Bourbon and Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies
Baking is still not my forte. It drives me crazy. Every time I break out the mixer and grab a cookie sheet, I think “this is the time.” But it isn’t. There is such an exact science to this whole baking thing that I miss. I think I enjoy the process a whole lot more than the final product. I’m a lover of dough, of batter. The final product? I could take it or leave it. Look at this picture compared to the one at Bon Appétit and you’ll get what I’m talking about. They still tasted great, but aesthetics be damned. Style points matter when it comes to baked goods.
The combination of flavors here is pretty incredible. The second you start throwing rye into something, I’m intrigued. Bourbon is also my drink of choice. Mix them together with some dark chocolate? I’m ok with that kind of dessert. The key here, among other things, is do. not. over. bake. I cannot stress this enough. Even if they aren’t quite brown on the edges, I wouldn’t go much longer than 15 minutes if I like a soft chewy cookie, and I do. They are still delicious. I am such a self-sabotager, though. I follow the rules. The rules said you’ll start seeing browned edges, and I didn’t. So I kept going, and I never ended up with browned edges. I did, however, end up with some dry parts of the cookie. Devastating. Not so much for Andrew if you’re a dipper of cookies in milk. I’m not so much.
Inspiration: Bon Appétit
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup rye flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 sticks + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temp
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon bourbon
- Sea salt flakes
Preparation
Whisk both flours, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. This takes a good 3-4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and bourbon. Beat until incorporated. With the mixer speed on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Once incorporated, fold in the chocolate chips.
Roll the dough into 16 evenly sized balls. Transfer them to a rimmed cookie sheet. Wrap them in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least three hours.
Prior to baking, preheat the oven to 350°. Divide the dough balls on two parchment lined sheets about 3″ apart. Flatten each ball to about 3/4″ thickness and sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Bake the cookies until golden brown around the edges. This should take 14-18 minutes, but I still didn’t have it at 18. Let them cool before moving them to a wire rack.