When the long march toward summer starts to feel like it’s dragging, Bourbon Cookie Bars ought to be in your hygge toolkit. A soft cookie bar full of pecans, raisins, and chocolate chips combines with a generous layer of boozy bourbon buttercream that will help make the chilly edges of any afternoon go pleasantly fuzzy. As with most cookies and bar recipes, you can add a dash of sustainability to the recipe by substituting a fifth of the flour by weight (40g, in this case) for a climate-resilient flour like rye, millet, or Kernza.

What is Climate-Resilient Flour in These Bourbon Cookie Bars?

Climate-resilient flours come from grains and crops that are better adapted to withstand environmental stress such as droughts, poor soil, and temperature swings all while requiring fewer chemical inputs. In the context of these Bourbon Cookie Bars, swapping in a portion of rye, millet, or Kernza flour adds a subtle nutty taste and a slightly heartier crumb along and helps practice sustainability. Kernza, for example, is a perennial grain with deep roots that help prevent soil erosion and capture carbon, while flours like millet thrive in dry conditions with minimal resources.

Bourbon Cookie Bars

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• Author: Caroline Saunders

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Description

For those hard days where a sweet treat is all that can heal your soul.

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Ingredients

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• 1 ½ cups (195g) flour
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup margarine, softened to room temperature
• ¾ cup light or dark brown sugar
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup bourbon
• 1 cup toasted pecan pieces
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chocolate chips

For the frosting:

• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 6 tbsp margarine, softened to room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp bourbon

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the margarine, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until the texture is fluffy and the color has lightened somewhat.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, then beat on low-medium speed until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour(s), baking powder, and salt. Add this dry mixture to the margarine mixture alternately with the bourbon, in three parts each.
5. Using a spatula, stir in the pecan pieces, raisins, and chocolate chips.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
7. While the bars cool, prepare the frosting in a stand mixer. Combine the margarine and one cup of the powdered sugar, mixing on low-medium speed until well combined. Alternately add a tablespoon of bourbon and about a third of the remaining powdered sugar at a time, mixing after each addition (incorporating both ingredients gradually helps keep the frosting extra smooth). Add the vanilla.
8. Once the bars have cooled, frost them directly in the pan using an offset spatula.
9. Bars keep for up to four days in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe by Caroline Saunders
Photography by Dave Bryce

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