Free The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets by Lucy Baker Page A

home to an after-school snack of Oreos and chocolate milk, or apple juice and oatmeal raisins. Well, think of the cookies and bars in this chapter as the grown-up counterpart to that childhood ritual. What could be better than curling up after work with a platter of hazelnut liqueur-spiked chocolate chunk cookies and a giant glass of wine? Go ahead and dunk. No one is looking.
    Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Nuts and a Nip
    M AKES
ABOUT 32
COOKIES
    E VERY BAKER NEEDS A PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE recipe in his or her repertoire, but that doesn’t mean they have to be plain or standard. I pulse the hazelnuts in the food processor, which makes the pieces a bit smaller than if chopped by hand. Then I add hazelnut liqueur to ensure that the nutty, boozy flavor infuses every last crumb. Many recipes that call for toasted hazelnuts instruct you to rub every bit of papery skin off the nuts. Who has that kind of patience? Toast the nuts in a 350°F oven for 6 to 10 minutes and then rough them up a bit in a clean kitchen towel. Most of the skin will come off, and don’t worry about the rest.
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    ¾ teaspoon salt
    ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
    ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
    ¾ cup sugar
    2 large eggs
    1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico
    2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
    1 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts
    Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl to combine.
    In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition. Add the hazelnut liqueur and beat to combine.
    Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and the hazelnuts. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.
    Preheat the oven to 375°F.
    Drop the cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are golden and set but still a bit soft in the middle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
    SHAKE IT UP: Substitute almond liqueur for the hazelnut liqueur and chopped, toasted almonds for the hazelnuts.

    “Old-Fashioned” Snickerdoodles
    M AKES
ABOUT 24
COOKIES
    T HE OLD-FASHIONED WHISKEY COCKTAIL IS one of America’s first mixed drinks on record, and it’s still one of the best. Likewise, the snickerdoodle is one the nation’s oldest cookies. According to Food Lover’s Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst, it dates back to the early nineteenth century and the name “has no particular meaning or purpose.” This recipe combines the classic components of an Old Fashioned—bourbon, bitters, and orange—in a cookie with a cinnamon-dusted surface and soft center.
    2¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    ½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
    1½ cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
    2 large eggs
    2 tablespoons bourbon
    4 or 5 generous dashes bitters
    1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
    1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
    In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1½ cups of the sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the bourbon, bitters, and orange zest and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated. (If the dough is very soft, freeze for 10 to 15 minutes before proceeding.)
    Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar-cinnamon mixture and place them on the baking sheets,