Since marrying into an Irish family, St. Patrick’s Day (or Amateur Day, as the Husby calls it) has become a big deal for me, food wise at least. We started this morning with green pancakes, bangers and eggs and had all intentions of making corned beef and cabbage for dinner. But our BFFs PSquared are moving tomorrow so we wanted to spend one last night with them before they go. We are devastated that they’re leaving but they’ll only be an hour and a half away. We will miss them like crazy but we’ll still see each other – it’ll just take more planning.
Since I knew I wouldn’t be having my traditional meal (don’t worry, it’s currently cooking away in the crockpot for later), I wanted to do something in the Irish spirit. Then, magically, this recipe arrived in my inbox via Martha the Great. It was meant to be.
The flavor in these bad boys was outstanding. The coffee grounds in the batter paired with the whiskey in the glaze made my tastebuds dance. The flavors were both definitely prominent but not overwhelming in the way that whiskey usually gives me the shivers when I taste it.
In other news, the Baby Burrito turned 5 months old. How the hell did that happen? It was only yesterday when she was brand new!
Ingredients
For the Blondies:
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
- 2 Sticks Butter, melted
- 2 Cups Brown Sugar, packed
- 3 Tbsp. Ground Coffee
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1/2 Cup Sliced Almonds
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For the Glaze:
- 1 Tbsp Butter, melted
- 2 Tbsp. Irish Whiskey (I used Jameson)
- 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 baking pan and set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda.
Pour the melted butter into a bowl. Add the brown sugar, ground coffee and salt. Mix to combine, then stir in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Spread the batter into the baking pan and sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake for 27-30 minutes (the shorter the baking time, the chewier the blondie). Allow to cool completely.
To make the glaze, whisk together the butter and whiskey. Add the powdered sugar and stir until the glaze is thick but still liquid. Drizzle the glaze over the blondies using either a spoon or a plastic bag with a small hole snipped out of one corner. Allow the glaze to set for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Keep the blondies at room temperature up to 2 days.
Source -
1.4
http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/irish-coffee-blondies/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
In all my years of cooking and baking, I’ve never made a cheesecake. I’ve just always been crazy intimidated by it for no real reason whatsoever. So naturally my first reaction upon seeing that my swap recipe for the week was indeed a cheesecake, was fear.
I hopped over to Amazon and placed a springform pan into my cart but somehow overlooked the “place your order” button, even though 2 new cookbooks and some baby clothes showed up at my house a few days later. So I already had that working against me. Then, my chunk of white chocolate I bought in Seattle and have been slowly working my way through disappeared without a trace. Sigh. So there was that too. Oh, and did I mention that I didn’t read through the recipe beforehand like I usually do and didn’t see that I needed to let the cheesecake set and chill for at least 4 hours? Note to self for next time – do not make cheesecake at 6pm.
Due to my Amazon mishap, I decided to make the cheesecake into individual servings by using ramekins. Plus, portion control is definitely my friend when it comes to dessert. If I’d had a whole cheesecake at my disposal, I’d inhale the entire thing before I’d even realize what I’d done. And while searching frantically for my white chocolate, I came across a bag of butterscotch chips and thought the flavors would work well together.
And while the process of making this recipe was all sorts of fail on my part, the end result was not as bad as I was expecting. Although my cheesecakes weren’t as smooth as I’d hoped, I didn’t find any dreaded cracks. And it was quite delicious! I took the uneaten portions and popped them in the fridge because it’s always nice to have a sweet treat on a rainy day.
So Jenna, thanks for making me step outside my comfort zone with this one. Once my head is screwed on straight again (probably in, oh, 20-some years from now when the children go to college), I’ll get my butt into gear and make an actual cheesecake.
Individual Golden Oreo Cheesecakes.
Ingredients
- Special Equipment -
- 8 6 oz Ramekins
-
For the Cheesecake:
- 30 Golden Oreo Cookies + more for decorating
- 1/3 Cup Butter, melted
- 2 Packages Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp. Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
-
For the Glaze:
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1/8 Cup Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Butter
- 1/8 Cup Corn Syrup
- 4 1/2 Oz. Butterscotch Chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325.
Using the food processor, pulse 20 cookies until finely crushed. Remove from processor bowl and place into a separate bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Spoon a couple scoops of the crumb mixture into a ramekin and press down using your fingers. Take the bottom of a pint glass and press into the mixture to even and smooth. Repeat with remaining 7 ramekins.
Add 10 cookies to the food processor bowl and pulse until coarse. Set aside.
Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix again until incorporated. Fold in the chopped cookies. Spoon the mixture on top of the cookie crust in the ramekins until about 3/4 full.
Place the ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until no longer jiggly. Cool, then place in the fridge to set and chill for at least four hours, or overnight.
To make the glaze, place the butterscotch chips in a heatproof bowl.
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the cream, sugar, butter and corn syrup until just simmering. Pour over the chocolate and mix until smooth. Do not overstir, or it will thicken. Pour over the cheesecake tops and decorate as desired.
Source -
1.4
http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/individual-golden-oreo-cheesecakes/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
As the days are getting shorter and the weather getting colder, more and more I’m finding myself dreaming of laying on a beach with a tropical drink in hand. But since that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon, I keep trying to come up with other ways to keep the dream alive. So when I saw these cookies on My Chicago Kitchen for the Blogger’s Choice swap hosted by Sarah of A Taste of Home Cooking, I put them on the short list of things to make.
I ended up making three batches of these cookies. The first two came out of the oven flat as pancakes. On the third batch, I added more flour and it seemed to help the cookies hold their shape. I also substituted rum extract for the vanilla to give them more of a tropical flair. And when I closed my eyes and took a bite, I was transported out of the dreary Chicago weather to my own sunny Caribbean island. Hey a girl can dream, right?
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Flour
- 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1 1/2 Sticks Butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 1 tsp. Rum Extract
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
- 1 Cup Coconut Flakes
- 1 Cup Macadamia Nuts, roughly chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a mixer, add the butter, brown sugar, and rum extract and mix until creamy. Beat in the egg until well combined.
Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mix then add the rest. Mix until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, coconut flakes and macadamia nuts.
Using a cookie scoop or a rounded tablespoon, drop the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until edges are golden and cookies are baked through.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for two minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
1.4
http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/island-cookies/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
I was never a big drinker until I had children (spoken like a true mom, ha). While pregnant I craved beer, sneaking sips from the Husby here and there throughout the nine months. So my first order of business after the Baby Burrito arrived was to become reacquainted with some of my old favorites.
I also love using beer while baking. I’ve been known to buy interesting flavors to use in my baked goods (Banana Bread Beer banana bread, anyone?) so these cupcakes for the Tailgate Swap hosted by Sarah of A Taste of Home Cooking sounded right up my alley. Sadly I’m not a big fan of chocolate in cake form so I only had a small bite for quality control purposes but my taste testers assured me they were big fans.
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, plus more for dusting
- 2 Cups Sugar
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Soda
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 Bottle Stout Beer (like Guinness)
- 1 Stick Butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. Vanilla
- 3 Eggs
- 3/4 Cup Sour Cream
- 1 8oz pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
- 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 1 lb. box Powdered Sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the beer, butter, vanilla and eggs. MIx well, then add the sour cream and stir until thoroughly combined.
Spoon the batter into 24 lightly greased muffin tins until 3/4 full. Bake 12 minutes, rotate the pans and bake an additional 12 minutes. Allow to cool before turning out.
While the cupcakes are baking, beat the cream cheese on medium speed in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the heavy cream then reduce speed to low and slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Top each cupcake with the frosting and dust with cocoa powder.
Source -
1.4
http://www.thejeyofcooking.com/chocolate-stout-cupcakes/ The Jey of Cooking | http://www.thejeyofcooking.com
