Whiskey + Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time : 15 + 10 Minutes | Cook Time : 15 Minutes | Total Time : 90 Minutes | Difficulty : Easy

While I do my best to be healthy, and for the most part I succeed, sometimes you have to admit that chocolate and liquor just make life better. Like when you put them in cookies! When I was working on these cookies I googled “best cheap whiskey”. Don’t judge me. It’s not like you’ll put Laphroaig in cookies either. I actually managed to spell that first try, yay me! These have become one of my favourite cookies because not only are they incredibly tasty, they have a short chilling time so cookies are less than 2 hours away. What’s the point if I can’t have my cookies until tomorrow? The dough also freezes really well so you can bake some now and some another day when your cookie levels get dangerously low.

Lindt is my favourite chocolate for baking – it’s good quality, melts well, and it’s easy to chop because the tablets are thin. It’s readily available in supermarkets in NZ and is often on special. The salted caramel bits in the chocolate really add to these cookies, but you can also substitute plain dark chocolate. This recipe includes some rye flour which does round out the whiskey flavour, but if you don’t have it just use all purpose.

First we need to brown some butter. Dice the butter and melt in a small saucepan.

Once it’s melted continue to cook the butter over a medium-low heat until it starts to brown slightly. It will foam up during cooking – keep stirring to make sure it cooks evenly and the foam will subside.

You will be able to smell when it’s ready – it will be toasty and nutty and a little sweet smelling. Take it off the heat straight away and transfer it to a cool heat-proof bowl.

Pop it in the fridge to cool off. It doesn’t need to harden again, just come down to about room temperature. While the butter is cooling sift the flours, baking soda and salt together and set aside. Using a fork, whisk the egg, egg yolk, whiskey and vanilla together in a cup. Roughly chop the chocolate.

When the butter has cooled off, put it in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with the sugars and mix on medium for a minute or two until its evenly combined. The colder your butter, the more it will start to cream as you beat so keep an eye on it – you don’t want to add volume today.

Add the egg/whiskey mixture and beat for another minute or so until everything is smooth and combined.

Fold in the flours until mostly mixed, then add the chopped chocolate and fold it.

By the time the chocolate is mixed in, the dough will be properly mixed. Transfer the dough to a bowl that will fit in your refrigerator and cover with plastic wrap. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180C(350F). Line baking sheets with baking paper and set aside. Using a medium cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion out the dough in balls of about 2 tablespoons.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through baking. The cookies are ready when the edges are just turning golden but are still soft if you press on them. Cool the cookies on the tray for a couple of minutes to allow them to set before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

These cookies are best at this size as the right amount of alcohol is cooked off during baking. Smaller cookies are still good but don’t have as much whiskey flavour and are less soft and chewy in the centre.