Happy Birthday Roald Dahl… Have a Cookie
It’s possible your childhood wasn’t complete without treasured books such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach. The master behind these slightly twisted tales, Roald Dahl, would have been a whopping 97 years old on September 13th, and who wouldn’t love a delectable cookie on their birthday?
In honor of Dahl and his dark side (Curious? Dahl didn’t just turn Violet Beauregarde into a giant blueberry … check out My Uncle Oswald) here are boozy bourbon peach cookies, perfect for nibbling along with your afternoon tea, just the way Dahl may have done on his birthday.
James and the Giant Boozy Peach Cookies
Yield: 20 large cookies
Cookie Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp bourbon
2 cups diced peaches
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup toasted almond slices
Bourbon Almond Glaze
1 ½ cups confectioners sugar
¼ cup bourbon
2 tsp almond extract
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and set the racks to the upper and medium levels in the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the diced peaches with lemon juice, to keep the peaches from browning. Set aside.
3. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and ginger together. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer and a bowl), beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the granulated and brown sugars, and beat for 3 minutes.
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
6. Add the bourbon and mix to combine.
7. Spoon in the dry mix gradually, beating until the cookie dough just comes together.
8. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peaches from their bowl, leaving behind their juices. Add the peaches to the cookie dough and mix to combine.
9. Add the toasted almond slices, mix to combine.
10. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and scoop out the dough in ¼ cups, making sure there is approximately 2 inches in-between each cookie.
11. Bake for 9 minutes, then swap the position of the pans, baking for another 9 minutes.
12. Once golden brown, remove the cookies and cool on a rack for 15-30 minutes.
13. While the cookies cool, make the glaze. Combine the confectioners sugar, bourbon and almond extract in a bowl, whisking to combine.
14. Once the cookies are cooled, spoon the glaze over the cookies, making 2 passes.
15. Let the glaze set for about 10 minutes, then enjoy!
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Melissa Ward is a marketing magazine editor by day, baker, blogger, homebrewer, cooking enthusiast and bibliophile by nights and weekends. She’s the baker behind Cupcake Friday Project, and when she’s not baking, she’s usually creating a crazy pizza for Pizza Night Fridays with her husband Ray. You can find Melissa on Twitter, but most likely she’s in her kitchen. Baking. Maybe with Scotch.
