Just Add One Ingredient To Give Store-Bought Cookie Dough A Gourmet Twist

Store-bought cookie dough can save so much time and hassle in the kitchen. You don't need to gather a million ingredients, there's little to no cleanup involved, and most doughs last for a long time in the fridge or freezer. The best part is that you often can't even tell that the cookies are store-bought, especially if they're served fresh from the oven. And there are a lot of ways to upgrade store-bought cookie dough even further, such as adding some espresso powder to the mix.

Similar to salt, espresso can intensify flavors like chocolate in baked goods. It won't make a dough taste like coffee if you use a minimal amount, but it will make it more rich. Any artificial aftertaste in a pre-made dough may become less noticeable as well. You can also achieve a lovely mocha-like flavor if you use a lot of espresso powder and if you mix it with cocoa powder you can create a completely new gourmet cookie.

If you're looking to simply amplify the flavor of a store-bought cookie dough, all you need to do is soften the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature. Once it seems easy to stir, add in a pinch of espresso powder and mix.

If you want to create an espresso-flavored chocolate cookie, mix a few tablespoons of the powder with equal amounts of cocoa powder and milk before adding. You may need to knead the dough to fully incorporate the add-ins. Then just bake the cookies as normal. If you want to amp up the coffee-flavor further try dipping the dough into more espresso powder after the cookies are shaped or top them with some sea salt or melted chocolate after baking for an indulgent finish.

This trick works with a lot of different cookie dough but chocolate chip or sugar cookies will probably work best. It's a simple way to instantly improve store-bought cookie dough, especially if you use one of the best cookie dough brands.