These bourbon chocolate chunk ice cream sandwiches are a phenomenal summer treat featuring some of the best cookies I have ever made. These cookies are soft and chewy with just enough structure to hold your ice cream in between, with flavors of coffee, bourbon and dark chocolate. And don’t forget a nice sprinkle of sea salt on top! So if you don’t even want to make the sandwich, you can just make the cookies!
How to make browned butter
These bourbon chocolate chunk cookies have some browned butter, and you definitely won’t want to skip this part! Browned butter provides a rich, smooth flavor to the cookies, and the batter becomes so much better with it. Browned butter almost has a nutty and bold flavor, so it pairs well with the coffee and chocolate we will throw in later.
The key to browned butter is to NOT burn it, which I have done many times. Use a medium or small fry pan, and heat the butter over medium-high heat. The butter will start to bubble which means you are on the right path. Stir it with a spatula occasionally, ensuring that it doesn’t burn. After 2-3 minutes, the butter will start to transform into a nice golden color. You will know it is about ready when you can smell a nutty, sweet aroma.
Don’t let the butter get too dark or it will start to burn! In my experience, under browning it is better than over browning the butter, because burnt butter isn’t too tasty. So if you are nervous, better to take it off the heat before it’s too late.
The chocolate chunk batter
The best part about this recipe is that you do not need an electric mixer – a hand whisk works well. For this recipe, we are not browning ALL of the butter. We are throwing in about 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter into a mixing bowl, and then pouring the 8 tablespoons of browned butter all over it (while it is still hot). Both butters will melt together into a creamy consistency, and it is so good. I have tried cookie recipes where you whip the butter or you brown all of the butter, but I think having both room temp and browned butter is one of the best combinations.
From there, we add in both granulated and brown sugar, and a couple eggs. The sugar starts off gritty, so be sure to whisk it vigorously with the eggs. We want it to be smooth and shiny. Next, add in about 1/8 cup of black coffee – this is just enough to really enhance the flavor in the cookie, and I find it to be a nice substitute to vanilla extract. Be sure to whisk the batter again vigorously to ensure that batter is well incorporated.
Then we can add in the bourbon! You can use any kind of bourbon you want. Of course top shelf (like Woodford’s Reserve or Maker’s Mark) is going to be smooth and delicious, but I tested these with Trader Joe’s brand so you KNOW it will be fine. I used about 4 tablespoons so that you can taste it, but feel free to omit or use less if you want.
Then we add some flour and other quick ingredients (see below). The batter will be THICK at this point, not runny at all. Dump in the chocolate chunks. I used Trader Joe’s dark chocolate chips, which are larger than the normal sized chocolate chips. Those are so good. You might need to use your hands to work in the chips since the batter is thick.
Freeze your batter
This is important! I like to chill my batter for 10 minutes before I form them into dough balls. I noticed that this keeps the cookies’ structure more intact, and they won’t spread out too much in the oven. However, try not to exceed 15 minutes or else the dough will begin to harden and chill TOO much, which will affect your bake (it will need longer time in the oven). So after ten minutes, try to work quickly.
Form the cookie dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and space them out evenly on a baking sheet. The cookies will spread out so keep the sheet to about 8 balls total.
How to bake the cookies
To keep it simple, bake the cookies one sheet at at time. Bake at 350 for 5 minutes, and then rotate your baking sheet 180 degrees. This will provide a more even bake. Ovens can sometimes be hotter in certain areas, so this is a full-proof way to keep them all consistent. Bake them for five minutes more and they should be ready. The edges will have just set and look slightly golden. However, if you like cookies that are crispier, bake them for a few minutes longer. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt.
Assemble the ice cream sandwiches
This is pretty self explanatory…but use whatever ice cream you want! I used vanilla and purchased some rainbow sprinkles to roll the sandwiches in. Of course this is optional but it looks cute!
Keep your sandwiches in the freezer if you aren’t serving immediately. When you are ready to eat, take out the sandwiches and let thaw for a few minutes. Enjoy!
If you like these bourbon chocolate chunk ice cream sandwiches, try my Kitchen Sink Cookies or my Cookie Monster Cookies.
Bourbon Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream Sandwiches
Equipment
- Large baking sheets
- parchment paper
- large mixing bowl
- spatula
- Whisk
- small fry pan
- ice cream scoop
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp bourbon
- ⅛ cup black coffee
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk (no whites)
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chunks
- ⅛ cup rainbow sprinkles optional
- vanilla ice cream for serving
- sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make sure you have a rack in the center of the oven. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Take 4 tablespoons of the unsalted butter and slice it into a few large pieces. Then add it to the large mixing bowl.
- Then, add the remaining 8 tablespoons of butter to a fry pan and melt over medium-high heat. Brown the butter in the pan, stirring frequently and allowing it to bubble. It will take about 2-3 minutes and will turn a dark golden brown (and will smell delicious). Remove from the pan, and then pour the brown butter into the mixing bowl on top of the sliced, colder butter. Stir together with a spatula until all the butter is melted and combined.
- Stir in both the granulated and brown sugar. Add the salt, the egg and the egg yolk, and beat together with a whisk until well combined, 1-2 minutes. Let sit for a minute and add the coffee, and then mix together vigorously for another 60 seconds. Pour in the bourbon and whisk once more until well combined.
- Add in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Combine with a spatula until incorporated and smooth. It may be a bit thick at this point. Pour in the chocolate chips and work them in with a spatula (or use your hands).
- Place the bowl of dough in the freezer and freeze for 10 minutes.
- Remove the batter and start forming the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons in size. Space them out evenly on the baking sheets, only adding up to 8 balls per sheet. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time. Place them in the oven and bake them for five minutes, and then rotate the sheet and bake for five more minutes. These will give you a soft and chewy cookie, but you can bake for an additional 3-4 minutes to make them brown and crispy. Then remove from the oven and let cool. Sprinkle with sea salt immediately.
- To make the ice cream sandwiches, make sure your cookies are cooled so they don't fall apart. Pour the sprinkles into a small dish. Then scoop about ¼ cup of vanilla ice cream onto one cookie and spread out evenly. Press another cookie on top to make a sandwich. Roll the sandwich into the sprinkles, or sprinkle them onto the ice cream with a spoon. Repeat to make more sandwiches. Eat immediately or stick them back into the freezer before they melt!
