Rich and Nutty Brown Butter Bourbon Cookies

24 Cookies
40 min

Oooh, pinky up for these bad boys. Don’t these brown butter bourbon cookies sound sophisticated? If you’re looking for a rich and buttery chocolate chip cookie to make this holiday season, look no further.

Browned butter, buttered pecans, chocolate chips, a hint of bourbon, and flaky sea salt give these cookies a burst of flavor in each bite.

Chocolate chip cookies with pecans and flaky salt on boards.
Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies


We all love chocolate chip cookies, but why not spruce them up sometimes? By adding a few flavorful ingredients, we get an indulgent cookie fit for John Dutton and Rip Wheeler. Mmm.

If you’re not hanging out with the cast of Yellowstone, these tasty treats are also great for Christmas cookies, Yellowstone watch parties, or whenever you crave a flavorful cookie.

Flour, eggs, butter, pecans, chocolate chips, and other ingredients in bowls.

Bourbon Pecan Cookies Ingredients


Here’s what you need to make this recipe. The measurements are in the recipe card below.


  • All-purpose flour: Feel free to use gluten-free flour for GF cookies.
  • Pecans: Chopped.
  • Unsalted butter: We are adding our own salt.
  • Salt
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Bourbon
  • Eggs
  • Dark chocolate chips
  • Flaky sea salt


Chocolate Chip Bourbon Cookies Directions


Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

Chopping pecans.

Chop the pecans if they aren’t already chopped.

Chopped pecans in a skillet.

Next, make the butter pecans by melting 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet on medium heat.

Add your chopped pecans to the skillet and stir to coat them all in butter.

Let the pecans toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and set them aside.

The next step is to brown the butter by adding 1 cup of butter to a medium skillet on medium heat.

Browning butter in a skillet.

Stir the butter often and cook just until the butter turns an amber color. There will be little brown bits at the bottom of the pan.

We also browned butter in these brown butter pumpkin cookies.

Browned butter in a glass.

Remove the skillet from the heat right away and pour the browned butter into a bowl and set aside. Let the butter cool to room temperature.

Flour and dry ingredients.

Get a large mixing bowl and add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Whisk them together and set aside.

Browned butter and brown sugar in a bowl.

In a separate large mixing bowl, add the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.

Cookie batter with mixers in it.

Cream together using a hand or stand mixer.

Add in the bourbon and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Egg in cookie dough batter.

Add in the eggs one at a time and mix for about 15 seconds each time.

Mixed cookie dough.

Fold the dry flour mixture into the batter, stirring just until combined.

Chocolate chips and pecans in cookie batter.

Fold in the dark chocolate chips and butter pecans.

Use a 1/4 cup cookie scoop to scoop the batter onto a large baking sheet.

Leave about 3 inches between each cookie dough ball.

Gently flatten each cookie dough ball using clean hands or the bottom of a glass.

Chocolate chip pecan cookie dough batter on a baking sheet.

Top each cookie with additional chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Baked pecan cookies on a baking sheet.

Sprinkle the flaky sea salt onto each freshly baked cookie.

Cookies on a baking sheet.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Bourbon chocolate chip pecan cookies on boards.

Enjoy the rich buttery goodness!

Chocolate chip pecan cookies next to bourbon.
Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Notes and FAQ


Do these cookies taste strong of bourbon?


No, the bourbon flavor is not strong and just adds a hit of flavor.

Bourbon chocolate chip cookies next to pecans and chocolate chips.

Do I have to brown the butter?


The browned butter gives this recipe a rich and nutty flavor. It really makes the recipe much better, so it’s best not to skip this step.

Rows of chocolate chip pecan cookies.

How should I store these cookies?


Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Chocolate chip cookies with pecans and one with a bite missing.

Unique Cookie Recipes


  • Cherry pie sugar cookies that look just like little pies.
  • Hot chocolate cookies with gooey chocolate and marshmallows.
  • Strawberry cheesecake cookies for a unique and sweet flavor blend.


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Chocolate chip pecan cookies on a table.

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Please come back and let me know if you try these brown butter pecan cookies. I’d love to hear how they turned out for you!

Rich and Nutty Brown Butter Bourbon Cookies
Recipe details
  • 24  Cookies
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 25 Minutes Total time: 40 min
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Ingredients
Buttered Pecans ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups pecans, chopped
  • 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
Cookie ingredients
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 2 ¼ cups gluten free all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (plus extra for decoration)
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans (for decoration)
  • ½ tablespoon flaky sea salt
Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
To make the buttered pecans, melt 1 ½ tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Toss in the chopped pecans and stir until coated in the butter. Let the pecans toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and set the skillet aside.
To brown the butter, add 1 cup of butter to a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently and cook until the butter turns an amber color with brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Quickly remove the skillet from the heat and pour the browned butter into a dish to cool. Let it come to room temperature.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar using a stand mixer or hand mixer.
Add the bourbon and vanilla extract, and mix until well-incorporated.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing for about 15 seconds after each addition.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the batter until just combined.
Mix in the dark chocolate chips and chopped buttered pecans.
Use a ¼ cup cookie scoop to portion out the batter onto a large baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between each dough ball. Use your hands or the bottom of a glass to gently flatten each ball of dough. Add extra chopped pecans and chocolate chips to decorate the top of each cookie.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the cookies while they are still warm.
Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Jennifer Soltys
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