Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies

These bite-sized chocolate chip cookies borrow the spirit of the Famous Amos original, and the secret weapon is hiding in plain sight. Instant coffee and unsweetened cocoa go into the dough alongside the usual suspects, adding a roasted bitterness that deepens the chocolate flavor without making the cookies taste like mocha.

The base uses biscuit baking mix instead of straight flour, which gives you a softer, more tender crumb with less fuss. Cornstarch in the dough keeps things compact and crisp once cooled, which is exactly what you want for grape-sized cookies that need to hold their shape.

Roll them small. These are meant to be popped in your mouth one after another, not eaten in two bites like a bakery cookie. At one inch apart on the sheet, they barely spread, so you get dozens per batch.

Pro Tips

• Cream the butter until truly light and fluffy before adding sugar. This builds the airy structure that keeps small cookies from turning into dense pucks.
• Use real butter, not margarine. The flavor difference is huge in a cookie this small.
• Pull them from the oven when just golden, not brown. They firm up as they cool and will overbake fast at this size.
• Chop pecans fine so every tiny cookie gets a nutty bite.

Variations

• Double chocolate: Use dark chocolate chips and increase the cocoa for an intensely chocolatey cookie.
• Nut-free: Replace pecans with toffee bits for crunch without the allergen concern.
• Espresso kick: Double the instant coffee for a more pronounced roasted flavor that pairs beautifully with a glass of cold milk.