Bailey's Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
A couple of weeks before school let out, I made a batch of surprise Bailey's cupcakes for a friend. It was a special request that she jokingly asked me to do, "Will you make me something with Bailey's?" I've seen countless recipes using Bailey's Irish Cream, and other kinds of alchohols, but I had never made the effort to go out of my way to bake something that incorporates them.
Most alcohol tends to be expensive, and aside from acquiring it, and finding a recipe that will properly utilize it, the price is the main reason why I have avoided incorporating it into any of my recipes. However, I made the exception, and since the cupcakes were a gift it gave me a fantastic excuse to try out some boozy baked goods. The cupcakes were delicious (not featured on this blog because I lack photographs of them), and these cookies were equally as scrumptious.
I used the leftover Bailey's to bake these cookies. They were exceptionally chewy, packed with chocolate, and made everyone stop mid-chew and say, "What is that ingredient I am tasting?" Bailey's highlights flavor, and complements the chocolate wonderfully. Every bite melts in your mouth, and immediately makes you grab another one. To be truthful, I had never tasted Bailey's prior to baking either of these creations, and although I found the drink a tad overpowering, I loved it in these cookies. Enjoy these with a warm cup of coffee, a cup of Bailey's, or simply on their own!
Bailey's Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
Yields: 30-40 small cookies
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder
8 Tablespoon Bailey's Irish Cream
1 cup of white chocolate chips
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking soda and salt.
4. In a separate bowl (large), using a hand mixer, cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until fluffy.
5. Add in the Irish cream on tablespoon at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
6. Add the dry ingredients, and continue mixing until combined.
7. Fold in chocolate chips by hand.
8. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours.
9. Roll or scoop dough into balls, and set on a baking sheet.
10. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
11. Remove and carefully transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
What I Did Differently:
1. To clarify ingredients: I used granulated sugar, and a teaspoon of instant espresso powder.
2. When combining the wet ingredients; first cream together the butter and sugars together, then add in the eggs, and lastly the vanilla. This is to make sure all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
3. When adding the dry ingredients; add in 2-3 additions, if you add them all at once you will have a cloud of flour in your face!
4. I do recommend refrigerating this dough because it is very wet and sticky. Also refrigeration will prevent the cookies from baking out flat- like pancakes.
