These chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate gameday snack to share at your next tailgate. But these are extra special because they have the flavor boosts of smoky brown butter, caramelized pecans, and a dash of whiskey. We love Jameson, but feel free to use whatever whiskey or bourbon you have around. (Note: *Most* of the alcohol evaporates while baking, leaving only a rich flavor behind. Use your discretion if you’d like to keep these adults-only or share with the kiddos 😉 )Whiskey-Pecan Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Servings: 18 cookies
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon + 3/4 brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of bourbon or whiskey, divided
- 2 sticks salted butter at room temp
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- Flakey sea salt or coarse kosher salt to finish (optional)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Add 1 stick of butter to a small pan over medium heat. Allow it to cook down, stirring gently from time to time, until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. Do not let it boil or overcook; it shouldn’t take more than about 4 or 5 minutes. When it’s ready, pour it into a heatproof bowl and pop it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to cool quickly.
3. Prepare the pecans by placing them in a shallow baking dish (like a cake pan or brownie pan) and stirring with them 1 tbs whiskey and 1 tbs brown sugar. These will bake at 350°F for 5-8 minutes. Watch them carefully so they do not burn! Allow them to cool before adding them to your batter at the end.
4. In a medium bowl, use a whisk or fork to combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
5. Use a stand mixer or handheld mixer to beat together the other stick of butter, the cooled brown butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and granulated white sugar until combined. Then beat the eggs, one at a time, until they are thoroughly incorporated. Add the remaining tablespoon of whiskey and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
6. Add the flour mixture into the batter and turn the mixer to low to incorporate the wet and dry mixtures together.
7. Finally, fold the chocolate chips and cooled pecans into the batter. I like to use a large wooden spoon for this part, but you do you! If the dough feels a little loose or sticky, just stir in a couple tablespoons of flour until it comes together.
8. On a baking sheet prepared with parchment, scoop generous balls of dough—about 2 tablespoons each—3 inches apart. Gently flatten each one. (I do this by putting a little bit of flour on my fingers so the dough doesn’t stick.) Sprinkle course salt on top.9. Bake for 11-14 minutes, checking on them after 10 minutes. You’ll know they are done when the edges are slightly brown, even though the inside won’t look quite set. Remove cookies from oven and let them cool slightly before transferring to a wire cooling rack. They will finish setting as they cool, but it’s definitely recommended to eat them while still warm! In the unlikely event any are leftover, store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
This recipe was adapted from Half-Baked Harvest. You can find the original recipe here.
