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Bourbon. And chocolate.
Um, need I say more?
Well just in case anyone needs a little extra convincing, let me just tell you that even this girl (who barely eats sugar anymore) went back for seconds on these guys. And thirds. And mayyybeee also snuck in a few bites of dough too…
Because bourbon. And chocolate.
‘Nuf said.
Actually, I must admit that I’ve gone back for seconds and thirds on these cookies each time I’ve made this recipe…which I think is now up to a grand total of five times just within this summer. So many bourbon chocolate chip cookies happening at my place!
I mean, what can I say?
I had to be sure that this recipe was absolutely perfect before sharing it with you. ;)
As always, my friends were more than happy to serve as willing taste testers, especially once the magic “b” word was mentioned. I brought a batch to a neighbor night, some to the 4th of July, some to a party with friends, and each time the response was the same — people seemed shocked that they could “actually taste the bourbon” in them!
To be sure, the whiskey flavor is very subtle and blends perfectly with the buttery cookies and sweet chocolate. But it’s absolutely there. And absolutely amazing.
The base cookie recipe is just a slight variation from my favorite Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies. I decided to revert back to using butter for this one for a little extra stability, since the extra liquid from the bourbon paired with coconut oil is bound to flatten more quickly. But if you don’t mind a flatter cookie, you’re totally welcome to stick with the coconut oil.
And then I went with some big ol’ chocolate chunks, because they somehow seemed an appropriate pairing with bourbon. (Although traditional chocolate chips would be quite lovely as well.) And I couldn’t resist employing that ol’ food styling secret of poking a few extra chocolate chips/chunks on the outside of the dough balls once they have been rolled so that you can clearly see the chocolate in each bite.
The result? Beautiful cookies that are soft and chewy and vanilla-y and butter-y and all of the good y’s.
AND BOURBON-Y.
Which I’m now convinced belongs forever and always in a good batch of CCC’s. But I’ll let you give it a try and see what you decide. Cheers! :)
This Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe is easy to make, soft and chewy, and flavored with the most delicious hint of bourbon.
Ingredients
Scale
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, store-bought or homemade
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips)
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream together the softened butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, bourbon and vanilla extract, and beat on medium-low speed for another minute until combined. Add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Fold in (stir in) the chocolate chunks/chips by hand until just combined.
Use a large cookie scoop (equivalent to 3 tablespoons) or a spoon to shape the dough into balls, and place them on a large plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the dough balls for at least 2 hours, for best results. (You can bake them after less chilling time, but they will be more flat.)
When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chilled dough balls at least 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Or a baking sheet that has been covered with a Silpat, or greased with cooking spray.)
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just set and the cookies are slightly golden on top. (The centers may look ever-so-slightly undercooked.) Cool cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve immediately or store in a sealed container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 3-4 months.
Go give yourself a high five! These are the best looking cookies I’ve seen on the net. And yes, bourbon is all the rage these days, but you’ve taken it to the extreme. I mean, this pics are making me watch to go out and buy several more pairs of stretchy pants, Spanx, who needs them? I’m totally making these right now. Gotta go.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Laura, we appreciate that! And we like your attitude, stretchy pants and cookies, because life’s too short. :) We hope you enjoy these!
These look and sound delicious! I hate to ruin a good thing, but do you think the addition of some bourbon soaked pecans would mess with the recipe? It’s the Southerner ine that adds pecans to everything:)
Say what say what??? Bourbon in choc chip cookies? You are a girl after my own heart!! I make bacon cinnamon rolls with a maple bourbon glaze, but I would have NEVER thought to put bourbon in cookies. You are a genius *bowing to you*
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Haha thanks Bobbi, we couldn’t help ourselves! And bacon cinnamon rolls with a maple bourbon glaze?! Now THAT sounds amazing! Four of our favorite things right there! Anyway, from a couple of bourbon lovers to another, we hope you enjoy the cookies. :D
Hey Ali! What brand chocolate chip did you use for these cookies? They’re so big and chocolately and chunky and now I’m having a serious craving for cookies!!
Love this combination! I’ve had several ice creams that incorporate bourbon, but never a cookie! These look and sound fantastic!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks Stephanie! We sure love our bourbon, it’s such an awesome ingredient for baking (well, and drinking too, of course!) ;) We hope you enjoy these!
Wondering if I could use Jack Daniels instead of bourbon, and what the difference would be (my only bottle of bourbon is maple syrup infused, and I think that would change the flavor too much!
Doug
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hey Doug! You sure can, it wouldn’t be a huge difference in this recipe, especially since there isn’t much in it. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Should i put the dough balls in the oven or should i press them flat before putting them in the oven?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hey Jewel, it’s totally up to you — if you press them flat beforehand, they’ll just be on the thinner, crispier side, and if you don’t, they’ll be a little puffier and chewier. Totally a preference thing – we love ’em either way! Enjoy! :)
I made these for a friend’s birthday and they turned out absolutely perfect! I made a double batch for my office of 10 people and they were gone in one day :) definitely adding this cookie to my go-to recipes.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing Aubrey, we’re so happy they were a hit! :D
I’ve made these several times and everyone that tries them, loves them. However, everyone agrees that they CAN’T taste the bourbon. Am I doing something wrong?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re so glad to hear that, Deborah! As for the bourbon, it is subtle, so we doubt you’re doing anything wrong. You can try doing 2 tsp of extra bourbon (in place of the vanilla). That should make it more noticeable. We hope this helps!
This looks like the best recipe I’ve come across for adding bourbon to a cookie in honor of my husbands obession with woodford reserve and I’m thinking of making these for an upcoming cookie exchange party (as the winning cookie…always confident of my chances but I never win). Can the dough be frozen? Since I have to make a bajillion of them I was thinking of making dough in advance! Also, final question/comment– thinking of adding toffee bits with the chocolate chunks to make them further stand out from the ubiquitous choc chip cookie that will likely be present at the party. Do you think this will work? I could do half and half! I want to win so bad I can’t even take it. ?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you, we hope you and your husband enjoy them! The dough can definitely be frozen and we think some toffee bits would make an excellent addition! We wish you luck with the contest! :)
We’ve never tried bread flour in these, so we’re not sure what they’d be like with it, but you’re welcome to experiment! If you do, we’d recommend using a combination of bread and all purpose flours.
I’ve made these cookies for a while and everyone loves them! Thanks so much for sharing! Can I keep the dough for one day in the refrigerator and bake it the next day?
Thank you,
Maria
OMG!!! This is THE best Chocolate Cookie Recipe anywhere… Stop looking around. Go to the kitchen right now and whip some up. Skip the vanilla – go for a full tilt bourbon experience and enjoy them right out of the oven.. I used a full-sized ice cream scoop and this recipe made 8 fabulous cookies. Can’t wait to make more and experiment with mild variations though these are perfect the way they are… Thank you Ali!!!!
I don’t freeze cookies, well, because they never last that long! Any tricks to thawing I should know? Do cookies taste as good after being frozen? I was thinking of getting a head start on Christmas baking. Can’t wait to try these.
Brenda —
These are awesome. I used khaluah instead. I may mix up the chocolate chips next time some dark some semi sweet etc,
Is the softened butter in the Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe UNSALTED or SALTED? I don’t want to assume it’s unsalted, even though salt is one of the added ingredients. Thanks in advance. Can’t wait to try…
Hi, I’ve made browned butter bourbon chocolate chunk cookies before that were amazing. Unfortunately I can’t find the original recipe I used. Your recipe seems really close with the exception of the browned butter. Do you think I could just sneak in the browned butter into your recipe or do you feel like the consistency will change? I really like when they rise and are big and moist on inside vs. Flatter and crisper with this particular recipe. I’m worried the melted butter will change that. Any advice would be great!
Margo —
Theres a recipe for Bourbon brown butter chocolate chunk cookies under the author Country Cleaver. Judt google it. It may be the one your missing.
Perfect combination!!! Must try these ASAP!
Thanks Stephanie, we hope you like them!
Oh man, bourbon?! YES!! These sound awesome!
Thanks Katrina!
Go give yourself a high five! These are the best looking cookies I’ve seen on the net. And yes, bourbon is all the rage these days, but you’ve taken it to the extreme. I mean, this pics are making me watch to go out and buy several more pairs of stretchy pants, Spanx, who needs them? I’m totally making these right now. Gotta go.
Thanks Laura, we appreciate that! And we like your attitude, stretchy pants and cookies, because life’s too short. :) We hope you enjoy these!
Should you use top shelf bourbon or does it matter?
It doesn’t make a huge difference in these, so we’d say you can use a cheaper bourbon. We hope you enjoy! :)
Whoa…this isn’t your Dad’s chocolate chip cookie!
These look and sound delicious! I hate to ruin a good thing, but do you think the addition of some bourbon soaked pecans would mess with the recipe? It’s the Southerner ine that adds pecans to everything:)
Um, I think that sounds AMAZING. :)
Ali, bourbon is my spirit…spirit. Did you bake these for me? (PS. My mom comments on my blog “Erin’s Mom” so your mom’s comment made my day :)
These cookies look incredible!
Thanks Marsha!
Oh my goodness yes. Two of my favorite things, chocolate chip cookies and bourbon all rolled up in one! Thanks, I can’t wait to make these!
Thanks Angela, we hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did!
The “B” word really is magical, especially when you add it to cookies! These looks so good Ali!
Thanks Danae, we hope you enjoy them! :)
Adding bourbon is a great idea! :D
That’s our motto precisely! ;)
These look incredible! I don’t think I’ve ever had choc. chip cookies with bourbon… I need to try this! Pinned! :)
Thanks Ana, definitely give these a try! We hope you love ’em! :)
Say what say what??? Bourbon in choc chip cookies? You are a girl after my own heart!! I make bacon cinnamon rolls with a maple bourbon glaze, but I would have NEVER thought to put bourbon in cookies. You are a genius *bowing to you*
Haha thanks Bobbi, we couldn’t help ourselves! And bacon cinnamon rolls with a maple bourbon glaze?! Now THAT sounds amazing! Four of our favorite things right there! Anyway, from a couple of bourbon lovers to another, we hope you enjoy the cookies. :D
These look FANTASTIC, Ali! I love those chocolate chunks, and the fact that you put bourbon in these! Attagirl! ;)
Thank you Joan, I hope you love them! ;)
What kind of chunks did you use? Look delicious!
Just regular chocolate chunks, I think Nestle! :)
Hey Ali! What brand chocolate chip did you use for these cookies? They’re so big and chocolately and chunky and now I’m having a serious craving for cookies!!
Eek, can’t remember, but I think Nestle! :)
Love this combination! I’ve had several ice creams that incorporate bourbon, but never a cookie! These look and sound fantastic!
Thanks Stephanie! We sure love our bourbon, it’s such an awesome ingredient for baking (well, and drinking too, of course!) ;) We hope you enjoy these!
These cookies sound awesome! Must try these ASAP!
Thanks Mary, we hope you love them!
Wondering if I could use Jack Daniels instead of bourbon, and what the difference would be (my only bottle of bourbon is maple syrup infused, and I think that would change the flavor too much!
Doug
Hey Doug! You sure can, it wouldn’t be a huge difference in this recipe, especially since there isn’t much in it. We hope you enjoy the cookies!
Oh girl!!! These are spectacular!!
Thanks Marla, we’re so glad you like them!
Should i put the dough balls in the oven or should i press them flat before putting them in the oven?
Hey Jewel, it’s totally up to you — if you press them flat beforehand, they’ll just be on the thinner, crispier side, and if you don’t, they’ll be a little puffier and chewier. Totally a preference thing – we love ’em either way! Enjoy! :)
I made these for a friend’s birthday and they turned out absolutely perfect! I made a double batch for my office of 10 people and they were gone in one day :) definitely adding this cookie to my go-to recipes.
Thanks for sharing Aubrey, we’re so happy they were a hit! :D
This is exactly what my chocolate chip cookies need: bourbon! Lucky friends who got to be taste testers. Sign me up next time ;)
Thanks Janice — we hope you enjoy! :)
I’ve made these several times and everyone that tries them, loves them. However, everyone agrees that they CAN’T taste the bourbon. Am I doing something wrong?
We’re so glad to hear that, Deborah! As for the bourbon, it is subtle, so we doubt you’re doing anything wrong. You can try doing 2 tsp of extra bourbon (in place of the vanilla). That should make it more noticeable. We hope this helps!
Made these last night. Fannntastic! My husband is a huge fan! Thanks for the recipe, Ali. Hope you’re doing well!!
We’re so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed them, Lindsey! :)
This looks like the best recipe I’ve come across for adding bourbon to a cookie in honor of my husbands obession with woodford reserve and I’m thinking of making these for an upcoming cookie exchange party (as the winning cookie…always confident of my chances but I never win). Can the dough be frozen? Since I have to make a bajillion of them I was thinking of making dough in advance! Also, final question/comment– thinking of adding toffee bits with the chocolate chunks to make them further stand out from the ubiquitous choc chip cookie that will likely be present at the party. Do you think this will work? I could do half and half! I want to win so bad I can’t even take it. ?
Thank you, we hope you and your husband enjoy them! The dough can definitely be frozen and we think some toffee bits would make an excellent addition! We wish you luck with the contest! :)
Can I use bread flour?
We’ve never tried bread flour in these, so we’re not sure what they’d be like with it, but you’re welcome to experiment! If you do, we’d recommend using a combination of bread and all purpose flours.
I’ve made these cookies for a while and everyone loves them! Thanks so much for sharing! Can I keep the dough for one day in the refrigerator and bake it the next day?
Thank you,
Maria
This is my favorite cookie recipe. I love it!
Can I use whole cane sugar instead of brown sugar?
Thank you!
This is my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookies! My entire family loves them!
I made these last night and they are amazing!! Best bourbon chocolate chip cookie recipe I’ve come across.
The bourbon guys love it! Making them again! I don’t like cornstarch and replaced with baking powder and they tasted great.
OMG!!! This is THE best Chocolate Cookie Recipe anywhere… Stop looking around. Go to the kitchen right now and whip some up. Skip the vanilla – go for a full tilt bourbon experience and enjoy them right out of the oven.. I used a full-sized ice cream scoop and this recipe made 8 fabulous cookies. Can’t wait to make more and experiment with mild variations though these are perfect the way they are… Thank you Ali!!!!
I don’t freeze cookies, well, because they never last that long! Any tricks to thawing I should know? Do cookies taste as good after being frozen? I was thinking of getting a head start on Christmas baking. Can’t wait to try these.
These are awesome. I used khaluah instead. I may mix up the chocolate chips next time some dark some semi sweet etc,
Wonderful recipe. The mild bourbon flavor is so yummy. I added some pecans to the top of mine before i baked them. Thank you
Best recipe I’ve found for bourbon chocolate chip cookies!
I added pecans and used Skrewball Whiskey. OMG
Is the softened butter in the Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe UNSALTED or SALTED? I don’t want to assume it’s unsalted, even though salt is one of the added ingredients. Thanks in advance. Can’t wait to try…
Made these today to take along on a trip to a favorite distillery. They were delicious!! Will definitely make these again.
These are awesome. I used khaluah instead. I may mix up the chocolate chips next time some dark some semi sweet etc,
Hi, I’ve made browned butter bourbon chocolate chunk cookies before that were amazing. Unfortunately I can’t find the original recipe I used. Your recipe seems really close with the exception of the browned butter. Do you think I could just sneak in the browned butter into your recipe or do you feel like the consistency will change? I really like when they rise and are big and moist on inside vs. Flatter and crisper with this particular recipe. I’m worried the melted butter will change that. Any advice would be great!
Theres a recipe for Bourbon brown butter chocolate chunk cookies under the author Country Cleaver. Judt google it. It may be the one your missing.
Now, I thought Ali’s best choco-chip cookies were the most amazing, which they are!!! But THESE ARE OFF THE HOOK!!!!!! Dear Lordy mercy!!!