Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!

I can't get enough of it. Iced, espresso, chocolate-covered coffee beans, coffee as the liquid in baked stuff, and espresso powder in cookies, brownies, etc. I drink so much of it that coffee runs through my veins. So, continuing the trend of recipes I never get around to baking until much later, this recipe for Cafe Latte Cookies from Baking Bites has been on my mind for a long time now.

The recipe makes a mostly chewy, buttery, somewhat caramely cookie with the undertones of espresso (I subbed espresso powder for 1 tbsp of the instant coffee). What could be better than eating a slightly caffeinated cookie with a cup of coffee?

What stood out to me in this recipe was that it said to 'let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before removing'. I figured it aided in the texture without the risk of overcooking if kept in the oven longer. I didn't make the second sheet without doing that step, so I can't say for sure.

This cookie is also known as 'The Neiman-Marcus Cookie'. What that makes me want to do is take the homemade version and compare it to their cookie at their cafe. I'm thinking it might taste like a SBUX cookie, though.

I'm renaming these to 'Epic Cookies'. The texture was right between chewy and cakey, and the taste was all the goodness of a chocolate chip cookie dough, but with more of a caramel taste and undertones of espresso. I kept tasting a slight bitterness, but by the next day I didn't taste that at all. These cookies hold well, too, so it's perfect as a slight caffeinated jolt on-the-go. Chocolate-covered espresso beans would be great in these, I say.