Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Cookies

I came across this recipe and it had a lot of flavors that I like: chocolate, pecans, and bourbon. The original recipe came from a post celebrating the Kentucky Derby, which is this weekend. I live in the Seattle area so the Kentucky Derby isn’t a huge deal here, but I do hear about Derby parties from time to time. I guess there’s always a reason for a party.

I have made cookies similar to this before: lots of chocolate and eggs, not a lot of flour. If you are expecting dough here, this is far from it. It looks like cake batter more than anything. I have found that sometimes I don’t have the best of luck getting these cookies to turn our right, but these were great. They spread a little bit while baking and they are thin, but they looked great when they came out of the oven.

These cookies are soft, with a fudgy center. The pecans, since they are chopped finely, aren’t big chunks but rather provide some texture. You really need the pecans or this batter would be so thin that the cookies would never bake up. I don’t think that you can taste the bourbon very much; too bad since bourbon is so nice. The chocolate in these is so intense, but that’s never a bad thing!

Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Cookies

2 cups chocolate chips

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate chips and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixer bowl, beat the brown sugar, eggs, bourbon, and vanilla on medium high until combined. Add the chocolate/butter mixture and beat on low until smooth.  Add the flour mixture and stir just until the flour disappears into the batter. Stir in the pecans.

Using a medium (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop, scoop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, allowing 2 inches between cookies.

Bake for 11-12 minutes, until the cookies have a cracked surface, but are still a little soft in the center. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from Magnolia Days