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![Zingerman’s Choc Dipped Espresso Stars star-shaped cookies with half of each star dipped in chocolate](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/aarpe/en/home/benefits-discounts/members-only-access/info-2023/chocolate-dipped-espresso-stars-holiday-desserts-recipe/_jcr_content/root/container_main/container_body_main/container_body1/container_body_cf/container_image/articlecontentfragment/cfimage.coreimg.50.932.jpeg/content/dam/aarp/members-only/member-benefits/2023/11/1140-holiday-treats-zingermans-stars.jpg)
Makes 24 to 36 cookies
We first created Espresso Stars for our Fancy Schmancy Holiday Cookies class, at the suggestion of Nikki Lohmann, one of our BAKE! instructors. They proved to be such a hit that, for a time, they made it into our regular lineup at the Bakeshop, Zingerman’s Coffee Company, and Zingerman’s Roadhouse. They are perfect as a small treat with a warm drink or at the end of a meal.
We flavor these shortbread cookies with freshly ground coffee beans, making them a rather adult addition to the dessert lineup, both in terms of flavor and the little jolt of caffeine. We like the added help staying awake until the celebratory ball drops at midnight in New York City’s Times Square on New Year’s Day, but if you’d prefer less of a burst of energy, feel free to use decaf beans. (Just don’t be tempted to swap in instant espresso powder, which is designed to dissolve; we want both the flavor and the texture from the freshly ground coffee to be front and center.) To make them look as festive as they taste, we partially dip them in chocolate and make the effort to find gold luster dust or gold leaf to garnish them.
![member card Image Alt Attribute](https://cdn.aarp.net/content/dam/experience-fragments/uxdia-folder-structure/en/features/membership/inline-membership-promo/default/master5/_jcr_content/root/responsivegrid/container_copy/container/articleimage.coreimg.75.1140.png/content/dam/uxdia/membership-card-d-and-t.png)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons espresso beans, finely ground
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped
- Gold luster dust or edible gold leaf (optional)
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