Chocolate and mocha swirled together in a pretty pinwheel cookie. These Chocolate Mocha Swirl Cookies look great on the table for the holidays!
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It’s time for the 3rd annual Christmas Cookie Recipe Swap! Julie of White Lights on Wednesday puts the swap together each year and I’ve had fun each time. The first year I made Fiesta Fudge Cookies and last year I made French Sables Korova Cookies.
This year, my swap partner was Elizabeth of The Law Student’s Cookbook. She picked these pretty Mocha Swirl Cookies.
Not gonna lie, these cookies took more effort than I’m usually willing to put forth (as in, they took this working mom with an infant 3 days to complete), but they’re really good. And, like I said, they’re really pretty which makes them impressive and perfect for a holiday table. The chocolate and coffee flavors are mild so I think most people will like them.
CHOCOLATE MOCHA SWIRL COOKIES INGREDIENTS
- Flour – All purpose, white flour.
- Baking Power – A leavening agent, baking powder allows the cookies to rise.
- Salt – To intensify the flavors.
- Butter – The majority of the time, I use unsalted butter in baking. Make sure it’s at room temperature before you start (A quick 10 seconds in the microwave will do the trick in a pinch).
- Sugar – White, granulated sugar.
- Egg – To add structure, leavening, color, and flavor to your cookies.
- Vanilla Extract – I know vanilla is a bit pricey these days, but please don’t use imitation! I stock up at Sam’s or Costco for a slight price break.
- Instant Coffee Powder – You’ll get the coffee/mocha flavor without adding liquid to your dough.
- Dark Chocolate Chips – You’ll melt the dark chocolate to swirl into your dough. Use your favorite, high quality chocolate.
I made the dough on a Monday night, baked them on Tuesday night, and took their pictures on Wednesday night, which worked out just fine, so if you’re pressed for time just know that you don’t have to rush these.
Add them to a cookie tray with Christmas Pinwheel Cookies for a fun theme.
TOOLS TO HELP YOU MAKE CHOCOLATE MOCHA SWIRL COOKIES
- Mixing Bowls – My favorite mixing bowls, I love the grippy on the bottom.
- Stand Mixer – I LOVE my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. A hand mixer will work as well.
- Rolling Pin – To roll out your two doughs before you swirl them.
- Wax Paper – You’ll need wax paper to gently roll the dough into a log.
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Chocolate Mocha Swirl Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant coffee
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips melted (2 oz. chocolate)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together then set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl), add the butter and beat until creamy.
- Slowly add in the sugar to the butter while the mixer is still running on low.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until fully incorporated.
- With the mixer back on low, slowly add in the flour mixture until just combined.
- Remove the dough from the mixer and divide it into two equal chunks. The dough should be smooth and easy to work with, not sticky.
- Put half of the dough back into your mixing b owl and add in the instant coffee. Mix until just distributed and the dough is speckled with coffee granules. Remove the coffee dough from the mixer.
- Put the other half of the dough into the mixing bowl and add in the melted chocolate. Mix until well combined.
- In between two sheets of wax paper, separately roll out each dough to an approximately 1/4" thick rectangle. Aim for an approximately 9" x 14" rectangle. Chill the rolled out dough, still in the wax paper, on baking sheets in the refrigerator for at least an hour (I left mine over night).
- After the dough is thoroughly chilled, remove the wax paper and lay the chocolate dough on top of the coffee dough. Gently press the two doughs together using a rolling pin.
- Let the dough stand at room temperature until easy to work with.
- Use a knife to even out one side (the long side - ~14"). This will give you a smooth start for the spiral.
- Tightly roll the dough, like a jelly roll, using your wax paper to guide the dough. Go slowly - the chocolate portion will likely tear. If that happens, pinch the dough back together then continue.
- Cover the rolled dough in wax paper then in plastic wrap. Chill for at least an hour, turning the dough halfway through so it doesn't get flat on one side.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, uncover and slice it in half using a sharp knife. Put half of the dough back in the fridge to keep it cold while you're working with the other half.
- Cut the dough into 1/4" rounds.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the sheets for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Oh goodness! Yours came out beautiful! They definitely are more time consuming than most cookies I make too – but sometimes it’s worth it!
Thanks! & I agree – they were worth the time. I had to send the majority of them off to work with my husband so I’d stop eating them =)
I love these swirly yummy little things!
They turned out beautifully. Great job especially with a newborn baby.
Thank you, Wendy =)
These look so crazy yummy! I wish I had some cookies to eat right now.
these look and sound so yummy! X
http://rachelcoco.blogspot.co.uk
I’ve got a naked basics 2 palette giveaway on my blog if you want to take a look 🙂
So easy to make, and they come out great every year. Not an overly sweet cookie, they’re a perfect addition to the Christmas cookie roster.
Thank you, Kelly!