We, as humans, love chocolate. In fact, it might not even be something that we can control. Chocolate helps our brains to produce hits of dopamine while we eat it. Dopamine is basically what makes us feel good.
Most of us humans also have a soft spot for alcohol, which might also be because of our brain’s reaction. For many people, alcohol can reduce stress, even if just temporarily (until the effect of that shot wears off). I am definitely someone that appreciates both alcohol and chocolate.
To combine two of my loves (chocolate and alcohol), I wanted to share with you all this delicious recipe I found for making Bourbon Brownie Bites (via Taste of Home). This recipe doesn’t just have both alcohol and chocolate, it also has some of my favorite food textures – like a little bit of crunch! You’ll see in the ingredient list how they bring it all together.
You’ll Need:
- Bourbon (¼ cup)
- Butter (½ cup, softened)
- Brown sugar (½ cup)
- Flour (1 cup)
- Semisweet chocolate chips (½ cup; save the rest of the bag for late-night munching)
- Cocoa (3 tablespoons)
- Chopped pecans (1 cup)
This recipe takes about 10 minutes to cook but takes a couple of hours to prepare, as it will need to chill in your refrigerator for about two hours.
Mix it Up
First, take the butter and combine it with the brown sugar using a fork. Keep stirring with a fork until it becomes fluffy and airy. Next, time to add in the booze! Grab your bourbon of choice and beat that into the butter and brown sugar concoction. Next, take the cocoa and the flour and combine them in a small bowl. Add it to the boozy mix while stirring to make sure it gets mixed in properly. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.
Chill It
Then, you’ll need to refrigerate your mix for a little over an hour. If you can manage to wait for longer, you can let it chill for up to two hours. Don’t go too much longer than that or you risk drying out the mix.
Bake It
Next, set your oven to 350 degrees to preheat while you prepare the tasty treats. Grab a spoon and spoon out the chilled mixture into balls that are about one inch. I’ve found that if you have an ice cream scooper, that works really well for this! Roll the balls in the pecans so they cover the outside of the rolled ball. Place them on a baking sheet, leaving some room for if they expand when flattening out. Bake them for about 10 minutes.
Serve It and Enjoy
Once you pull them out of the oven, you still need to let them chill for a second. Don’t worry; you don’t have to wait another two hours. This time, just chill for about five minutes. Then, enjoy them alongside a glass of that leftover bourbon.