Brown Butter Bourbon Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies taste just like a slice of the pie the Kentucky Derby made famous!
My travels are very food-centric, as you probably know by now if you’ve seen my personal Instagram. I like to try all the local, culinary specialties wherever I go. When I was in college, just barely 21, I attended a conference in Louisville, Ky., the home of the annual Kentucky Derby horse race. (Which is this weekend!)
It was the kind of magical trip that taste buds never forget. It was on this trip that I drank my first ever mint julep (in a dainty silver julep cup!) and ate a slice of that oh-so-decadent chocolate pecan pie known as ‘Derby Pie.’ My friends and I also hit up a few of the locales on the Bourbon Trail. (My food and drink interests have clearly not changed very much since I turned 21.) The only thing I regret is not purchasing a very fancy hat.
Every year when the Kentucky Derby rolls around, I dream about that pretty julep and that slice of pie. I haven’t tried my hand at recreating the pie yet, but I decided to make it in cookie form for this year’s Derby. Enter these Brown Butter Bourbon Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies. They’ve got silky brown butter in the batter, chunky walnuts (or pecans), chocolate chips and real bourbon in the mix. I also sprinkled demerara sugar on top. Y’all, I swear these are Triple Crown-worthy.
It’s important to note that there is some controversy around the chocolate pecan pie after which I modeled these cookies. According to this piece from NPR’s The Salt, the name ‘Derby Pie’ is trademarked, so the super-long name Brown Butter Bourbon Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies will have to do! The traditional recipe for this famous pie calls for walnuts, but pecans are more frequently used. I used walnuts here because that’s what I had on hand, but you can do whatever you want! Fancy hat optional. // susannah
P.S. What else can you make for your Kentucky Derby party? I have some other recipes in the archives. Try my Basil Julep, or Strawberry Mint Julep to go with your pie cookies! And if you’re celebrating the other two Triple Crown races with cocktails, try a Belmont Jewel and a Black-Eyed Susan.
Brown Butter Bourbon Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 2 ¼ cups flour unsifted
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup demerara sugar
instructions
- In a medium skillet, melt ½ cup of the butter (1 8-tbsp stick) on medium heat while stirring frequently. The butter will crackle and bubble as it cooks. The butter will start to smell nutty and brown 'crumbs' will form in the bottom. Continue to stir until the crumbs are medium brown in color (after about 2 ½ to 3 minutes). Remove the skillet from the burner and pour the brown butter into a heat-proof bowl, crumbs and all. Let cool for 20 minutes.
- Heat oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
- With a mixer, beat the remaining ½ cup of the butter (1 8-tbsp stick) with the sugar and brown sugar on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth, creamy and light in color.
- Pour the cooled brown butter into the bowl and beat for 2 minutes, until smooth.
- One at a time, beat in the eggs, vanilla and bourbon.
- Gradually stir in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
- Onto the prepared baking sheet, drop tablespoons of the dough 2-3 inches apart. Sprinkle each one with a pinch of demerara sugar.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire baking rack to cool, or serve warm.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. For longer storage, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
notes
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Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
You had me at browned butter…oh, and bourbon. Bourbon’s good too 🙂
Susannah says
Bourbon is always good! 🙂
Amanda | The Chunky Chef says
Just one look at these ingredients, and I know they’ll make one amazing cookie!!!
Meg @ With Salt and Wit says
Give me a tall glass of milk! I want these cookies before bed!
Cookin Canuck says
Exploring new restaurants, bakeries and regional dishes is definitely one of the joys of traveling! It looks as though you captured the flavors of Derby Pie perfectly in these cookies.
Cathy Trochelman says
Ok, I REALLY want these cookies!!! I love the addition of bourbon!
Lauren @ Hall Nesting says
We always my plan my son’s bday parties around the derby so the adults can have fun later on haha. These cookies need to be at the party this wkend!!
grace says
brown butter is a game-changer in chocolate chip cookies (and many other things, too!). i think these look perfect!
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
I’d totally be down with stuffing my cookie jar with these delicious bites!
Cakespy says
Oh my god, S. These are my dream cookie.
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
You know I love me some bourbon any which way I can get it – but in cookie form?! Swoon! These sound outstanding! Yummed and pinned!
Kristen Chidsey says
Susannah–girl, bourbon in a cookie?! AMAZING!!! And my husband thanks you! It was awesome meeting you at Evoke!!
TINA GLENN Walker says
I think the recipe has a type-0. One cup of butter is 8 ounces (1 stick is 4 ounces so 2 sticks would be 8 ounces) But in parenthesis the recipe has (2 8-ounce sticks) which amounts to 2 cups of butter. This is what we did and the cookies were a hot mess. They tasted good but they spread all over the place and no amount of leaving the cookie dough in the fridge or adding flour made a difference. I would make these again if we can get the recipe sorted out.
susannah says
Thanks for pointing this out, Tina! The recipe has been updated to reflect that you need one cup of butter total, or two 8-tablespoon sticks. Hope you give it another try!
Jeannie says
Absolutely the best cookie I have ever made …I did add an extra bourbon and I toasted the walnuts…I left it in the fridge over night they came out delicious I gave them to 3 different of my friends and they all want me to make them again…so I am taking them to a party hope everyone likes them.
Susannah says
Extra bourbon and toasting the walnuts are great ideas! I am so glad you and your friends loved them as much as I do, Jeannie!