When it comes to sugar cookies, you don’t always have to use granulated sugar. Brown sugar gives these bourbon-infused cookies an absolutely lovely texture, not to mention an incredible taste. And, it certainly doesn’t hurt that these sweet cookies have an amazing bourbon flavor. I mean, seriously, booze and cookies, how can you go wrong?
This absolutely incredible cookie recipe was almost lost to the world, largely due to my severe lack of organization as of late. Y’all, seriously, if my head were not actually attached to my body, I’m pretty sure that I would misplace it. Just ask poor B.O.B. Bob, who has had the lovely task of digging my keys out of the trash more than a few times over the past several months. The poor guy has done it so often, that he now always seems to be on nonstop key patrol. If those keys aren’t in the key bin, where they belong, he goes searching to ensure that they aren’t about to be put out on the street for trash day. And does he take my word for it when I tell him that my keys are still in my purse? No, he does not. He wants to see those stinking keys in my grubby little cookie-baking hands. Y’all, his faith in my ability to keep track of my keys has totally been lost. Although, after the third time of watching him dig through the trash in search of them, I guess I can totally see his side.
Anyway, with this sugar cookie recipe, I was fairly certain that I had written down the ingredients which I had used to make them. However, when I checked our junk drawer, the place where I usually stash the post-it notes, envelopes, and little pieces of paper on which I scribble down my recipes, this particular recipe was nowhere to be found. At this point, I am not afraid to admit that I had a little bit of a melt-down. I mean, seriously, these cookies were absolute perfection. How could I possibly lose such a treasure? Thankfully, several days later, I woke up with a sudden thought. I had not yet checked the cabinet below the junk drawer. Occasionally, the junk drawer is so full, that things get shoved to the back and fall down into the cabinet below. Y’all, no lie, I practically ran downstairs to check. And yes, that is exactly where I found this cookie recipe hiding. Luckily for me, finding my lost treasure, didn’t end with me having to dig through the trash like poor B.O.B. Bob.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1 1/4 Cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed (Divided)
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 3 Tablespoons Bourbon
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Corn Starch
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream the butter and 1-cup of light brown sugar in a large mixing bowl on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk; mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the bourbon and vanilla; mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix with a silicone spatula just until the flour is incorporated.
- Place the remaining 1/4-cup of light brown sugar in a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to measure out even mounds of dough. Roll each mound of dough between the palms of your hands to form a ball and then roll each ball of dough in the brown sugar to coat.
- Place the brown sugar-coated balls of dough onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before transferring them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
Suggestions:
- I made these cookies two different ways. First, I baked these cookies right after mixing the dough and only baked them for 11 minutes. The cookies were thin, super-soft, delicate, and had a nice bourbon punch. Second, I baked these cookies after the dough had rested for 30 minutes. I also extended the baking time by a minute or two. These cookies were not as thin as the first and had a more traditional cookie texture. However, they did lose a little bit of the bourbon punch that the first batch had. I suggest making these cookies both ways to see which you prefer most. Honestly, you can’t go wrong. Both batches disappeared quickly.
- As soon as the cookies have cooled, place them in an airtight container.
- This recipe will yield approximately 24 cookies. The number of cookies you end up with will depend on how large you make each cookie.
Improvements:
- Add 1/2-cup of finely chopped walnuts or pecans to the cookie dough.
- Replace the bourbon in this recipe with whiskey or rum.
- For a lovely citrus flavor, add orange zest to the cookie dough.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 1 1/4 Cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed (Divided)
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 3 Tablespoons Bourbon
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Corn Starch
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cream the butter and 1-cup of light brown sugar in a large mixing bowl on medium speed for 3 minutes.
- Add the egg yolk; mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Add the bourbon and vanilla; mix on medium speed for 1 minute.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl and mix with a silicone spatula just until the flour is incorporated.
- Place the remaining 1/4-cup of light brown sugar in a small bowl. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to measure out even mounds of dough. Roll each mound of dough between the palms of your hands to form a ball and then roll each ball of dough in the brown sugar to coat.
- Place the brown sugar-coated balls of dough onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before transferring them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
PIN THIS RECIPE
Don’t let this recipe slip away. How often do you find a recipe intriguing, yet forget where to find it when you finally get the hankering to make it? Instead of digging through old posts or wandering aimlessly around on the internet, why not Pin this recipe to Pinterest where you can find it when you eventually need it? Simply Pin the image above and you’ll have it when that time comes. You can follow us HERE on Pinterest or simply click HERE to find all of our pin-worthy recipes.
Simple Brown Sugar Cookies (Soft & Chewy)
