Coffee Liqueur Cookies

I decided to treat myself by making Coffee Liqueur Cookies. Alex doesn't like things with coffee, so I cut the recipe in half because I certainly don't need to eat a whole batch of cookies!

Coffee Liqueur Cookies
⅔ cup + 2 ½ tablespoons sugar (⅚ cup)
⅓ cup butter
⅙ cup cooled coffee (40ml if you have a liquid measuring cup; otherwise, a little more than 2 ½ tablespoons) (I used leftover cinnamon coffee from the morning)
2 tablespoons Kahlua or other coffee liqueur
1 egg
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted (melted this with a tablespoon of butter from above)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup + 6 tablespoons AP flour (1 ⅜ cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
⅜ teaspoon salt (I would cut this way back to ⅛, or omit completely)
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

Using an electric mixer, combine all ingredients through vanilla extract; beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a small spoon, place heaping teaspoons of batter 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. The cookies really spread out as they bake. Bake 8-12 minutes (I baked them 8 minutes) in a 350F oven, rotating pan halfway through baking time if your oven cooks unevenly. Cool completely before frosting.

Coffee Frosting (Ingredients listed for ⅓ batch, and I'm not convinced you need it at all)
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons Kahlua
~1 tablespoon cooled coffee

Combine butter, powdered sugar, and Kahlua (I used my hand mixer (affiliate link)). Beat in enough coffee to make frosting spreadable.

I frosted half of the cookies. I'm not a frosting person, so I found the frosting made the cookies a little too sweet for me. It would have been better on harder cookies. I would have preferred a glaze on these softer cookies, so I might thin out the icing with more Kahlua or coffee next time, but frosting lovers will enjoy the frosted cookies.

The cookies themselves were tasty. I don't like sweet and salty combinations, so if I make these again I will cut back on the salt (as listed above). The cookies distinctly tasted like Kahlua - as well they should, hence the name. The cookies were soft and tender, and I actually had a little trouble with them sticking to the Silpats, so I might try baking them 9 or 10 minutes next time, instead of just 8.

I liked these cookies, but it's a bit much for me to even eat a half batch of them. If you like coffee liqueur, give these cookies a try. They're not hard to make, and they'd be fun to share.