Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie

Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookie-Cast Iron style

Do you need a dessert that is easy, shareable, delicious, and boozy? Look no further! I have the perfect recipe that will fit your needs. A browned butter chocolate chip cookie dough with toffee bits and bourbon, is layered with a bourbon pecan filling. It’s baked in a cast iron for a festive holiday treat, ready to be shared with scoops of ice cream, and a lavish drizzle of bourbon caramel.

Thanksgiving week is upon us friends. I love the holidays and I absolutely love baking, of course. But as this week rolls out, I know the minute Thursday comes to an end the looming pressure of getting ready for all things Christmas approaches. It can be a very stressful time for so many. But it doesn’t have to be! I am choosing not to let my anxious mind take over this holiday season and instead have been trying to practice gratitude for my life as it is now. I am grateful for all the fun I’ve had baking and so thankful for the opportunity’s life has given me to continue nurturing my creative mind.

During this time of nurturing my creativity, the carefully laid out plans I had for cookies this week was upturned. Snubbed. Scratched out. Okay, maybe not snubbed, I still plan to make the cookies I had written. The cold and rainy weather rolling into Texas this past week had me discover a newfound love for a hot toddy. If you know me, you know that I am most certainly not a whiskey drinker. I never cared much for the flavor, the burn, and the careless bombardment of my olfactory senses from the strong brown liquor. I just didn’t see the appeal. Give me a salty dirty martini and I am happy camper.

So, what happened? It was a stop at my optometrist where I passed by the windows of the liquor store. Unbeknownst to me, my life would change. I thought to myself, the holidays are coming probably a good idea to pick up some wine for company while I’m out and about, maybe a bottle of Belvedere for a fancy martini. I noticed the Texas section of whiskeys and a bottle of Treaty Oak Bourbon caught my eye.

Treaty Oak is a distillery in Dripping Springs, Texas located adjacent to my two favorite local businesses: Abby Jane Bake Shop and Barton Springs Mill. I have passed this distillery many times on my way to stock up on locally milled flours and the most delicious pastries. I was curious and being in a good mood with my new glasses (yes, I can finally see clearly now), I picked up a bottle. I do love supporting local you know; I convince myself as I pay for the hefty bottle of Day Drinker Bourbon Whiskey.

Buying this bourbon was fate. The moment I tried the bourbon, letting the fragrance of oak and a heady perfume of barrel aged spirits waft over me, something had changed. Was it the resemblance of a good bourbon vanilla? Could my palette have finally matured and developed enough to appreciate the unctuous flavors a good bourbon consists of? I’m not sure, but I made a hot toddy with honey, lemon, a tea bag of chamomile, and a measurement of bourbon I can only describe as a “glug.” I was transformed.

The burning hot flavors of the bourbon I had remembered drinking so long ago was a relic memory of the past. Smooth with the most welcoming warm flavor of vanilla, this bourbon needed to be a part of a sweet and special treat. Cue the total remake of this week’s cookie menu and my love for making a night cap of a hot toddy to chase the chilly weather away.

This rustic cast iron cookie is meant to be shared warm gathered around with good friends. Much like a good bourbon that is savored in good company, this cookie is meant to create warm memories during these holiday months upon us surrounded by those we care about. Bye bye holiday stress, there is simply no room for you here.

**Special Note**While I love the flavor bourbon gives to this cookie, it can be replaced with dark or spiced rum or even omitted from the recipe. Please proceed with this note in mind if you don’t wish to use alcohol, this cookie is just as lovely without.

Why I Love This Recipe

Flavor-There is a heavy bourbon theme in this cookie. I add bourbon to the pecan filling, cookie dough, and caramel sauce I pour on top. And it is lovely when paired with the vanilla extract, pecans, and chocolate. The brown butter in the cookie dough creates a deep canvas of flavor with its toasty milk solids. I play up this deep nutty flavor by adding a tablespoon of malted milk powder. This deepens the toasty flavors of the brown butter in the cookie dough.

Toffee bits are optional in this cookie, but they do play into the toasty caramel flavors nuanced throughout. The filling has toasted pecans and bourbon that create a rich nutty layer of flavor that pairs well with the chocolate and toffee in the dough. I add slightly more salt to this cookie dough recipe to balance out the sweetness of the dough and filling.

Texture-Oh where to begin…The texture of this cookie is crunchy and crisp on the outside from using brown butter and baking in cast iron. It’s the type of crispness in a cookie that melts in your mouth as you take a bite. The dough inside the cookie is dense in a good cookie kind of way. Wonderfully chewy with full pockets of melted chocolate interspersed throughout.

The filling is soft but not gooey, more in line with a pecan praline texture which softens into a creamy and chewy bite. The toasted pecans also play in contrast with the soft dough adding in another layer of crisp texture. If paired with ice cream and bourbon caramel sauce, you get a delicious creamy explosion of textures at play with each spoonful graced by your tastebuds.

Made to Share-This cookie is perfect for slicing and sharing on plates. But to be completely honest, it is also great with ice cream piled high and everyone with a spoon in hand to dig in. Best enjoyed straight from the oven warm while the chocolate is gooey and melted

Ingredients You Need

–Brown Butter– please refer to this post on how to make browned butter.

-Granulated & Brown sugar-

-Egg

-Egg Yolk- this will keep our dough soft and give a rich flavor to the cookie.

-Salt-for flavor.

-Vanilla Extract-

-Bourbon-can substitute dark rum or omit.

-Flour-all-purpose flour

-Baking Soda-

-Semi Sweet Chocolate-I used half chocolate chips and half chopped semisweet chocolate. The secret to those pools of dreamy melted chocolate is chopped chocolate. It will transform your cookies if you use chopped chocolate together with chocolate chips.

-Toffee Bits-optional. Gives the cookie a rich caramel flavor.

–CARAMEL SAUCE– use this recipe to make a delicious bourbon caramel sauce. I added in 2 tablespoons to the pan of caramel before pouring it into a jar to cool. This is a seriously delicious topping for this bourbon infused cookie. Please, do not miss out!

Bourbon Pecan Filling

-Pecans-I used Texas pecans. Use local pecans if you can!

-Butter-

-Egg

-Brown & Granulated Sugar

-Vanilla Extract

-Bourbon-I used Treaty Oak Bourbon. You can substitute dark rum if preferred or omit.

-Salt

-Maple Syrup

Bourbon Pecan Filling First

Before making the cookie dough I like to make the bourbon pecan filling first. This will let the hot filling cool while I assemble the cookie dough.

I want to take a moment to talk about roasting pecans. You need to do this crucial step to bring out the best in this dessert. It’s easy and improves the filling so much versus using unroasted pecans. Roasting pecans brings out the flavor of this sweet nut and improves the texture, taking it from kind of mealy to crisp and tender. This will take any pecan dessert you make from good to great, trust me. It will take 10 minutes or less of your time to pop a pan of pecans in a 350*F oven and toast until they smell fragrant, usually 8-10 minutes. ROAST. YOUR. PECANS.

In a medium saucepan I combine the maple syrup, sugars, egg, salt, and butter. I turn on my stove to medium heat and whisk until the butter is melted. I do not want the egg to scramble so I am continually stirring for the entirety of making this filling.

The mixture will come to a boil and will I continue to stir. I switch to a silicone spatula so I can gently scrape the bottom of the pan while I’m stirring.

Once the mixture is thick and bubbly, this took me almost 4 minutes over medium heat, I add in the chopped toasted pecans, bourbon, and vanilla extract. I let this come to a boil for one minute then take off the heat and turn off the stove.

I set the pan of bourbon pecan filling to the side as I prepare the cookie dough.

Let’s Make Cookies!

The use of melted brown butter make this cookie easy peasy to put together. You don’t even need a mixer to make this cookie dough and it comes together in minutes.

In a bowl I mix warm browned butter and both types of sugars with a fork until mixed together. I add in the egg and egg yolk at the same time and mix thoroughly. This took about a  minute or two using a fork. I want to make sure there is no visible bits of eggs in the mix.

Next, I add in a splash of vanilla extract and bourbon and mix those in using the fork. In a separate bowl I sift all the dry ingredients then add to the bowl of my wet ingredients.

I switch to a spatula to mix the dry ingredients in, and I stop mixing after it just comes together as a dough.

I add the chopped chocolate, chocolate chips, and toffee bits and fold them into the dough. I make sure everything is incorporated evenly before getting my cast iron pan ready for the next step.

Boozy Cookies in 3,2,1!

I take an 8-inch cast iron pan, you can use a cake pan if you don’t have cast iron, and I press half of the chocolate chip cookie dough in the bottom.

I press the dough slightly up the sides of the pan, maybe a little less than an inch up the sides just to form a lip as a guide to press the top dough on.

Once the dough is evenly spread on the bottom, I spoon the bourbon pecan filling in the center. I stay clear of the sides and focus on spreading the pecans in the center.

Now it’s time to layer the top half of the cookie dough. Using my palms, I lightly press the dough to flatten it into a sheet. I only take a palmful at a time to work with and lay the pressed dough on top of the pecan filling.

I pinch the edges gently to seal the cookie dough on top of the pecans. I repeat this process until the entire top is covered in a layer of cookie dough and I’ve used up the remaining dough.

I bake the cast iron cookie in a 350*F oven for 30 minutes. I know when the cookie is done when the top is a beautiful golden brown.

Give the cookie at least 10 minutes to cool before digging in. I scooped ice cream and bourbon caramel sauce on top for an extra layer of yummy goodness.

**TO MAKE DROP COOKIES**

Scoop the dough out with a 2-ounce cookie scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 375*F for 8-10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges are a deep golden brown. You can top the cookies with the bourbon pecan filling for a sticky sweet treat.

I wouldn’t suggest the filling be stuffed into these cookies since the dough is quite soft. If you want to stuff the cookies, add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the dry ingredients when mixing your dough. Stuff the cookies with a teaspoon of filling and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer before baking. Bake at 375*F for 10-12 minutes or until the tops and edges are golden.

 

If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram and Facebook. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!