Buttered Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

In case you haven't already guessed, I adore browned butter. But I didn't always.

As a child, I distinctly remember my mother falling in love with browned butter and mizithra cheese on pasta. The cheese was just too funky to me and I refused to eat anything that resembled that dish or had any of its components. A few years ago, while trying to think of a creative way to spice up my annual Thanksgiving pies, I thought of increasing the inherent nuttiness of my pecan pies by using browned butter. It was at that moment that the browned butter love consumed my arteries.

This recipe I'm about to share only deepens my love of browned butter. Deepens it to an ultra dark, nutty, fragrant, and rich level. I use bourbon twice in the recipe but you're welcome to omit it if you're not a fan.

picture and original recipe ::here::

Ingredients

For the buttered pecans:

1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons bourbon

For the cookies:

2 sticks butter, melted until browned

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (don't pack the flour into the measuring cup)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons bourbon

2 large eggs, at room temperature

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chunks (go for at least 60% cacao)

pecan halves for decoration, optional

flaked sea salt for finishing

Instructions

For the buttered pecans:

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in chopped pecans and stir to coat. Stir in bourbon and let toast for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure they don't burn. Set aside until needed.

For the browned butter:

Place the butter in a small sauce pan over medim-high heat and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until the butter has browned. Pour the browned butter into a heatproof bown, and don't forget to scrape all of the toasted, browned, yummy bits into the bowl. 

Place the bowl in the refrigerator for about 2 hours or untiil the butter comes to room temperature. You don't want your butter to have ANY liquid, but your finger should make a slight indent if you touch it.

For the cookies:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Set aside until needed.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda; whisk well to combine then set aside.

In a large bowl, combined browned butter and both sugars and cream together with a stand mixer or hand mixer for about 2 minutes. Add in the vanilla and bourbon and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for 15 seconds after each egg. Turn mixer off and using a wooden spoon, gently fold in the dry ingredients, stirring only until the flour begins to disappear. Fold in the chocolate chunks and buttered pecans.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out the dough and roll them between your palms to form a ball. Place on prepared baking sheets leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Press a pecan half onto the top of the dough and bake for 9-10 minutes.

Sprinkle with a generous amount of flaked sea salt after coming out of the oven. Let cool on a wire rack.