Mocha Chip Cookies with Adrianne of Happy Hour Projects!

Well hi there! If you're new here, you might want to subscribe via email so you get inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

Hi! I’m Adrianne, and I blog over at Happy Hour Projects, where I focus on quick and easy projects you can do in an hour or less! You’ll find a pretty wide variety of projects – jewelry, sewing, baking – but what they have in common is that I present photo tutorials for creative things you can actually fit into a busy day. Because like a lot of you – my days are packed!

I’m a mom and a wife and a creative blogger – that’s what I enjoy during my me-time. I love crafting (especially for my daughter) and writing, so the blog has been the perfect outlet for both passions. I’ve been at it nearly a year now, and I have enjoyed the connections I’ve made with other bloggers and creative people so much. There are just some things you can talk to your creative friends about that no one else can understand! I also work full-time, so I don’t have as much time to enjoy my family and my hobbies as much as I would like (but hey, it’s keeps a roof over our heads and my craft shelves stocked, which is a good thing!)
Today I have great recipe I’d like to show you – perfect for those days where you need an extra little pick-me-up. There’s a hint of coffee flavor to these delicious Mocha Chip Cookies.

Recipe (yields 5 dozen cookies):
1 1/2 Tbsp. Instant Coffee

1 Tbsp. Warm Water

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 c. shortening

3/4 c. brown sugar

1 c. sugar

2 – 1/2 c. flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 package mini chocolate chips (you can use more if you really love them)

Preheat your oven to 325. In a small bowl, dissolve your instant coffee into your vanilla and water. You could probably brew up some espresso instead, but just take care that you don’t use more than 2 Tbsp. of coffee or your recipe will come out too wet.
Cream your eggs, shortening, and sugars together. Sift in your flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Then, stir in your chips.

Roll into tablespoon-sized balls, about the same size as a walnut. Drop them onto parchment-lined baking sheets. (I started baking on parchment paper about 10 years ago, and it’s the best change I ever made in the kitchen – cleanup is so simple, and my cookies have never burned on the bottom since making the switch!)

Bake for 16-18 minutes, maybe more depending on the size of your cookies. Mine were done in 17 minutes, and I make them pretty small. Just smell them… which is what my Gram always taught me to do. Once they change smell and start smelling sweet, they’re nearly done. They should look a little bit crackly on top.