If you’re looking for a way to bring your love for espresso to the cookie table this Christmas, look no further than these delicious, easy recipes infused with coffee, chocolate, and hazelnut.

With three days until the Jolly Old Elf makes his annual trip around the globe, it’s not too late to add a little caffeinated kick to your holiday cookie repertoire. I’ve scoured the Internet and come up with three fun, espresso and coffee-infused recipes that are sure to keep Santa’s eyes open all night long.

The first, Cappuccino Cheesecakes, comes from food columnist Sue Doeden of the Park Rapids Enterprise in Park Rapids, Minnesota. Minnesotans know a thing or two about braving cold winters, and I’m sure they drink plenty of cappuccino to keep warm. Sue’s recipe features decadent-looking mini cheesecakes that blend espresso powder right into the cheesecake filling. The ganache topping calls for even more espresso powder and blends both dark and white chocolate.

Be sure to click here to see a photo of Sue’s gorgeous creation and to see the recipe for yourself. Cheesecake is an incredibly easy dish to make if you’re willing to put the time into it (my husband’s are legendary in our family) and the chocolate and coffee topping just kicks it up a notch. As Sue says, “Chocolate. Coffee. Cheesecake. Oh, my ganache.”

Chocolate, espresso, and alcohol – the secret to surviving the holidays in one dish

This next one, Crunchy Cappuccino Cups, comes from grouprecipes.com and sounds ridiculously easy to make yet delicious. A simple dough is wrapped around crushed chocolate covered espresso beans and then chilled in a chocolate-coated paper cups. An added dose of coffee liqueur gives it a punch.

You’ll need:
¼ cup of softened butter
2 ¼ cups of sifted powdered sugar
¾ cup of crushed chocolate covered espresso beans
3 tablespoons of coffee liqueur such as Kahlua
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups of milk chocolate chips
3 tablespoons of shortening

Beat the butter in a mixing bowl on medium until creamy, gradually adding the powdered sugar and continuing to beat until smooth. Stir in the coffee liqueur, espresso beans, and salt. Shape the mixture into balls using a spoon, flatten slightly, and chill until firm. Next, melt the chocolate chips and the shortening over low heat. Stir until smooth. Using 1 ½ inch paper cups (primarily used for candy), add ½ teaspoon of chocolate to coat the bottom of each cup. Press one espresso ball into each candy cup. Spoon chocolate over to cover. Chill again until the chocolate is firm.

We’ve devoted the last two recipes to chocolate, but if you’re not wild about the dark stuff, you might want to give these Hazelnut Espresso Cookies a try instead.  They’re from a super-cute blog called Taste Buds and Blossoms and they call for espresso powder and two cups of finely chopped hazelnuts. The recipe recommends removing the hazelnuts’ skins and suggests baking them for 30 minutes and then steaming them for five. The skins should then rub gently off with a towel.

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