Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
4 Packets of Starbucks Via Instant Coffee (Columbia or Italian roast) (1 packet equals 1 tablespoon)
1 cup Gold ‘n Soft (margarine spread) room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 bag, 12 ounces, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 bag, 10 ounces, Hershey’s Sea Salt-Caramel Baking Chips
1/3 cup chopped Hazelnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom of a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Using a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and instant coffee.

3. Using a large bowl beat margarine, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time.

4. Stir dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Stir in chocolate and caramel chips. Stir in hazelnuts (optional). Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, remove baking sheet from oven and let cookies cool for 8 minutes before transferring them to a plate.

Notes: We cook these cookies at 325 degrees F., because the instant espresso has a tendency to start burning at slightly higher temperatures. When removing the cookies from the oven they will look like they have not baked long enough, don’t worry, they will continue to bake during the 8 minute cooling period.

Update: It’s hard to find really good caramel baking chips or bits. Hershey’s has discontinued making their awesome sea salt and caramel baking chips. I do recommend the caramel bits from Nuts.com. Their bits have great flavor and texture for baking. A good substitute that you usually can find at the grocery store is butterscotch baking chips.

It’s also hard to find Gold n’ Soft margarine spread. A good substitute that I recommend, is Earth Balance Organic Original, buttery spread.