Vietnamese Coffee Cookies

the cookie that keeps you up at night (literally)

Every time I go to my local bánh mì shop, it’s the Vietnamese coffee in a Disney princess cup that calls my name. Vietnamese coffee, or cà phê sữa đá, is actually something I didn’t drink much growing up. My parents rarely bought it, and when they did, they didn’t let me have a sip out of fear it’d stunt my growth. Looking back, they should’ve just given me some‒I would’ve turned out short either way!

Now that I’m older, I have the liberty to buy myself a cup whenever I wish. And gosh, the overwhelming sweetness and immense caffeine hit are absolutely magnificent. Sometimes even nauseating, but I love everything about it.

These cookies, as you can tell from the name, are based on this iconic drink! Instead of using real coffee, the flavor comes from Vietnamese instant coffee packets. With sweetened condensed milk mixed into the dough and swirled on top, these cookies have a nice chew and beautiful malty flavor! The homemade coffee dark chocolate bark is super easy to make and adds the perfect flavor hit.

Now onto the good stuff:

Ingredients:

Coffee dark chocolate bark:

• 100g dark chocolate

• 1 tsp instant Vietnamese coffee

Cookie dough:

• 113g unsalted butter

• 75g brown sugar

• 50g white sugar

• 1 large egg yolk (or 1 whole small egg)

• 1 1/2 tbsp instant Vietnamese coffee

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 150g all purpose flour

• chopped coffee dark chocolate

• 100g cup chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

Topping:

• flaky sea salt

• coffee dark chocolate bark

• condensed milk (to drizzle)

Procedure:

Coffee dark chocolate bark:

1. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave at 30 second intervals.

2. Stir in the Vietnamese coffee powder.

3. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined flat surface, place in the fridge to harden.

4. Once hardened, chop them up into randomly sized shards.

Cookie dough:

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Heat until it begins to bubble, then turn the heat to medium low and stir continuously. Once the boiling ceases, brown bits appear, and the nutty aroma of toasted milk solids wafts in the air, remove the butter from the heat and transfer it to a large bowl. The butter should've been reduced to around 90g. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool.

2. Once the butter is cooled, stir in both the sugars. Whisk in the large egg yolk (or small egg) and vanilla until well combined. Add in the Vietnamese instant coffee, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the condensed milk until completely incorporated.

3. Sift in the all purpose flour and gently fold until few flour streaks remain. Fold in the chopped chocolate and coffee dark chocolate bark, reserving a few chunks for topping later. Be careful not to over-mix!

4. Scoop and roll the dough into 8-10 dough balls depending on how big you want them to be (~40-45g each). Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight for the deepest flavor and chewiest texture.

5. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the dough balls on a parchment lined tray at least 3 inches apart. Top with more coffee dark chocolate bark. Drizzle extra condensed milk over the cookies and spread with a toothpick.

6. Bake these at 350° for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges and tops are golden but the center looks slightly puffed.

7. Bang your tray on your counter and top with flaky sea salt. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

8. Serve with a glass of milk, or the real deal!

Extra notes:

• The ingredients list notes either using 1 large egg yolk, or 1 small egg. This is because when the egg yolk is too small, the dough doesn’t have enough moisture. If you only have a medium or small egg, adding the entire egg should do!

• The Vietnamese coffee packets I use have 2 tbsp in them each. After reserving 1 tsp for the chocolate bark, I add the rest to the cookie dough. Feel free to adjust the amount of instant coffee to how strong you want the flavor to be!

• I use the brand G7 since it’s what’s in my household. Any instant coffee brand works just fine.

Whether Vietnamese coffee was a part of your childhood, or you’re just a coffee lover, these cookies will hit the spot. Perhaps enough so that, like your morning coffee, they’ll become a part of your daily routine! I hope you’ll take the chance to make these.