Thick, buttery-soft, and generously portioned, these bakery style cookies are infused with a faint hint of warm bourbon. These browned butter and bourbon cookies are a deliciously unique twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie.
Finally, after many days and nights of threatening to do so, the summer storms have begun to break and they’re doing so with a vengeance. The grounds are soggy, the winds borderline blustery and the skies perpetually muddied with dismally-shaded clouds.
I don’t believe I’m alone in thinking that there’s something wickedly beautiful about these storms and their abrupt, dark arrivals, their capacity for uprooting trees and snuffing out electricity. Thunderstorms are intoxicating in a most villainous way — is there anything more entrancing than lightning lash down from the sky with sinister elegance, or the rumbling percussion of thunder roiling in the distance?
To me, these sights and sounds are the perfect soundtrack and inspiration for a baking spree, and as the most recent storms rolled in I sought refuge in the kitchen, tucked away comfortably and cozily between my KitchenAid and the stove. These cookies then came to life out of a desire for a paradoxical treat: a complexity of flavors veiled by a shell of simplicity (and what could appear more simple and domestic than a chocolate chip cookie?).
Despite their appearance, these gigantic cookies are much, much, more than your standard chocolate chip cookie. They are made with perfectly browned butter, an un-apologetically high proportion of brown to white sugars, and a hearty swig of bourbon.
Browning butter is one of the best baking tricks to have up your sleeve (learn exactly how to brown butter, step-by-step), and using it in your cooking can bring your desserts to an entirely new level of decadence. The very act simply must be good for the soul: there is possibly nothing more cozy and wholesome than warming butter over a gas flame and listening to it sizzle and pop, permeating the kitchen with a toasty, nutty aroma while a cacophony of raindrops pelts the windowpanes.
The bourbon, though integral to this recipe, is definitely not an overwhelming feature. While the addition is important and worthwhile, it serves more to accent the flavors of the butter and the cookie as a whole, a subtle contributor to the final product. They do not taste alcoholic (and they’re really not as the alcohol cooks out while baking) but the bourbon is important for a truly exquisite cookie.
Though not very difficult to make, these cookies require patience. The browned butter must cool for at least an hour and a half before you can mix it in with the sugars, and once the dough is made it should chill overnight for the absolutely best flavor. As if the wait isn’t enough, the dough is also challenging: large spoonfuls need to be wrested out of the solidified dough, and I usually resort to carving thick chunks out with a knife and pressing them into an ice cream scoop to form the desired, round shape.
Also, while I usually strongly argue that cookies are best enjoyed immediately out of the oven, gooey and as fresh as possible, that is not the case here. The longer these cookies sit and cool, the better their flavor (I actually prefer eating them the next day rather than the same day that they are made, but then again that requires more patience, which I am in short-supply of).
Browned Butter & Bourbon Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (345 g) unsalted sweet cream butter
- 1 ¾ cup (350 g) light brown sugar packed
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) bourbon
- 2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (8.5 g) cornstarch
- 1 ½ tsp (6 g) baking soda
- ¾ tsp (3 g) salt
- 2 ½ cups (425 g) chocolate chips/chunks I used a combination of half mini chips and half chopped premium dark chocolate
Instructions
- Place the butter in a saucepan and melt over low heat. Increase heat to medium (do not leave your butter or it will burn) and swirl occasionally as the butter snaps and crackles.3 sticks (345 g) unsalted sweet cream butter
- Let the butter snap and pop (while stirring occasionally) and once this begins to slow, begin to stir and don't stop. The butte will be foamy so it will be difficult to tell once it has begun to brown, but once you begin to smell the unmistakably nutty aroma of browned butter, remove from heat (still stirring continuously) and pour into a heat-proof container. (If you accidentally burn the butter, which you will know if you did, it will smell burnt, then do not use it or you will have burnt-tasting cookies).
- Allow butter to cool for at least an hour and a half before proceeding.
- Once butter has cooled, combine in KitchenAid (or with hand-mixer) with sugars, beating on medium-speed until well combined.1 ¾ cup (350 g) light brown sugar, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, pausing to scrape down the sides and then beating well after each addition.2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
- Add bourbon and vanilla. Stir.3 Tbsp (45 ml) bourbon, 2 tsp (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- In separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, 2 tsp (8.5 g) cornstarch, 1 ½ tsp (6 g) baking soda, ¾ tsp (3 g) salt
- Gradually (with mixer on low-medium speed) add flour mixture to butter mixture, pausing periodically to scrape down sides of bowl.
- Stir in chocolate chips/chunks, transfer to container with a lid and refrigerate overnight.2 ½ cups (425 g) chocolate chips/chunks
- Once dough has refrigerated, preheat oven to 350F (177C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough either into ice cream scoop or into ¼ sized measuring cup and drop onto prepared cookie sheets (the dough is difficult to work with, I have to scoop out smaller pieces of dough at a time and press them into my ice cream scoop into a cohesive ball and then drop them onto the cookie sheet. Press down gently on the balls to flatten slightly.
- Bake 10-12 minutes.
- Remove and allow to cool completely at least 10 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Beverley @ sweaty&fit
cookies + bourbon?! what a grand idea. sounds like it would be a fun time of baking too…
Sam
Haha, definitely. Thanks Beverley!
Sneha
Heyya..I love browned butter in cookies, it gives them such a great flavor. These look perfect, too, just like in the bakeries and These cookies look perfect! Love the browned butter and bourbon!
Sam
Thank you Sneha!! 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
You just cannot go wrong with chocolate chip cookies OR browned butter! Pinning 🙂
Sam
Seriously though 🙂 Thanks Medha!
David @ Spiced
I love how you described thunderstorms as intoxicating! You couldn’t be any more correct, though. I love a good thunderstorm…especially in the middle of the night. Call me strange like that. But the sound of rain hitting the roof and thunder crashing is like sweet music to my ears! You know what else is intoxicating? These cookies. Bourbon in the cookie dough? I think I’m in love now. 🙂
Sam
🙂 Thanks so much David! 🙂
Sarah @Whole and Heavenly Oven
I am in LOVE with these cookies, Sam! Browned butter + bourbon = Swoon. These seriously look so soft, chewy and addicting!
Sam
Thanks Sarah! They definitely are 🙂
Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg
Boozy cookies? Count me in. 😀
Sam
Haha, thanks Erin 🙂
Amanda Kohr
Browned butter….there was a whole segment on this on Spilled Milk, that I think you might enjoy! It’s such a luxurious, cozy way to enjoy butter…especially wrapped up in these lovely cookies.
Looks like a great recipe. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Amanda
Sam
I’ll have to look into that! Thank you Amanda! 🙂
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen
Oh my Sam…did you make these for me? I’m sure you did – because they are totally right up my alley. And, I’m with you…I love storms. They scare me a bit, but they are simply amazing and wonderful in their scary selves! 🙂 I like to enjoy them inside…or maybe on my covered porch, but that’s close enough for me! 🙂
Sam
Haha, definitely made them just for you ;). Thanks Kristi!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Oh I love the sound of these cookies, Sam! I have yet to bake with browned butter, so I’m loving these. What a fun twist on a staple recipe!
Sam
You should definitely try it! Thanks Gayle!
Mir
I wish I liked storms the way you do. They really scare me! I’m always afraid of losing power or falling trees.
These cookies would see me through any storm, though. They are amazing!
Sam
I think it helps that I don’t have to worry about any trees falling on my house. Thanks Mir!
Linda | A La Place Clichy
Now I LOOVE brown butter chocolate chip cookies, but with Bourbon? I gotta try these! I hope thunderstorms make their way to New York!
Sam
Haha I’m sure they will. Thanks Linda!
Johlene@FlavoursandFrosting
I love cookies and the bigger they are the bettter! Thanks for sharing the recipe Sam!
Sam
No problem, thanks Johlene!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
Rainy days definitively call for some baking. These cookies look perfect! Love the browned butter and bourbon!
Sam
Thanks Kelly!
Ana | Espresso My Kitchen
I have to agree, thunderstorm weather is the perfect time for baking! living in the east coast these last two years, i’ve experienced some intense thunderstorms and lightning!
Anything with chocolate chip in the name, i’m a fan. These cookies sound and look soo good! All I need is some bourbon to make these.
Sam
Thanks Ana! 🙂 Those little bottles you get by the checkout of the liquor store are great if you’re not regularly a big bourbon drinker (as I’m not) 🙂
Kimberly@The Little Girls Bakery
I love browned butter in cookies, it gives them such a great flavor. These look perfect, too, just like in the bakeries!
Sam
Thanks Kimberly! 🙂