Bourbon Sables with Chocolate

 

This is another cookie recipe from Sara Kieffer’s 100 Cookies. I love slice and bake cookies because they are so easy to store frozen and bake up when needed. The bourbon in the dough smells great when you are making it, though you can’t taste it as much after baking. These cookies are delicious though. My oldest daughter loves them. Next time, I want to try Sarah Kieffer’s Chocolate Orange Sables or Fig and Orange Sables.

Bourbon Sables with Chocolate  (~100 Cookies, by Sarah Kieffer of the Vanilla Bean Baking Blog)

Make Ahead

The cake can be wrapped in foil and refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for up to 2 months.

Ingredients

1 cup [227 g] unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup [200 g] granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups [284 g] all-purpose flour

2 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces (chopped up semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1 cup [200 g] turbinado sugar or sanding sugar

Directions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and salt, and beat again on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and add the egg yolk, bourbon, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the chocolate pieces and mix again until combined.

Transfer the dough to a workspace and form the dough into a 12 inch [30.5 cm] long log. Place the log on a large piece of plastic, a few inches longer than the log. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over each side of the log, covering the outside of the dough. Gently press the sugar into the dough with your hands. Wrap the log in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

 

Position the oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350F [180C]. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a serrated knife, slice the dough log into ¼ inch [6mm], and place the rounds about 2 inches [5 cm] apart on the prepared pans.

Bake, one batch at a time, until the edges are very light golden brown and the centers are still pale, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Move the pans to wire racks and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. (Baked 12 min, rotating pan halfway)