Baking with beer may seem unusual, but beer is a perfect flavor to blend with a sweet treat. The bitterness of the beer is perfectly offset by the sweetness of the sugar giving the bake a delicious and unique flavor without the kick. These Beer Cookies are super simple to make, needing just one bowl and no mixer!
Beer Cookies are great for tailgates, Super Bowl parties, Father's Day, or any time you want to bake for the beer lovers in your life. If you're interested in beer flavored baked goods, be sure to check out Stout Beer Brownies, No-Yeast Beer Bread, and Stout Beer Cupcakes.
Why this Recipe Works
Beer Cookies are perfectly soft and chewy cookies with beer baked into the batter, and are topped with a beer glaze to really make the flavor pop. The result is a soft and sweet cookie that tastes like beer, but without the bitterness.
Ingredients and Notes
Corn Syrup - While it also adds sweetness, corn syrup contributes to the soft and chewy texture of the cookies.
Beer - In addition to giving these soft and simple cookies their flavor, beer also serves as a leavening agent meaning it helps these cookies rise.
Baking Soda - Baking soda gives these Beer Cookies the perfect texture. It makes them rise and spread just the right amount without making the Beer Cookies too cakey.
Substitutions
Beer - Different beers will give these Beer Cookies different flavors. A pumpkin beer is the perfect flavor for a fall cookie, an amber ale will give you a nuttier flavor, and a porter or stout will give you those notes of coffee and chocolate. A light beer will have a lighter flavor whereas a dark beer will have a richer flavor.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Combine butter and sugar.
Step 2: Add the egg, corn syrup, and beer, and mix until incorporated.
Step 3: Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, then add to the dough and stir until just combined. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
Step 4: Scoop about a tablespoon of dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet a couple inches apart.
Step 5: Bake at 375° F for 8 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then move to a wire rack to completely.
Step 6: Combine beer and powdered sugar. Top cooled cookies with the powdered sugar mixture, allow the glaze to set, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
The reasons cookies may not spread is usually either too much flour, not enough liquid, or using the wrong or wrong amount of leavening agent. These Beer Cookies should spread nicely without coming out too thick and cakey, but also not too thin and flat. If they are coming out thin and flat, try reducing the bake time or chilling the dough longer.
Find the flavor profile of a beer that matches the item you're baking or the flavor profile that excites you. For these Beer Cookies, any beer will do. I especially love making these with a pumpkin beer in the fall, which makes them ideal for football season! I recommend choosing a beer that you enjoy drinking. These cookies will take on the flavor of the beer you choose, plus you'll have plenty left over to drink so make it one you like!
The alcohol will bake out some, but not completely. It takes a very long time to fully bake the alcohol out. However the icing glaze on these Beer Cookies is not baked at all, so these cookies will have an alcohol content. However, between the cookie dough and the icing, there is only ¼ cup of beer in the entire batch of cookies, so even if you eat the whole batch you are unlikely to get drunk from these cookies!
Tips & Tricks
Tip #1: If your cookies are spreading, start checking them at 6 minutes instead of 8. Consider chilling the dough for a longer period if your first batch is spreading.
Tip #2: The cookies will rise while they are baking and will settle as they cool. You want to remove them from the oven when the bottoms are golden and the tops are light and puffed up. If they settle while they're still in the oven or are coming out fully browned, reduce your bake time and/or increase your chill time.
Tip #3: While cookies are in the oven, keep the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator until you're ready to scoop the next batch. Note that your bake time may increase slightly as you go because the dough will be more chilled.
Tip #4: Ensure the cookies are fully cooled before adding the icing. Warm cookies will absorb the icing.
Storage Tips
- Beer Cookies should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- They will store better before the beer glaze is added. Unglazed cookies can be stored for at least a week.
- Glazed cookies can be stored for 2-3 days.
Related Recipes
Did you try this recipe? Leave a review below, and tag @flourdeliz on Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Beer Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- silicone spatula
- cookie sheet
Ingredients
Cookie
- 1 ½ sticks butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons beer
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt Diamond Crystal
- 2 cups flour
Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon beer
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 375° F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine butter and sugar.
- Stir in egg, beer, and corn syrup.
- Combine baking soda, salt, and flour, and then add to the batter and mix until just combined.
- Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Form balls of dough, about 1 tablespoon each and place a couple inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake about 8 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown and the tops of the cookies are puffed up.
- Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2-5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Icing
- Combine ingredients till they form a thick glaze. Add more powdered sugar to thicken, or more beer to thin.
- Once cookies have cooled completely, drizzle or spread icing over the top of each cookie and let set.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated so should only be used as an estimate. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This recipe was originally posted on September 18. 2017, but was republished with new photos, an updated recipe, additional information about the recipe, step-by-step instructions, FAQs, and tips and tricks in October of 2023.
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