A message from the stories on stage elves (AKA Sue Staats)

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​These beyond-scrumptious cookies were baked to celebrate our first ever on-line Stories on Stage Sacramento event. We enjoyed them in real time as we recorded the reading, and you can bake and enjoy them yourself at home as you watch actress Kat Miller read an excerpt from Anita Felicelli’s gorgeous, astonishing novel Chimerica. This recipe’s delicious and not too difficult. The only thing you may not have done before is brown butter, which sounds scary, but just keep an eye on it and you will be fine. (Find the recording here.)

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Bourbon & Toffee Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
From Peggi Wood, via Nicole at the Cookies on Friday Blog, 
originally from Sugar and Soul blog. ​

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Things to know ahead of time:

1. Refrigerate the dough at least two hours, ideally overnight. Prep the dough at night, bake in the morning.
2. Use any kind of toffee. You can buy Heath’s Bit-O-Brickle toffee bits. Chocolate coated or not, doesn’t matter. I actually used peanut brittle, since that was what I had in the house, and they came out fine. I’d recommend using the chocolate-covered toffee, though, for extra chocolate-ness!
3. Dough will be really hard when you take it out of the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature to soften a bit: it will still be hard but workable. I use a 1 ½ “ cookie scoop for uniform size. This also doubles as an ice cream scoop in a pinch!
4. Use parchment paper if you don’t have silicone baking mats. 
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes. Do not overbake, the cookies will be hard.

1. Using my cookie scoop this made about 3 ½ dozen cookies. 

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Ingredients
1 cup butter
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons bourbon
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups toffee bits

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Assemble and Bake
Cut the butter into large pieces and place in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the butter melts. Continue heating until the butter starts to brown and smells nutty. Watch carefully as you don’t want the butter to burn. 

Pour the browned butter into a small bowl and refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes.
In a large mixer bowl, beat the cooled browned butter, brown sugar and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Add the vanilla and bourbon and stir until incorporated.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour mixture ½ cup at a time. Stir just until the flour is mixed in. Add the chocolate chips and toffee bits and stir on low to combine.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
Shape the dough into 1-1/2” balls and place on the baking sheets.  (I use the cookie dough scoop) 
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until golden brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.