Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

An Old Fashioned is my drink of choice—warm spicy bourbon mixed with a little sugary sweetness. If my favorite cocktail married a chocolate chip cookie, this would be their love child. A soft, chewy cookie with bourbon and brown butter undertones speckled with chocolate and crunchy sugared pecans.

I’m whipping up a batch of these and gifting them along with a bottle of Tennessee Bourbon to all the dads in my life for father’s day this year. Dads are impossible to shop for, but you can’t go wrong with cookies and whiskey, right?

Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes 24-26 cookies

1 cup raw pecan halves

2 Tbls. bourbon, divided

1 Tbls., plus 3/4 cup light brown sugar

Flaky sea salt

1 cup salted butter, room temperature, divided

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On the baking sheet, combine the pecans, 1 tablespoon bourbon, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Bake 8-10 minutes, until toasted. Roughly chop the pecans.

Meanwhile, add ½ cup (1 stick) of butter to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl, add in the other ½ cup (1 stick) of butter, cubed and stir until all the butter has melted and is smooth. Allow to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and the granulated sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs - 1 at a time, until combined. Add 1 tablespoon bourbon and the vanilla, beating until creamy. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans (holing back a few of each to place on the tops of the cookie dough balls). Dough will be a little sticky.

Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2 Tbls.) to scoop the dough. Place 8 to 10 dough balls onto baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until the edges of the cookies are crisp and the centers look puffy and slightly underdone. Remove from the oven and sprinkle each cookie with flaked sea salt while still hot.