I used espresso powder which I had recently purchased from Jungle Jim's, the largest food market in the United States. The market is located in Hamilton County near Cincinnati, and for anyone living in the Midwest, I highly recommend a stop there. I never would have found espresso powder in my small town, but luckily I purchased a container at Jungle Jim's even before I knew I would need it for a Baking with Julia assignment.
When making these cookies again, I would alter the recipe slightly. I would up the amount of flour by one-fourth of a cup and I would substitute shortening for the butter. I know. I know. I can read the minds of all the butter aficionados out there who shudder at the thought of substituting shortening for butter. But, by using shortening, the cookies won't spread out as much. I, in fact, used half butter and half shortening when making the mocha cookies and now wish I had used all shortening. I like a chocolate chip cookie that you can really sink your teeth into -- think Otis Spunkmeyer. My favorite recipe uses two and a fourth cups of flour for the same amount of fat.
My cookies were made with two tablespoons of espresso powder, but next time I will up that to three tablespoons to get even a stronger mocha taste.
Would I make these cookies again? Yes, definitely, but with the aforementioned adjustments. In short, I would use the recipe on the box of Arm & Hammer baking soda with addition of three tablespoons of espresso powder. And I would bake them at 375 degrees for 11 minutes.
