Let’s start baking. We first mix together flour, baking soda and salt and in a small bowl and then beat together softened butter, white sugar and dark brown sugar in a separate bowl. With my Kitchenaid, I find speed four for four minutes is perfect. Once the mixture is nice and fluffy, we beat in eggs, vanilla extract and the bourbon. No judgment if you decide to make yourself a quick bourbon cocktail at this point.

A pile of butterscotch-coconut-bourbon cookies on burlap.

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Step-by-Step Instructions
Perfect Pairing
Feeding Your Inner Cookie Monster?

When I first started thinking about these bourbon cookies, I went back and forth on the mix-ins. Chocolate chips? They’re a classic and always delicious, but I decided against them. I wanted something different than another chocolate chip cookie. No disrespect to the chocolate chip cookie. I still love you.

Instead, I thought about bourbon barrels and the flavors they impart. Butterscotch and coconut are often associated with bourbon barrels, and the two sounded delicious together. Just like that, I had my winner.

If you’re not a huge bourbon fan, don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll still love these cookies. The bourbon adds a depth of flavor, but it doesn’t taste like you’re eating an old fashioned in cookie form.

An aerial view of four butterscotch-coconut-bourbon cookies.

Step-by-Step Instructions

From here, we slowly add the flour mixture and then stir in butterscotch chips and shredded coconut. We’re now ready to chill the cookie dough for an hour. Chilling the dough helps prevent excessive spreading and allows the dough to develop a more concentrated flavor, so I don't recommend skipping this step.

After our dough chills, we shape it into golf-size balls and pop them into the oven. I like making my cookies on the larger side because it helps them stay soft. Speaking of soft cookies, we also bake these cookies for only nine minutes. The cookies will look slightly undercooked when they come out of the oven, but don't worry. They'll firm up just fine once they cool. And now to dig in. ??

A butterscotch-coconut-bourbon cookie on burlap.

Perfect Pairing

Obviously, a bourbon cocktail is a delicious match, and lucky for you, I have a thing for bourbon cocktails. This gingered bourbon-apple cider bourbon cocktail is a nice option with these cookies.

When you're in the mood for beer, a barley wine is just what you need with these cookies. The caramel, toffee and dried fruit notes of a barley wine pair seamlessly with the butterscotch, dark brown sugar and bourbon. Barley wines are also often aged in bourbon barrels, so they're perfect for this recipe.

If you prefer wine, I always love a tawny port when butterscotch and brown sugar are involved. The caramel-like notes in the tawny port make for a delicious pairing.

The next time you need a rich, soft cookie with a touch of booze, I hope you give these butterscotch-coconut-bourbon cookies a try. Please let me know how you enjoyed this butterscotch-coconut-bourbon cookie recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers!