I had a friend say to me a few weeks ago, “I am just so happy to see you are writing again.” Which, really warmed my heart. I carried that sunshine around for days, weeks actually. All during which, I did not write one more word.
Here’s what I have learned in the last two months of being home, only traveling for essentials, and basically being a rule follower. People sure do have a lot to say. Social media, bloggers, podcasters, news reporters, friends on the Facebook. Every person seems to have something to share. Right, wrong, insane, liberal, conservative. It’s a lot. I think in the last two months I have let go of some things I probably should have a long time ago. I have stopped following certain people on social media. I have evolved my opinions of some people in both the positive and negative as a result of words and actions or lack thereof. The learning curve has been steep.
That being said, I think to stop and write means to stop and make sense of the words in my head, and to put something out there that people who are already reading a lot want to and can read.
So reader, here we go. I will not offer you numbers or graphs or charts or rules. I will say that having lost one parent I will darned well do whatever I need to do to keep my living parent here as long as I can. I will say I had the gift of being with my Dad when he left this earth. A gift that I know too many people, people I know personally, did not get.
So, where does the writer find the words to fix this? I don’t. I just know that to not write means I am one less voice of hope out there. And we need hope. Well, some of us need toilet paper, and hope.
Friends, it’s time to bust out the boozy cookies. I will say it, I am not a big drinker. (Total transparency, I did join a wine club a month ago). But make a dark chocolate bourbon cookie and roll it in bourbon sugar? Sign. Me. Up. Sorry kids, these cookies are for the grown ups. They don’t taste heavily with alcohol, but they definitely have a rich and fantastic flavor. The original recipe for these cookies is from LoveandOliveOil.com. The original recipe calls for shaved chocolate in the cookie and dutch processed cocoa. I use dark cocoa and left out the chocolate shavings. I didn’t feel like I was missing out AT ALL. I also tried it with throwing in some semisweet morsels. Equally as amazing. A really neat tip in the original recipe is to store the cookies on top of any remaining bourbon sugar, which kept the cookies moist and fresh for a little longer.
What is bourbon sugar you ask? It is turbinado sugar and bourbon shaken together. Yes please. I am a fan of the big crunchy sugar crystals on top of muffins. Big crunchy sugar on a cookie? I’m in. You combine the sugar and the bourbon and it makes you wish the sandy beaches tasted this good. Another fun thing is post rolling the dough in the sugar, you can use a glass to flatten out the cookies to just the right thickness.
Friends, I wish I had answers. Answers to how this will all look or when this will all end. What the new normal will be. As an educator I wonder, what new changes in addition to the ones already made will take place? What about the students without access for a million reasons to an online format education? So many things. I guess, the thing I am learning in all of this, is gentleness. Being gentle with others, and all the more difficult, with myself. Trying to use this time to fix the things. So many things.
Gentleness, and grace. Time for kindness.
All of this, and chockey cookies with crunchy bourbon sugar.
Sending you so much love and light in this uncertain time. Thank you for sitting with me for a bit and for sharing your reading of the words with me. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.
Love, Chrissy
PrintDark Chocolate Bourbon Sugar Cookies
This soft cookie rolled in turbinado sugar from the www.loveandoliveoil.com website is slightly modified (I use a dark cocoa powder but essentially it is the orginal masterpiece recipe).I can’t even begin to describe the combination of soft bourbon infused cookie dough and the crunch of the bourbon sugar on the outside except to say yes please.
Ingredients
· ½ Cup Butter
· ½ Cup Vegetable Shortening
· 1 Cup White Sugar
· ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
· 1 Large Egg plus 1 Large Egg Yolk
· 3 Tablespoons Bourbon
· ¾ Cup Dark Cocoa Powder
· 1 ¾ Cup Flour
· ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
· ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder
· ½ Teaspoon Salt
For Rolling:
· 2 Tablespoons Bourbon
· 1 Cup Raw Turbinado Sugar
Instructions
1. In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a mixer, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until creamy.
3. Add brown and white sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg and egg yolk and mix until incorporated; scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater as necessary.
5. Slowly mix in bourbon.
6. Add dry ingredients in two parts until incorporated. Mix in finely chopped chocolate.
7. Combine and scoop/roll into balls. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
8. In a mason jar or other container, combine turbinado sugar and bourbon. Top with lid and shake until it resembles wet sand. Pour into shallow dish.
9. Roll balls of dough into bourbon sugar until evenly coated.
10. Arrange dough on parchment lined pan approximately two inches apart.
11. Bake at 325* for 13 – 15 minutes or until slightly puffy.
12. Let cool on cookie pan for ten minutes then transfer and cool completely.
13. If there is extra bourbon sugar in the bottom of an airtight storage container; arrange cookies and cover.