These chewy Vegan Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies may just be my favorite cookie flavor yet. They are perfectly sweet with a nutty crunch from the pecans and notes of caramel & vanilla thanks to the bourbon!
If you've never tried bourbon in desserts, let me tell you, it is a game changer. I first tried it in my Pumpkin Bourbon Cupcakes and most recently in the most delicious Vanilla Bourbon Poached Pears.
When combined with crunchy pecans and dark chocolate, bourbon gets its true moment to shine!
Ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Bourbon: I used Makers Mark Bourbon and highly recommend it in these bourbon cookies!
- There isn't a good substitute for bourbon other than using whiskey. If you want to omit bourbon, you would be better off trying my vegan chocolate chip cookies and adding pecans to them instead!
- Dark Chocolate: I highly recommend chopping up dark chocolate bars and using them in this recipe. My personal favorite to use in cookies is Theo dark chocolate, but any brand works!
- Pecans: Can be substituted for other nuts such as walnuts or omitted altogether if you prefer.
- Ground flaxseed: Can be substituted 1:1 for chia seeds.
How to make bourbon pecan cookies
Make the cookie dough
First, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. This step is crucial to get the right textures so the cookies become soft and don't spread too much while baking.
Then mix in the flax egg and vanilla bean paste.
After that add in the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix together until you have a thick batter.
As a final step add the chopped pecans and chopped dark chocolate to the bowl. Then, use a spatula to fold them into the bourbon cookie dough.
Chill the cookie dough
Cover the pecan chocolate chunk cookie dough with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for around 1 hour.
Seriously, don't skip this step! It helps the cookie dough get sweeter (the sugar will absorb some of the liquids) and also makes sure that the cookies don't spread too much while baking.
Bake the cookies
Remove the cookie dough from the fridge and scoop out 10-11 cookies with a cookie scooper.
Add them to a parchment-lined baking tray and top each with the chocolate or pecan chunks that were set aside.
Add the tray to the oven and bake the pecan bourbon cookies for 12-14minutes. Please note: It's important NOT to overbake these cookies or they lose their chewy texture.
After baking, remove the cookies from the oven and immediately tap the tray on the counter to help the cookies deflate and get that crinkly texture. Let them cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
As a final step, top with flaky sea salt & enjoy!
FAQ & Tips:
Can I make these cookies gluten-free?
Yes! However, it will only work with a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix like this one from Bob's Red Mill. Please note that other flour alternatives like coconut flour or almond flour will not work in this recipe.
How do I store bourbon pecan cookies?
Once baked, these cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Cookie dough can be frozen before baking for about 1 month as well.
I highly recommend storing cookies in the freezer as it's truly the best to maintain their chewy texture. You can even enjoy them straight out of the freezer- trust me, it's delicious!
I can't wait for you to try these sweet & chewy Vegan Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies! They make the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or as a gift for friends during the Holiday season. Enjoy!
-TSG
More vegan cookie recipes you will love:
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Vegan Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter room temperature
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 flax egg 1 Tablespoon (8 grams) ground flaxseed mixed with 3 Tbsp water, left to sit 5 minutes
- 1.5 Tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces vegan chocolate chopped
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- flaky sea salt optional toppings
Instructions
- Before making the dough, make the flax egg and chop up the dark chocolate bar and pecans. Set aside.
- To make the dough, add the room-temperature vegan butter, white sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Then, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy (about 2 minutes).
- Next, add in the flax egg, bourbon, and vanilla bean paste and mix together for about 20 seconds.
- Then, add in the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure to add the flour first and then add the other ingredients on top. Then, mix everything together until a thick cookie dough forms.
- Add most of the chopped chocolate and pecans to the bowl and gently fold in with a spatula to evenly distribute throughout the dough. It's best to set a few pieces aside to top the cookie dough balls before baking.
- Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and add to the fridge to chill for 30 minutes- 1 hour. The dough can also be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
- About 10 minutes before removing the dough from the fridge preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out 10-11 evenly-sized cookies and place them onto the baking sheet. Make sure to space the cookies at least 2 inches apart on the tray and do not flatten them as they will spread while baking. All of the cookies will not fit on one baking sheet, so I recommend baking 6 cookies at a time on one tray vs. putting two trays in the oven at the same time.
- For the best-looking cookies, top each cookie dough with the additional pieces of chocolate and pecans that were set aside.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned and the cookies are cooked through but have slightly soft centers. The cookies will continue baking after they are removed from the oven so the centers should still be soft, but not glossy or raw, when they are removed from the oven.
- Remove the cookie tray from the oven and immediately tap the tray on the counter to produce a more “wrinkly” cookie and help deflate the cookies. For round cookies, use a round cookie cutter that is slightly larger than the cookie and swirl the cookies around inside to form them into a round cookie. This step will only work if you do it while the cookies are still warm.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for about 5 minutes. Then, move to a wire rack to continue cooling and top with flaky sea salt to enjoy!
Notes
- Please see the blog post for substitution ideas.
- Once baked, these cookies can be stored in a closed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- Cookie dough can be frozen before baking for about 1 month as well.
- I highly recommend storing cookies in the freezer as it's truly the only way they maintain their chewy texture when stored. You can even enjoy them straight out of the freezer- trust me it's delicious!
- Recipe inspiration for this flavor comes from Baker by Nature's Bourbon Pecan Cookies, but this recipe is adapted from my vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe.
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