Name: Bourbon & pecan choc chip cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 38 min
Ingredients: 60 grams softened butter; 150 grams brown sugar; 1 large egg; 140 grams plain (all purpose) flour; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 20 ml bourbon; 120 grams choc chips (or block of your favourite chocolate cut into chunks); 50 grams pecans

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Chunky & gooey chocolate chip cookies with a hint of bourbon flavour

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

60 grams softened butter – measure and sit butter out of the fridge for 30 or so mins before you start this recipe
150 grams brown sugar – using brown sugar for this recipe gives the cookies a caramelly texture/flavour
1 large egg – room temperature
140 grams plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
20 ml bourbon – this is just the right amount for a very slight hint of bourbon
120 grams choc chips – or block of your favourite chocolate cut into chunks
50 grams pecans – I usually chop half the pecans into smaller pieces for variety

EQUIPMENT

Hand mixer
Mixing bowl
Cling wrap
Baking paper

Can I use white sugar instead?

I opted for 100% brown sugar for this recipe as brown sugar adds more moisture and caramel tones to baking than white sugar. These flavours are balanced out by the bourbon, butter, and chocolate. If substituted for white sugar, you may find that the cookies lack flavour and depth. I suggest that you stick to the recipe with this one

Is there a bourbon substitute?

Bourbon adds a subtle but rich spiced vanilla taste to this recipe. If you’re not a fan of bourbon or can’t get your hands on some, I have a couple of suggestions for you. Substitute bourbon for equal parts of a similar spirit such as; whiskey, scotch, or cognac.
For a non-alcoholic substitute, I’d suggest vanilla extract or vanilla essence. Use 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla essence. Vanilla extract/essence can act as a good substitute to a dark spirit like bourbon in baking as they both help to enhance the flavours in the cookies. You’ll just miss out on the added deep, caramel-like flavour bourbon produces for this recipe.

How long do I bake the cookies?

For this recipe, I suggest baking cookies for 8 minutes. But this all depends on how you like your cookies. Take the following as a guide as everyone’s oven is different and everyone’s idea of a perfect cookie varies:

For a slightly underdone, super gooey cookie: 5 mins
For a classic, soft-centered, chewy edged cookie: 6-8 mins
For a chewy, crispy cookie: 8-10 mins

Step by step video

Tips

For a richer flavour, prep the night before. Cookie dough gets better with age. Cookies can be prepped, covered, and refrigerated up to a week in advance. Time allows the flavours to develop and richen. I usually try to put the ingredients together the night before and pop them in the fridge until I go to bake them the next day.
Stack cookies tall when forming cookie balls. Try to stack cookie dough higher than they are wide, this makes for a thicker cookie as the dough requires more time to “fall” and “spread” before they are cooked.

Bake cookies on the middle rack of your oven. This guarantees the most even bake, as the heat is evenly distributed in the very middle of the oven.
Use a block of chocolate instead of chocolate chips. I prefer to use my favourite milk chocolate brand and chop the chocolate block into small pieces. The better the chocolate quality = the better the cookie! This allows you to choose your favourite block and incorporate it into your baking. The size of the chocolate pieces creates silky pools of luscious milk chocolate. I usually slice them so each chocolate square is at least halved, they don’t have to be perfect, I do this very roughly.

The rundown

Using a hand mixer – beat butter and sugar together in a bowl until uniform clumps form
Add egg and beat until mixture is fluffy
Add flour, baking soda, and bourbon to mixture and beat until combined
Fold chocolate and pecans into mixture

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Dough can be stored in fridge for up to 1 week
Remove dough from fridge and roll into 12 balls, stacking them high makes for a thicker cookie
Bake at 180c/355f for 8 mins or until the top of the cookie is no longer shiny and edges are slightly brown – this will yield a cookie that is crispy on the outside and gooey in the center