Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

There's something about boozy desserts.  I gotta admit, I have a blast baking with booze.....so in some ways this is the most wonderful time of the year!  What a better excuse to do some boozy baking than St. Paddy's Day!  Luckily I've got quite a few friends who share in my love of boozy desserts, so these were pretty darn easy to pass around.

This year I've got a couple of new St. Paddy's Day recipes that I want to try, so first up.....Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes from Bakers Royale.  These bad boys are a chocolate cupcake with Guinness and coffee in it.....it makes for an incredibly chocolate-y cupcake.  Fill those bad boys with some Bailey's buttercream frosting, and top off all of that with a whiskey buttercream.  And not just any buttercream, but a Swiss meringue buttercream.  If you have not tried making Swiss meringue buttercream, you don't know what you're missing!  It makes for an amazingly smooth and light frosting.  I prefer this to pretty much every other kind of frosting.  It takes a little bit more work, cooking egg whites and sugar in a double boiler till you hit 150 degrees.....then whipping up in a stand mixer until cooled off and forming stiff peaks (basically marshmallow fluff), then you add all your butter and flavorings.  But seriously.....so.....worth......it.

There's quite of bit of booze in these cupcakes (unless you ask the hubby, who says there's still not enough).  I've always been a fan of Bailey's in frosting.....but the whiskey buttercream was surprisingly delicious!  And powerful enough to make you happy :)

The only note I'll make to this recipe is to watch the bake time of your cupcakes.  The recipe states 35-40 minutes, but in my oven it was closer to 30.

So check out Bakers Royale for the recipe....and Enjoy!

Cherry-Bourbon Pie

I realize that it's not really cherry season right now (bring on the pumpkin desserts, right?).....but sometimes, when you're making someone's favorite dessert, you just have to break the rules!

In this case, it's my Dad's favorite dessert.  Cherry Pie.  Ever since I was a kid, I remember him asking my Mom every day if there was any cherry pie for dessert after dinner.  Well, my Mom wasn't the kind to bake a cherry pie, so the answer was usually "No", unless there was a store bought pie, or worse, those Hostess fruit pies (is there anything worse than that syrup goop they pass of a "fruit"??).

My parents were just out here visiting us, and since my Dad's birthday is coming up, I figured I should try making him a cherry pie.  I decided to go with a recipe I saw on Bon Appetit for Cherry-Bourbon Pie.....booze makes everything better, right?

The recipe doesn't call for fresh cherries (which is perfect since it's not cherry season), but instead calls for jarred cherries, and recommends Trader Joe's Dark Morello cherries.  With the addition of bourbon, the crumb topping, and a bit of both orange zest and juice in the pie, this was a huge hit!  Both the birthday boy and the hubby loved this.  Guess I'll be making it again!

For the recipe, go to Bon Appetit......and Enjoy!!

Irish Car Bomb Brownies

So it's almost St. Paddy's Day.  I had a long list of recipes that I wanted to try this week, most of them featuring some kind of boozy combination.  Well.....things didn't really work out this week.  First our oldest came down with the flu, then our youngest caught a cold.......and now I've got a little combination of the two.  Awesome.  Oh, and did I mention my parents were here visiting?  Not the best time for a visit.......and now they're probably taking all our germies with them to Texas.

All of that to say that I didn't get around to pretty much anything in the kitchen this week.  The only thing I did make are these Irish Car Bomb Brownies from Bakers Royale (via Endless Simmer), that were such a hit, I had to make them twice!

A chocolate brownie layer spiked with Guinness......topped with a Bailey's cheesecake layer......topped with a Jameson whisky spiked brownie layer.  Oh yeah......you gotta try this!  It's amazing how well these flavors all go together, and the hubby's only complaint was that I could have actually added even more booze! I think it's fine as is.......you definitely can taste it all.

So if you're looking for a yummy grown-ups only dessert for St. Paddy's Day, give this one a try!

Check out the recipe by Bakers Royale (on Endless Simmer)......and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party - Link It Up Wednesday - Bake with Bizzy - Sweet Treats Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Show Me What You Got Linky Party - Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Friday - Feature Friday Free-for-All - Fun Stuff Friday - I'm Lovin' It - Sweets for a Saturday - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Scrumptious Sunday Link Party - Mix It Up Monday - What Makes You Say Mmmmmm? - Tea Party Tuesday - Creative Corner Hop - Show Me What You Got - Tasty Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - Crazy Sweet Tuesday

Double Fudge Irish Cream Cookies

Ahhhh......St. Paddy's Day......one of those times where it's totally acceptable to cook and bake with booze.  I love it!

I tried these cookies out a few weeks ago, and they were a huge hit.  Jessica, over at How Sweet It Is has another hit on her hands with these Double Fudge Irish Cream Cookies.

These cookies come out chocolatey, chewy, and you can absolutely taste the irish cream.  With 8 tablespoons of it in the recipe, these are definitely not for the kiddos, but man, oh man, are they delicious!  Give them a try....but if you plan on eating the whole batch, you may want a designated driver!

Check out How Sweet It Is for the recipe....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Sweets for a Saturday - Seasonal Inspiration - Strut Your Stuff Saturday Link Party - Sweet Indulgences Sunday - Scrumptious Sunday Link Party - Mix It Up Monday - What Makes You Say Mmmmm? - A Themed Baker's Sunday - Tasty Tuesday - Crazy Sweet Tuesday - Tuesday Talent Show - Tea Party Tuesday - Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party - Link It Up Wednesday - Bake with Bizzy - Sweet Treats Thursday - Show Off Your Stuff - Show Me What You Got Linky Party - Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday - Friday Favorites - Anything Goes Linky - Fusion Friday - Feature Friday Free-for-All - Fun Stuff Friday - I'm Lovin' It

We Did It!

We did it!  We survived our first day of Kindergarten!  And by "we" I really mean our 5 year old (ok, and maybe Mommy too).  It was a great day.....absolutely no tears by any of us this morning (a huge fear of mine that had me not sleeping last night).....and when I picked him up he was all smiles and said he had a great day.  What a huge relief!  Maybe now I can try to catch up on my sleep tonight?

Because I was feeling a little stressed out last night, I figured it was the perfect time to try this recipe for Juicy Peach Margaritas from How Sweet It Is.  I had a pile of peaches from my weekly CSA box, and they were going fast from just perfect to too ripe.....just right for these drinks.

The hardest part of making these is the time it takes to peel and chop the peaches.......and trying not to eat them all.  You'll also need to make some simple syrup (equal parts of water and sugar heated until the sugar dissolves) and add some booze (tequila and Grand Marnier or Cointreau), lime juice, and ice (if you want blended, which is what I like).

Then sit back, and soak in the taste of summer......now I want to try these with strawberries......or watermelon........or mango.....hmmm....the possibilities are endless!!

Check out How Sweet It Is for this recipe (and of ton of other delicious stuff)......and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Turning the Table Thursday
Show Off Your Stuff
Fresh Food Friday
Friday Food
This Week's Cravings

Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie

Ahhhh....the Frozen Strawberry Margarita Pie.  This is an easy crowd pleaser....I mean who doesn't love strawberry margaritas?  I've been making this recipe from Gourmet magazine for the last couple of years, and it's always a hit!  And lucky for me, it's a really easy dessert to throw together!  You just need to put this together the day before you want to serve it, so that it can firm up in the freezer.

Imagine a strawberry margarita combined with some fresh whipped cream and then poured into a graham cracker crust and frozen......there ya have it!!  The amount of tequila and Cointreau in the recipe lets the pie truly taste like a strawberry margarita, but without a strong tequila taste.  I think next time I'll bump up the amount of tequila so that you can taste it a bit (especially since the hubby insists that we have Patron tequila in the house.....that's some good stuff!!).  You can also decide how frozen you want to serve this......right out of the freezer, or let it sit in the fridge for a while before you serve it, so that it's more of a mousse-y dessert.....your call!!

This is a little slice of summer-y heaven to me.....just close your eyes and imagine you're on vacation!

Go to Epicurious.com for the recipe.....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:

These Chicks Cooked

Cast Party Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Sweet Treats Thursday

Show Off Your Stuff

Turning the Table Thursday

Fresh Food Friday

Friday Food

I'm Lovin' It

Sweets for a Saturday

Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Monday, Mmmm......Dessert

Fat Camp Friday

This Week's Cravings

Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots

Ok......last 4th of July post, I promise!!  I decided these Strawberry Margarita Jello Shots from Bakers Royale would be a fun, adult-only little treat on a hot day.  I had been seeing a picture of these floating around on Pinterest, and they just looked so pretty and so cute....they immediately went into my Have to Try file :)

Strawberry Jello spiked with Tequila and Cointreau in a beautiful strawberry rimmed with salt and garnished with lime......such a pretty little treat!  I don't do to much with Jello so I'm glad that I read this recipe through a few days before I was going to make it, because it does need to sit in the fridge overnight so that the Jello can set up.  The jello was fantastic tasting......absolutely tasted like a strawberry margarita jello shot......I could have totally seen this in my college days in little paper cups (just the jello part....no one would have bothered with the cute strawberry part).  There was extra jello (I guess I didn't prep enough strawberries), so I just poured the extra into a bowl to be scooped out later.

My one complaint about these guys would be the salt on the top of the strawberries.  I didn't think about it while I was making them, but usually when you get a flavored margarita the rim of the glass would be coated in sugar, not salt, right?  I think that sugar would have gone better with these than salt.....it just didn't quite work for me.

Check out Bakers Royale for the recipe.....and Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Sweets for a Saturday
These Chicks Cooked
Cast Party Wednesday
Sharing Sunday
This Week's Cravings

The Luck 'o the Irish

I realize that St. Paddy's Day has come and gone, but it is still March ......I'm allowed one pass aren't I?? I couldn't resist sharing these amazing cupcakes......Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Bailey's Buttercream Frosting. If you've never baked with alcohol before, this is a great introduction. Guinness Stout pairs AMAZINGLY with chocolate.....so good in fact, that the hubby probably could have devoured the cupcakes plain with only a sprinkling of powdered sugar (which is what we did right when they came out of the oven....mmmmmm....). But then you top it off with a buttercream frosting that has a hint of Bailey's in it, and wow! These puppies really did a number on my willpower.

Try them.....you'll love them.....and why bother waiting till next St. Paddy's Day....these would be yummy anytime! Check out The Culinary Chronicles for the full recipe......enjoy!