These soft caramel cookies are flavored with bourbon, vanilla, and cayenne pepper, making them sweet, boozy, and a bit hot.
These cookies were designed to take all the best flavors in a glass of bourbon and turn it into an easy and chewy cookie recipe. The caramel and vanilla make the cookie sweet and soft, and the pepper makes the cookies feel all warm and cozy in your mouth.
Why this recipe works:
The homemade bourbon caramel sauce is what makes this recipe really special. Caramel sauce is incorporated right into the dough, making the cookies really chewy and filled with deep caramel flavor.
Key ingredients:
Homemade bourbon caramel sauce is key; I would not use store-bought caramel sauce. This sauce was created to be the perfect consistency to blend into the cookie dough effectively.
Vanilla: in addition to the sugars, vanilla provides a lot of warm sweetness to the cookies. I would recommend using your best vanilla because it can really shine in this recipe.
Granulated and brown sugar: A combination of brown and regular white sugar is needed for the recipe. The light brown sugar has that wonderful hint of molasses that nicely flavors the cookies but not too much that it causes the cookies to spread too much.
Flour: All-purpose flour is what binds and adds all the ingredients together. To measure flour accurately, I recommend the spoon and level method.
Allspice and cayenne pepper: these spices add a lovely little heat to the cookies. It's very mild but warms the mouth just like a glass of bourbon would.
How to make this recipe:
Time needed: 2 hours
- Start by making the caramel sauce.
Make the caramel sauce by mixing the water and sugar in a small pot. Set the pot over medium-high heat until it reaches a simmer. Don't stir the mixture, but swirl the pot every so often just to distribute the heat evenly. Simmer the mixture until it reaches a deep golden color.
Remove the pot from heat and slowly mix in the cream. If it starts to crystalize, place it back on the heat until it returns to a liquid. Mix in the bourbon and leave to cool for 15-20 minutes. - Make the cookie dough by creaming the butter and sugar together.
- Then add in the egg and mix until combined.
- Next, add the caramel, vanilla, almond extract, bourbon, allspice, and cayenne pepper. Mix until combined.
- Lastly, mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined.
- Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Scoop the mixture into 1 inch balls and place two-three inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-13 minutes.
Tips for success:
- Pay close attention to the caramel. Caramel is really easy to make, but it does need to be watched like a hawk. Wait to add the cream and the bourbon until the sugar reaches a very deep amber color. But don't let it burn.
- Have your cream and bourbon measured and ready to add to the melted sugar. Once you add the liquids, you need to stir the mixture constantly so that clumps don't form.
- If the caramel is too runny, let it cool until suitably thick.
- If the caramel is too thick, heat it up again on the stove until its pliable enough to be blended into the cookie dough.
- Do not skip the chilling time. Because of the amount of caramel sauce in this recipe, the cookies can spread a lot in the oven. Chilling allows the caramel to thicken and bond with the flour.
FAQ's:
Yes! The caramel sauce can be made up to 4 days in advance and kept in the fridge in an airtight container. If it's too stiff after being in the refrigerator, heat it on the stove until you are able to stir it with a spoon.
These cookies will keep for four days at room temperature in an airtight container.
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Bourbon Spice Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 13
- Total Time: 1 hour 33 minutes
- Yield: 15 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
Description
These soft caramel cookies are flavored with bourbon, vanilla, and cayenne pepper, making them sweet, boozy, and a bit hot.
Ingredients
For the caramel sauce:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon heavy cream
- 1 ½ tbsp bourbon
For the cookies:
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 2 tsp bourbon
- All the caramel mixture (about 5 tablespoons)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp all spice
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the caramel sauce by mixing the water and sugar in a small pot. Heat on medium-high heat until the mixture boils and reaches a dark amber color.
- Remove the pot from heat and slowly mix in the cream. If it starts to crystalize, place it back on the heat until it returns to a liquid. Mix in the bourbon and leave to cool for several minutes; you don't want to pour the boiling mixture into the cookie dough.
- Make the cookie dough by creaming together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined.
- Add the caramel, vanilla, almond extract, bourbon, allspice, and cayenne pepper to the mixture.
- Next, mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined.
- Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Once chilled, use a cookie scopp to scoop the mixture into 1 inch balls and place two-three inches apart on a baking sheet. Even after being chilled, they will still spread quite a bit so leave enough room between the cookies.
- Bake the cookies for 10-13 minutes on the prepared baking sheet and set them aside to cool.
Notes
- Pay close attention to the caramel. Caramel is really easy to make, but it does need to be watched like a hawk. Wait to add the cream and the bourbon until the sugar reaches a very deep amber color. But don't let it burn.
- Have your cream and bourbon measured and ready to add to the melted sugar. Once you add the liquids, you need to stir the mixture constantly so that clumps don't form.
- If the caramel is too runny, let it cool until suitably thick.
- If the caramel is too thick, heat it up again on the stove until its pliable enough to be blended into the cookie dough.
- Do not skip the chilling time. Because of the amount of caramel sauce in this recipe, the cookies can spread a lot in the oven. Chilling allows the caramel to thicken and bond with the flour.
ShivM says
These look awesome! How long do they keep? Would they hold up well for shipping?
pate giltner says
Hi and thanks so much!! They keep for 4-5 days in and airtight container and they should ship really well!