? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/11 "2025-12-25T16:55:30Z")
I use coffee as part of my favorite rub for chicken especially. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/12 "2025-12-27T16:25:18Z")
Remind me to be careful if i visit any of you. I am very sensitive to caffeine, and it would cause me problems to eat some of those cookies and other baked goods after 11am. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/13 "2025-12-27T16:34:07Z")
I love coffee, but always and only alone. I’m strongly opposed to combining it with anything else, and in particular I think it should be illegal to mix coffee with alcohol. Those are different drugs with different purposes and flavors that should never be combined. Doing so is a sign of questionable character and general untrustworthiness. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/14 "2025-12-27T17:11:18Z")
Or a desire to be both stupid and wired at the same time. So still doing dumb stuff, but now with greater enthusiasm! 🤪 Cf Redbull & vodka. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/15 "2025-12-27T17:34:30Z")
So you know, a half cup of instant coffee powder should be about 1700 g of caffeine using an estimate of 70g per teaspoon on Folger’s website. So divide that by your number of cookies to get an idea of caffeine content per cookie. You write six rows on two trays, but I don’t know how many in each row. If that two trays of 6x4, that’s about 35 g caffeine per cookie, about as much as in a can of Coke. Adults are advised not to consume more than 400mg per day. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/16 "2025-12-27T17:54:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > So you know, a half cup of instant coffee powder should be about 1700 g of caffeine using an estimate of 70g per teaspoon on Folger’s website. - Milligrams, not grams. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/17 "2025-12-27T17:55:43Z")
Sunovabiscuit. Yes, I mean mg for all. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/18 "2025-12-27T18:37:59Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I love coffee, but always and only alone. Drinking alone is a possible warning flag of having a problem. Just sayin’ … ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/19 "2025-12-27T19:33:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I am very sensitive to caffeine I wouldn’t serve something like that to someone without telling them what was in it. Heck, I don’t even serve nuts without warning people. And really, something like caffeine-laced baked goods, I’d serve on a specific occasion to specific people with a reason to want them. I’m also careful. If the sesame-almond cookies have simulants, there won’t be other, non-spiked sesame-almond cookies to get mixed up with them. Stick to the choco chips, or the pastries. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023/20 "2025-12-27T19:42:34Z")
The only goodie I make with espresso is tiramisu, and there’s no baking involved. Just so I can eat a big slice in the afternoon, I use decaf espresso. It still tastes great. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-cookies-just-say-no/1026023.md?page=2)