Chocolate Chip Cookies for Grown-Ups

We all know the Toll House recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and I can guarantee that if you don't know the recipe then at the least you've tried them. So how to put a spin on a classic? Add bourbon. While I admit I was a little nervous about trying this, they were AMAZING!!! The reason for adding the bourbon? They were for a bourbon tasting party hosted by my favorite Kentucky tuba player - Beth McDonald :) She knows good bourbon, and I would definitely recommend using a GOOD bourbon in this recipe. Me? I used Buffalo Trace - its spicier and more robust than other bourbons, and that definitely was apparent in the final product.

My biggest secret with cookies? NEVER bake them for the time called for (unless it seems unreasonably low, in which case the recipe follows my own credo). By underbaking the cookies, you can guarantee that you don't overbake - in fact, even after the cookies have been taken out of the oven, they will continue to cook while cooling. This creates an irresistibly soft cookie.

The recipe I originally found was from a cooking blog called Stephen Cooks - he adapted it form a cake recipe he received from a friend. Yet the original recipe called for raisins and pecans, and I substituted a 12-oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips. The result was AMAZING!!! I highly recommend this recipe to anyone who loves chocolate chip cookies and is looking for an added twist.

Cinnamon Bourbon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from StephenCooks!

Makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 C sugar
• 1-1/4 C flour -- sifted
• 1/2 stick (1/4 C) butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C bourbon (I used Buffalo Trace)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Sift the flour and mix with the cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure each is incorporated before adding the next one. Alternately add bourbon and the flour mixture.
3. Preheat the oven to 350º F, and chill the batter while oven is preheating.
4. Scoop small balls of dough 1" apart on a baking sheet using a spoon. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool and serve immediately