The Kentucky Butter Cake is old-fashioned vanilla buttermilk pound cake drenched in a luscious butter and sugar syrup. Kentucky Butter Cake Cookies with Bourbon Glaze are a bite-sized, easy-to-hold, easier-to-love version. With Bourbon.
Kentucky Butter Cake Cookies with Bourbon Glaze Recipe
The Kentucky Butter Cake is old-fashioned vanilla buttermilk pound cake drenched in a luscious butter and sugar syrup. The syrup not only moistens the cake (and I mean really moistens) but it also creates a crisp coating on the surface, almost like a glazed donut.
The Kentucky Butter Cake did not actually originate in Kentucky, although we have adopted it as our own. The recipe, submitted by Nell Lewis of Platte City, Missouri, won the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in 1963. It’s an old-fashioned vanilla buttermilk pound cake drenched in a luscious butter and sugar syrup.
Shelly, over at the wonderful Cookies and Cups blog had the genius idea of turning the cake recipe into a cookie recipe. I adapted it here and added bourbon to the glaze to give it a little more “Kentucky” flavor.
I do have a recipe for Kentucky Butter Cake and will include it here soon. For now though, try the cookies. You will not be disappointed.
Kentucky Butter Cake Cookies with Bourbon Glaze Recipe
Recipe Adapted from Cookies and Cups.
Yield: 24 Cookies
Materials
Cookies
- 1 cup Butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 3 cups All Purpose Flour
Glaze
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Powdered Sugar to dust
- 1 tablespoon Kentucky Bourbon
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place softened butter and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer. Beat together for 1 minute, or until mixed.
- While running, carefully add in eggs and vanilla. Mix until incorporated, scraping sides as necessary.
- Add in baking powder and salt, continuing to mix.
- Add in the flour. Mix until dough just comes together. Do not over mix.
- Remove bowl to work surface.
- Pinch off about 2 tablespoons of the cookie dough, roll into a balls and place onto the lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9 - 11 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden. Don’t over-bake.
Glaze
- While cookies are baking, combine all glaze ingredients, except bourbon, into a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir continuously until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Do not bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add bourbon.
- Allow the glaze to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, to thicken.
- When the cookies are done, spoon one teaspoon of glaze onto each cookie while they’re warm. If the glaze gets too thick just heat it up a bit more.
- Dust with powdered sugar after the glaze has set, if desired.
Recipe Adapted from Cookies and Cups. Additional Information Courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.