Cookies do not have to be the boring chocolate chip vanilla cream brown bakery they’ve always been, because the world has evolved to something a whole lot snackier – alcohol cookies.
So for those of us who enjoy sitting down with a nice cold alcoholic beverage as a way to wind down and relax at the same time munching on some great homemade cookies, you’re in luck.
Booze has its place in a shot glass or bottle and we can now see how well it would represent in a baking dish for that extra flavor moisture and crunch. Cookies with alcohol are now on the rage and it’s easy to see why. It allows people to try out their favorite baking recipes with their favorite drinks to create a new favorite something.
What is an Alcohol Cookie?
The cookie is not new. It can be traced all the way back to 7th Century Persia and is now widely available at every supermarket and is a major treat in different homes. A cookie is a small, flat and sweet food product that uses oven baking as its mode of preparation.
Its major ingredients are flour, sugar and oil or fat. It doesn’t end here though as other ingredients like oats, chocolate chips, nuts, raisins can be added for specificity. Alcohol as an added ingredient isn’t such a bad idea also. And it’s not uncommon to see alcohol added to brownies, butter cream, cupcakes or cakes in general.
So why not cookies?
An alcoholic cookie combines the fine whizz of booze and smart crack of the cookie in one unforgettable bite (or two). There’s no set rule for the alcohol to be used, it’s completely up to the baker’s preference. So whether it’s rum, bourbon, wine, vodka or even grappa, these cookies are sure to fill you with the ‘holiday spirit’.
As everyone is now always on the lookout for cookie recipes to try out and new recipes to come up with, these set of cookies upped several notches are the perfect options.
So, how do you go about putting alcohol in your cookie? Do you just measure your desired quantity and dump it in? Yes and no. You could do that on a normal day unless the recipe already contains a measure of alcohol, in which case you have to substitute some or all of the extract (e.g. almond, orange or vanilla) with spirits or liqueurs. If it does, you can make it a mixture of two drinks, perhaps a liqueur and whiskey or rum.
Another way to go about incorporating alcohol in your cookies is by adding spiked frosting. The frost or icing on the cookies (for those cookies that have frostings) can be created with alcohol. This will help bring out the taste of the alcohol.
One last thing to note is that though they are termed as alcohol cookies, they don’t really taste alcoholic (so do not worry about people suspecting you when you keep sneaking them out of your purse. Be sure to keep the kids very far away from them though). This is because the alcohol cooks out while baking especially for cookies that are baked.
Alcoholic Cookie Recipe
Variety is well known as the spice of life. When it comes to baking cookies with alcohol, the list of recipes is endless as there are different types of cookies and different types of cookies also exist with different types of booze. Cookies that exist include rum or bourbon balls, holiday rum balls, eggnog thumbprint, almond cookies, margarita balls and a host of others. One simple and commonly enjoyed cookie is the chocolate chip cookie.
Chocolate chip cookies are perfect for any occasion.
If you’ve ever tasted chocolate chip cookie, you know the taste is one to die for; that stuff is loaded with sweetness in every bite. So imagine what it would taste like with alcohol added to the mix. That’s a whole new twist to the classic. These lightened up alcohol infused chocolate cookies have a boost of flavor and contain less fat than your typical chocolate chip recipe. Well, no need to spend all our time imagining; let’s move to knowing our boozy cookies recipe.
One thing you should know about this particular recipe is that all the actual booze burns off in the baking process, so these are perfect for right about any age, be it a 4 year old or an adult.
Boozy Chocolate Chips Cookie Recipe
This recipe will give you 2 whole dozens of cookies.
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 2 very large eggs
- 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons Kahlua
How to Make
- Before baking, first preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Combine the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a mixer. Add the eggs, vanilla and Kahlua into the mixing bowl, making sure to scrape down the sides as you do so.
- Next you add the flour, salt, baking powder and the baking soda and mix on low until everything is incorporated.
- Put the dough in the refrigerator and let it chill for 2 hours.
- After it’s chilled, scoop out a golf sized ball of dough and roll into a small ball. Roll the ball around in some chocolate chips and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place exactly 9 cookies on a sheet because they will spread due to their size.
- Put cookies in the oven and bake until just slightly golden around the edges. It should take 14-16 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest on the baking sheet. The cookies might look a little under baked in the middle but it’s no cause for alarm as they will continue to bake a bit once removed from the oven.
- Let cookies cool and set before serving. Repeat the whole process until the dough is finished.
These cookies can be enjoyed with a simple co*cktail drink or any alcoholic beverage of your choice, best served cold too.
In case you were wondering, Kahlua is a Mexican coffee-flavored liqueur with incredible constituents that lends a distinct flavor to your cookies. The alcohol infused in the recipe isn’t just restricted to Kahlua as any alcohol of your choice can be introduced.
Like earlier mentioned, alcohol cookies come in different forms. Alcohol is either infused in the dough or can be used as a glaze. Alcohol options differ from rum to bourbon to vodka and even whiskey. All of these have different effects and give their signature taste to the cookie. Different recipes exist for different alcohols so let’s see.
Bourbon Cookies That Matter
Bourbon is whisky made in the United States, generally Kentucky and is a distilled spirit made from at least 51% corn. It is served in variety of manners which could be straight or neat, diluted with water, over ice or with other beverages in mixed drinks and co*cktails.
It doesn’t end there as bourbon is also used in cooking. It is an optional ingredient in several pie recipes like the pumpkin pie where it is combined with brown sugar and pecans to make a sweet and crunchy topping for the creamy pumpkin pie filling. It also forms the crux of various confections. Bourbon can also be baked in cakes (e.g. Bundt), brownies and even caramel sauce so it is only natural that it be used in cookies as well.
The bourbon though integral to most recipes is not an overwhelming feature. What it does basically is to accent the flavors of the butter, one important ingredient and the cookies as a whole. It is a subtle but necessary contributor to the final product.
Most of the bourbon flavor bakes off (these are not the same as bourbon balls so don’t expect a strong alcohol taste) but just enough remains to make the bourbon cookies special. Just bear in mind that the bourbon here acts like super vanilla.
In making chocolate sugar cookies, bourbon can be incorporated in the dough and infused in the sugar in which the cookies are to be rolled (yes, there are some cookies that make use of bourbon-infused sugar as a finishing). This gives you chewy, crinkly and crunchy cookies that will surely knock your socks off. For a recipe with vanilla extract, you can substitute the extract or any another with bourbon.
Rum Cookies: A Pirate’s Delight
When it comes to rum, it is indeed a game changer. Rum is a distilled alcoholic drink made from sugarcane byproducts or directly from sugarcane juice or better still, molasses in general. Rum has grades of light, golden and dark, and the rum commonly incorporated in cooking is the dark rum. It is used in number of cooked dishes as a flavoring agent to create stuff like rum balls or rum cakes. It is used in marinades and used to macerate fruit used in fruitcakes.
Aside all of this, it finds importance in rum cookies.
In cookies, rum is incorporated in either of two ways. It is either infused in the dough in the preparation process of the cookie (example being chocolate chip cookies) or as a major component of rum balls.
Rum balls are a truffle-like confectionery of cookie butter, with added flavors of rum and chocolate. That’s not all though; other alcoholic cookies ingredients include jam or condensed milk, cocoa etc. They are the shape of a golf ball and are usually coated with either cocoa, desiccated coconut or chocolate sprinkles. Because they are not baked, they retain their alcoholic flavor and kick.
Especially common during the holiday season, these rum cookies are a Christmas treat. Though recipes may vary, all rum balls must contain chocolate and rum. Spiced rum is common rum that is usually infused in cookies but it doesn’t have to end there as any rum of your choice can be incorporated. The joy of liquor cookies is in doing what you like or what you want so any rum does the job well.
Vodka Cookies
Here comes another twist to cookies, a complementary new concept; vodka cookies. If you prefer vodka over bourbon or rum, then this is for you. However, when you use vodka in your baking, the flavors tend to evaporate mostly so ensure to use a quality vodka brand for best results. The main vodka flavors on the cookie will mostly be gotten from the colorful icing.
Just like with rum balls, there are the vodka balls. These are so much infused with alcohol (vodka) that they are one to die for. Especially as they are not baked, the full kick and taste of vodka is gotten from the vodka balls.
If you wish to use vodka to bake your cookies, you can easily incorporate the vodka in your cookie dough and get yourself a glass of vodka to ensure it goes down joyfully. The feeling you’ll get is one that will leave you asking for more.
Boozy cookies – You should try them!
In all, boozy cookies are daring, risky and fun to prepare. Its taste complements its highly impressive qualities. Also, they are indeed one to die for with extra infused taste. Alcohol cookies are the new thing and if you are not opposed or allergic to alcohol (yes, I said allergic), these boozy treats are highly recommended.
If you’re yet to try this recipe, what are you still waiting for? Take out your alcoholic cookies ingredients to the kitchen table and get to work. A whole world of tasteful flavors and aromas await you this coming holiday season. Remember to keep our little secret far away from the kids and to always drink responsibly.
