Cookie #62 - Tennessee Whiskey Cookies

When I first think of Tennessee, I'm not reminded of

Nashville, the Grand Old Opry or Dolly Parton. 

I'm reminded of the number 7.

My old friend Jack Daniels.

We have a love-hate relationship. 

One of my favorite ways to used alcohol in cookies is Italian Anisette Cookies. 

They're soft and cakey with a strong anise flavor. 

They immediately came to mind when I was on the search for a whiskey cookie.  Then, I came across this recipe for Orange-Whiskey cookies. 

Perfect! 

After some slight tweaking, I'm super happy with the way these cookies came out.  They have the same texture of the anisette cookies I love, but with a subtle orange flavor, rather than anise. 

The whiskey does get lost after baking, but the overall flavor is divine. 

If you really want that whiskey flavor, you could glaze the cookies with a simple glaze of powdered sugar, corn syrup and whiskey. 

Tennessee Whiskey Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 medium orange

2 tablespoons Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup salt

3 cups flour

1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons cool water

Nonpareils for decoration

Cream butter, shortening and sugar.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

Zest the orange and then juice to yield about 1/4 cup.  Combine juice, zest, whiskey.  Add to butter mixture and mix well. 

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  Add to butter mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, until well mixed.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Roll tablespoons of dough into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush each cookie with egg wash and sprinkle with nonpareils.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Let sit on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Cookie #37 - Kentucky Mint Julep with Maker's Mark Fudge Topping

Did you know that even the little airline bottle of Maker's Mark comes with that famous red wax seal? I was quite impressed at that attention to detail.

At the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, the Toll Gate Cafe has these most wonderful cookies. The cookie portion itself is absolutely one of the best cookies I've ever had. It's a sweet cookie full of minty chocolate pieces. I loved the cookie by itself, but the bourbon fudge topping took it to a whole new level. I made my whiskey-loving man very happy with these cookies.

My only warning: since you don't actually cook the fudge topping, I'm not sure the warmth of the melted chocolate is enough to actually cook the alcohol out.

Toll Gate Cafe's Mint Julep Cookies with Maker's Mark Fudge Topping

Cookie:

2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

3 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup finely ground oats (I just ran them through the food processor)

2 cups Andes Mint Chocolate Candy pieces

Fudge topping:

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 to 1/2 cup Maker’s Mark Bourbon

Preheat conventional oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. In a separate bowl, mix flour, oats, baking soda, salt and mint chocolate candy pieces. Gradually add to butter mixture until incorporated. Drop by rounded tablespoons 2" apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in until edges are golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

In a double boiler, heat chocolate chips until melted, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and add sweetened condensed milk and bourbon, whisk until well combined. 

Top cooled cookies with a teaspoon or so of warm fudge.

Cookie #25 - California's Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookies with Red Wine Ganache

My original thought for a California cookie was something with figs.  Probably because I love figs so much.  There's a restaurant here in town that makes these awesome roasted black mission figs stuffed with goat cheese.  I could eat about twenty.  When I first brought up the idea for this part of the blog to my friends at Two Peas in a Bucket, I was strongly discouraged from the fig idea.  Instead, I chose to go with a Ghirardelli chocolate cookie filled with a red wine ganache (thanks Peas!). 

This recipe uses some serious dark chocolate.  The chocolate I used is about 66% cocoa.  Super dark and super bitter.  I'm not such a fan of dark chocolate, but my mother and my husband are so these cookies are right up their alley.  I wasn't too fond of the cookie, not just for the bitter chocolate taste, but because they were very crumbly and didn't hold up so well.  I sliced them a little thinner and got a crispier cookie that was able to handle the ganache sandwiched between. 
The ganache, however, was fabulous.  I think next time I won't use such a dark chocolate, but the redwine flavor hits your palate rather late and lingers like a glass of good wine should. 

Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookies with Red Wine Ganache

4 ounces 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate

3 tablespoon(s) Unsweetened Cocoa
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon(s) instant espresso powder
2 tablespoon(s) boiling water

Ganache
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate
4 tablespoons California red wine of choice
Melt bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler and set aside to cool. 
Cream together butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla until well mixed.  Mix in cooled chocolate.
In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add espresso powder to boiling water and stir until dissolved.  Add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture alternating with espresso - starting and ending with flour.  Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper and roll in to a log.  Wrap tightly and chill for one hour.
Meanwhile, make the ganache.  Heat cream in a small sauce pan over low heat until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.  Combine chocolate and wine together in a heat safe bowl.  When the cream in heated, pour over chocolate and wine and whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.  Let the ganache reach room temperature and then refrigerate until firm.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the cookie dough about 1/8" thick (this was the thickness that worked best for me) and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about and inch apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until done around the edges.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
When the cookies are cooled, place about a tablespoon of ganache in the center of half the cookies and top with the other half of hte cookies to form a sandwich. 
If it's really warm in your kitchen, you might want to keep these cookies in the fridge to keep the ganache firm.