Butter Rum Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are several recipes in the King Arthur Cookie Companion that call for butter rum flavoring that have been tempting me from the moment I started flipping through the book. Naturally I didn't have any butter rum flavoring in the house and I couldn't find any in any of the stores I shop in frequently. Luckily, unlike the graham flour incident, I didn't keep putting off the purchase, instead I ordered some from the King Arthur web site.

Once the extract got here the only thing left to do was pick a recipe and I did that the usual way -- give Chris three choices and let him make the final decision. For the first butter rum experiment he chose what is basically a chocolate chip cookie kicked up a bit with the extract and butterscotch chips which worked great for me because I got to try out one of the most basic recipes in the book, and still make it something interesting and new.

The chewy chocolate chip cookie recipes is actually one of the best I've used for a very basic chocolate chip cookie. Goldilocks would have approved -- not too flat. not too fluffy. not overloaded with chocolate. not overloaded with anything. just right. There are a lot of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there and I've certainly made my fair share, but for a basic, standard classic version, this recipe pretty much nails it.

Oh, and of course adding butter rum flavor and butterscotch chips to the already good base recipes gives you a rich buttery rum flavor that 60% bittersweet chocolate chips just cuts a bit. If you don't like your flavors super sweet and rich this probably won't appeal to you much, but it's right up my ally, and for those who liked the butterscotch marshmallow bars, I'm sure this is right up their ally too.



Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temp
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsps light corn syrup
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2-3 drops butter rum flavor
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheets (I used insulated and my cookies came our perfect) with parchment paper or silpats.

Cream the butter and the sugars until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each addition, then add the corn syrup, vinegar and extracts and mix to combine.

Add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and mix until the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chips and nuts.

Divide the dough by tablespoonfuls on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes until they are just set on the edges but still soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and let cool.