Kentucky Bourbon

Tomorrow would have been my dad's 56th birthday.  I'm sure it will be a difficult day, so I've been thinking about what I want to do for it.  Since I'm not in Indiana yet, I can't go visit his site, which I presume would be the most normal thing to do.  So I've decided to take a route less traveled.... 

For those of you that knew my dad, he was a bourbon connoisseur of sorts.  My dad took interest in bourbon many, many years ago.  Maker's Mark was his favorite beyond favorites.  We visited that distillery before I even knew what being twenty-one meant.  (He actually owns a barrel there that's been aged to perfection & is ready for pick-up this December, but I'll save that for another post.)  Three years ago my parents came to visit me in Kentucky over Labor Day weekend & we toured the Woodford Reserve and the Four Roses Distillery as a 'birthday present.'

So with that explained, since my dad loved bourbon & I'm not exactly your most seasoned bourbon drinker, I decided to bake a bourbon cookie that I can enjoy tomorrow.  And let me tell you...those recipes are few and far between!  Bourbon balls aplenty, but bourbon cookies equated to lots and lots of searching until I finally found this recipe, which is what I chose to use.  We all know if I put high expectations on a recipe and it doesn't turn out I tend to get a little flustered, so I went ahead and baked these this evening.

Bourbon Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
(as stated above, original recipe can be found here)
 
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup bourbon (I used Maker's Mark, of course.)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter (softened)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 cup flour*
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed meal

*I used all purpose flour, however the original recipe calls for whole wheat flour.  Since the texture is different, using the whole wheat flour will give the cookie a different texture/flavor.

Place raisins in shallow bowl and pour in bourbon.  Let soak for as long as you please, but remember, the longer they soak, the bigger the bite.  I soaked mine for about two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together your butter & agave nectar.  Once these are fully incorporated, slowly mix in the rest of your ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, & flaxseed.)  After everything is combined, mix in the raisins and the remaining bourbon.

Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper and place dough in tablespoon sizes about 1-2 inches apart.  Bake for 12 minutes. 

These cookies are spot on for what I intended.  The agave gives them just enough sweetness, but you can most definitely taste the bourbon - especially when you bite into a particularly well soaked raisin.  They aren't exactly cookies for the faint of heart, but my dad would have been proud.

Enjoy!