Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Mix dry ingredients
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, espresso powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- Continue whisking just until the mixture looks uniform in color, with no visible cinnamon or espresso clumps.
Mix wet ingredients
- In a second bowl, whisk the melted unsalted butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until glossy and smooth.
- Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then add the cooled espresso and vanilla extract and mix until thick and cohesive.
Combine dough
- Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until no dry streaks remain, forming a sticky dough.
- Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together because it should be sticky for crinkle texture.
Chill dough
- Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour to firm it up before portioning.
- Keep the dough covered while chilling so it doesn’t dry out on the surface.
Prep oven and coating
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment.
- In a bowl, mix cinnamon into the powdered sugar coating until the powder looks speckled brown.
Shape and coat
- Scoop dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls and roll each first in granulated sugar to coat lightly.
- Roll the granulated-sugar-coated balls generously in the powdered sugar-cinnamon mixture so the surface is well covered.
Bake
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are crinkled and set at the edges, but still soft in the center.
- Do not overbake; the tops should look cracked rather than darkly dry.
Notes
For the deepest crinkle, chill the dough for the full 1 hour and make sure the balls are well coated in powdered sugar-cinnamon before baking. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies up to 2 months. For a caffeine-free option, use instant coffee powder with hot water to make strong decaf or replace espresso powder with decaf coffee powder, keeping the same ratios.