Name: Chocolate Chip Allspice Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 3 Dozen
Ingredients: For the Cookie Batter; 1 cup strong coffee; 3 ounces Baker’s unsweetened chocolate (12 pieces), melted; 1 cup (8 ounces) butter, softened; 1½ cups granulated sugar; 4 large eggs, well beaten; 5 cups all-purpose flour; 5 teaspoons baking powder; 1 tablespoon allspice; 1 cup chopped walnuts; 1 cup chocolate chips; 1 pound of confectioners’ sugar (approximately 3½ cups); 6 to 8 tablespoons milk or water

Sweets

Chocolate Chip Allspice Cookies

Author: Mary DiSomma

There are plenty of Christmas cookies I adore, but this is one of my all-time favorites. This Christmas cookie recipe came to me from one of my aunts, and I’m thankful for it every time I get to see my family’s delight as they enjoy them. They’re so high in demand, I always make a double batch from the get-go. In fact, fighting over them has become a tradition at our house!

With a whole cup of coffee in the batter, this chocolate chip allspice cookie recipe will keep Santa ready for a busy night delivering gifts! They’re also a wonderful late-night treat for parents and caregivers staying up late to help Santa with last-minute gift wrapping! So get that coffee maker going—we’re making cookies!

Ingredient Tips

Allspice is—you guessed it—a spice. Native to the Caribbean, Southern Mexico, and Central America, allspice is made from the dried unripe berry of the Pimenta dioica tree. It is sometimes referred to as Jamaican pepper, myrtle pepper, or even just pimento (like the tree’s scientific name) in some regions.

The taste of allspice is reminiscent of clove, star anise, nutmeg, fennel, and black pepper. It’s definitely a key ingredient in these cookies because of the multidimensional flavor notes it provides.

Allspice is commonly used in holiday recipes and might be mistaken for pumpkin spice or Chinese five-spice because of its complex flavor. In my experience, the most common use of allspice is in baking. It is also used in savory recipes like pickles, marinades, rubs, and barbecue!

Preparation + Preservation

You can absolutely make and freeze these cookies ahead of time. Simply bake them and then cool them completely before storing them in the freezer in an airtight bag or container. The only part that needs a little planning is to defrost and glaze them a day or two before serving. I do not recommend frosting the cookies before freezing them, because the glaze adds moisture and things can get messy when they thaw.

Yes, there is some caffeine in these cookies. A regular cup of coffee has around 95 milligrams of caffeine, but this amount is spread over three dozen cookies. That comes out to around 2.36 milligrams per cookie. It’s actually a pretty negligible amount of caffeine—Santa might like a cup of coffee on the side, now that I’m thinking about it.

Extra Tips

Although the coffee content of these homemade cookies is minimal, you can always swap out the regular coffee with some decaf for the kiddos, especially if they don’t usually consume caffeine. That way everyone can safely indulge in a few cookies to celebrate Christmas Eve!