Iced Chestnut Cookies with Bourbon Brown Butter Icing

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire is an iconic holiday image, and chestnuts with brown butter will quickly become your new favorite cookie combination. Taste of Home reader Kristin Bowers of Gilbert, Arizona, created this chestnut cookies with bourbon brown butter icing recipe, and it’s sure to turn heads at any cookie exchange.

Crème de marrons, the iconic French chestnut spread sold in tins, gives these cookies a fudgy bite and a woodsy sweetness. The butter gets browned until it foams and turns the color of honey, then it is split between the dough and a sweet bourbon icing that tops the sugared rounds.

The texture falls somewhere between a snickerdoodle and a shortbread. Cream of tartar and baking soda give the cookie edges a crackle while the centers stay tender, and cinnamon keeps things from veering too sweet. Bourbon in both the dough and the glaze ties the flavors together. Bake a batch on a cold afternoon and you’ll understand why the French keep crème de marrons in their pantries all winter long.

Ingredients for Iced Chestnut Cookies with Bourbon Brown Butter Icing

• Unsalted butter: Browning the butter brings nutty caramel notes to both the cookies and the icing. Be brave and cook it until it smells toasty and looks brown. Unsalted is preferred because then you can control the salt level. Use the best butter you can since it’s a main flavor in this cookie.
• Brown sugar: Packed brown sugar brings molasses richness and chew to the cookies. Light or dark brown sugar both work, though dark will lend a slightly deeper, more pronounced caramel note. (Here’s how to soften your brown sugar.)
• Chestnut spread (crème de marrons): This sweetened French puree adds a smooth chestnut flavor. Look for it in jars or tubes in the international aisle or online.
• Egg yolks: Yolks add richness, fat and tenderness without the structure that whites would introduce, keeping the cookies soft.
• Bourbon: A splash of bourbon in both the dough and the icing reinforces the toasty caramel and vanilla notes. Choose a whiskey brand you enjoy sipping. The flavor carries through, especially in the icing.
• Vanilla bean paste: Paste delivers concentrated vanilla flavor along with visible flecks of seed, giving the cookies and icing a bakery-style aroma and a beautiful speckled finish. Pure vanilla extract can stand in if needed.
• All-purpose flour: Flour provides the structure that holds these tender cookies together. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off rather than scooping from the bag, which can pack in too much and lead to dry cookies.
• Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon plays up the warmth of the browned butter and chestnut without overpowering them. For the best flavor, use a jar opened within the last six months.
• Baking soda: Baking soda gives the cookies a little lift and helps them spread into crackly topped rounds. It also encourages browning, which deepens the toasty notes throughout.
• Cream of tartar: Paired with baking soda, cream of tartar creates a homemade-baking-powder effect that adds tang and a tender, slightly chewy bite reminiscent of a snickerdoodle.
• Salt: Salt in both the dough and the icing sharpens the sweetness and lets the browned butter, bourbon and chestnut flavors stand out. Fine sea salt or table salt dissolves most evenly into both mixtures.
• Sugar: Rolling the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking gives the cookies a delicate, sparkling crust. Plain white sugar is traditional, but turbinado would add extra crunch if you want a coarser finish.
• Bourbon brown butter icing: Confectioners’ sugar, warm whole milk, bourbon, vanilla bean paste and salt come together with the browned butter to create a glaze.

Directions

Step 1: Preheat the oven and brown the butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the butter in a small heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until golden brown, five to seven minutes; cool slightly. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooled butter and set it aside.

Step 2: Combine the wet ingredients

Add the remaining browned butter and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat until well combined. Add the chestnut spread, egg yolks, bourbon and vanilla bean paste.

Step 3: Add the dry ingredients

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the brown sugar mixture and mix well.

Step 4: Shape and coat the dough

Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.

Step 5: Bake the cookies

Bake until light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Step 6: Make the icing and dip the cookies

Meanwhile, for the icing, in a medium bowl, combine the reserved 1/2 cup browned butter with confectioners’ sugar, milk, bourbon, vanilla paste and salt. Dip each cookie top halfway into icing; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set.

Iced Chestnut Cookies with Bourbon Brown Butter Icing Variations

• Add dark chocolate: Stir 1 cup of chopped bittersweet chocolate into the dough before shaping for pockets of melty chocolate that pair beautifully with the chestnut and brown butter. A drizzle of melted dark chocolate instead of bourbon icing over the cookies adds a striking finish.
• Swap in a warm spice blend: Replace the cinnamon with an equal amount of pumpkin pie spice or chai spice for a more layered, fragrant cookie.
• Try a rum or brandy swap: Use dark rum or brandy in place of the bourbon in both the dough and the icing for a slightly different warm-spirit character. Rum leans tropical and molasses-forward, while brandy brings a fruitier, wine-like note.
• Top with nuts: Sprinkle finely chopped toasted nuts, like hazelnuts, pecans or candied chestnuts, onto the wet icing before it sets for added crunch. Toasting the nuts first brings out their natural oils and amplifies their flavor.

How to Store Iced Chestnut Cookies with Bourbon Brown Butter Icing

These cookies keep beautifully at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days, with parchment or waxed paper between the layers so the icing doesn’t stick. If your kitchen runs warm or humid, the fridge is a safer bet and will extend their life to about a week—just let them come back to room temperature before serving so the flavors and texture are at their best.

Can you freeze chestnut cookies with brown butter icing?

Iced chestnut cookies with brown butter freeze well for up to three months. Arrange the fully iced and set cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, then transfer them to an airtight container with parchment or waxed paper between the layers. Let the cookies thaw at room temperature for about an hour before serving so the icing returns to its glossy finish. You can also freeze un-iced cookies for three months; once they come to room temperature, prepare the icing and glaze them.

Can you make chestnut cookies in advance?

Chestnut cookies are an ideal make-ahead treat for holidays and gatherings. They look best when dipped in the icing within a few hours of serving, so bake the un-iced cookies up to two days ahead, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature and dip them in the icing the day of your event. If you’d rather knock the whole project out at once, fully iced cookies still hold up well in storage—just expect the icing to be a touch less shiny.

Can you make the dough ahead of time?

You can make chestnut cookie dough well in advance. Wrap the dough tightly or transfer it to an airtight container, then refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to three months. Let refrigerated dough sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before shaping so it’s pliable enough to roll, and thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge before using.

Iced Chestnut Cookies with Bourbon Brown Butter Icing Tips

Why did my chestnut cookies spread too much while baking?

Cookies that spread too much usually come down to butter that was still warm when it hit the brown sugar, which loosens the dough and causes the cookies to puddle in the oven. Let the browned butter cool until it’s no longer warm to the touch before mixing. Always start with cool, parchment-lined baking sheets, and chill the dough for 20 to 30 minutes if it feels soft when you’re shaping the balls.