Bourbon Pecan Pie Cookies taste amazing.  They taste just like our family Derby Pie recipe but with more delicious bourbon flavor.  Nailed it!

This recipe and the giveaway included in this post is sponsored by Millican Pecan for #ChristmasCookie Week. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures possible.

I’m just going to go ahead and tell y’all that I NAILED these cookies. Rarely does a cookie really turn out the way I planned it in my head. I mean, down to the texture, the combination of flavors, and hint of bourbon that really does come through. I took one bite and found my new favorite cookie.

I have a hard time not calling these Derby Pie cookies. Because that’s pretty much what they’re fashioned after; our family Derby Pie recipe. Of course, I did make those Derby Pie macaron that were amazing, too. I may have to make those again.

What is Derby Pie?

Well, it’s like a chocolate pecan pie with bourbon in it. It’s been served at the Kentucky Derby forever. Or at least it seems that way. And since our family recipe was one printed in the Lexington-Herald back in the 70’s you know it’s authentic.

We would make at least 2 slab pies worth of it every year for our parties. Yes, we had Derby parties when we moved to Virginia. We wanted to introduce this part of our heritage to this new area we were now living in. And they were rip roaring parties after a few years. I mean, there were mint juleps being served people!

One year, the Australians arrived and started doing their own horse betting at the party. Someone would always play the piano or one of Dad’s saxophones after the race was over. You know, after everyone has marinated in mint juleps or whatever they were drinking.

What I enjoyed the most were the leftovers!

Leftover country ham for breakfast was the best. The vegetables would either get nibbled on, but one year I made a killer minestrone with them. And then there was the pie. Chess pie and Derby Pie are the best for breakfast! A little square before heading off to school was the best.

And don’t get me started on the beer cheese. Oh my. It’s my favorite cheese spread or cheese dip of all time. With its onion and garlic kick and hint of beer with rich cheddar. I’m drooling already just thinking about it. I may have to make a batch this holiday season.

But it’s always the Derby Pie I miss from those parties. I haven’t made it as often as I should. It is my absolute favorite pie. You can keep your apple and rhubarb. Give me a Derby Pie with all it’s chocolate and pecan goodness. The crispy and salty crust, rich chocolate, and the hint of bourbon.

Just like these cookies!

I took my traditional chocolate cookie recipe and doctored it up a bit. Except, they didn’t turn out the way I wanted them the first time. So, I usually split butter and shortening. It gives a little spread but keeps a little shape. And I use unbleached flour for chewiness. Except, they turned out cakey initially.

I nailed the flavor, but not the texture. What in world? I’ve used that recipe HUNDREDS of times and never had results like this. What in world is going on? So, I pulled on the big girl panties and decided to make them again with all butter. Bingo!

They have the spread like a chocolate chip cookie, but not so much that they’re completely thin. Then there’s the rich chocolate chips. I resisted the urge to add more like I usually do, but I stuck with the 1 cup.

And then there’s the pecans!

Initially, I didn’t soak the pecans in the bourbon. I just put the bourbon in the dough and then the pecans. But the bourbon flavor was a little more subtle than what I was looking for. So, I thought, “Why not soak the pecans in the bourbon?”

BINGO! That was just the trick I needed to get that bourbon flavor I was looking for in these cookies. It’s not too much. There’s just enough so you can taste it. It pairs well with the chocolate and the pecans. The nuttiness of the pecans goes with the bourbon. And the sweet chocolate rounds out both of them.

I’m sure there’s bourbon extract if you’re not interested in putting bourbon in your cookies. I cannot speak to how much of that you’d put in cookies. I just say, bite the bullet and get a small bottle of bourbon. You can make 2 maybe 3 batches of cookies? And bourbon lasts a while.

Millican Pecan is offering up a towering gift of their delicious pecans to one lucky winner. Make sure you enter the giveaway at the bottom of the post. While you’re down there, see what the other bloggers are sharing today.

Thank you to Ellen of Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting #ChristmasCookiesWeek! And a huge thank you to our sponsors Adams Extract and Millican Pecan for supporting the bloggers and events like Christmas Cookies Week.

Check out today’s cookie recipes:

Bourbon Pecan Pie Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Buttery Pecan Rounds by Family Around the Table
Chocolate Hazelnut Snowflake Meltaway Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Easy Christmas Sprinkle Cookies by Cookaholic Wife
Eggnog Cookies by Sweet Beginnings
Gingerbread Sugar Cookies by Daily Dish Recipes
Mini Cinnamon Roll Cookies by Hardly A Goddess
Orange Slice & Coconut Cookies by Creative Southern Home
Pecan Jumbles by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Peppermint Mocha Hershey Kiss Cookies by Food Above Gold

There will be two (2) winners selected. The sponsors will send the prize packages directly to the winners. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner gets chosen. The #ChristmasCookies bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. We verify all entries. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter giveaway and contest is open only to US residents. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #ChristmasCookies posts or entry. Thank you to our sponsors Millican Pecan Company and Adams Extracts and Flavorings for providing prizes.