Bourbon Maple Bars

I have had this recipe tucked away for some time now.  It was actually one of the recipes I got when I first started in G+.   Since then I have pulled a couple more from the site.  The recipes are from Micheal Recchiuti, that has a lot of talent when it comes to confections.  His site has a lot to offer in the way of treats as well as recipes.

As far as this recipe, I am glad I found something a little bit upscale and unique in comparison to all the blondie and brownie recipes floating around out there.  The moist maple and bourbon cake along with the crunchy toasted walnuts turned out to be a pretty tasty bar.  The only change I made to the recipe was making 1/2 a batch more of the glaze.  The original recipe amount left too much of the bar showing through, so it was not enough in my opinion.  

Due to the fact it was late and I was unable to get in touch with Micheal prior to this post for permission to post the recipe details here, I have provided a direct link to his site for the recipe:
Dad's Bourbon Maple Bars

Outside of the fantastic recipes, I am thinking that I may splurge for Halloween and try some of his chocolate candy. However, for right now I am splurging on these maple bars!
                             **LAST YEAR: Chestnut Chocolate Muffins***

Kentucky Corkscrews

Well I am happy to say I did finally get my donut pan.  However, instead of getting one pan, I found a duo pack that had a pan for twist type donuts also.  Of course since I have been seeing recipes for the round ones, I thought I would be daring and try the twist type ones.

I did a lot of experimenting with the batter as well as the filling. Some of the donuts were too airy and some of the creams did not set up properly, so I can say the trash was well fed, until I landed on the right blend.

The name is derived from the fact that the shape reminds me of corkscrews and the recipe includes two things that you can easily find in Kentucky-sweet potatoes and bourbon!  The donut is baked and the batter is made with sweet potatoes and a touch of maple extract.  Then it is filled with a bourbon pastry cream and covered in cinnamon sugar. This recipe makes 4 twists.

Kentucky Corkscrews
by flourtrader

Ingredients/ Donut
1/4 cup cooked sweet potato, pureed
1/2 tsp maple extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup cake flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon

Ingredients/Cream Filling
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs whole milk
3 tbs sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
2 egg yolks
2 tbs bourbon

Ingredients/Topping
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

To make the donuts, spray the pan with non stick spray.  Then preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Then make a well in the center.  Set aside. In a smaller bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, oil and extract and beat until there is a light foam on top.

Pour the egg batter into the dry ingredients and stir all together until no dry streaks remain.  Then fold in the sweet potato.

Then fill half of each donut cavity with the batter.  Then place in oven and bake until done, about 10-12 minutes.  Tops will spring back lightly when touched.  Remove from oven and invert donuts on a rack to cool.

To make the pastry cream, put milk in a saucepan and let come to a simmer.  Remove from heat.  Then take another bowl and whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until blended.  Take the cornstarch and sift it into the batter.  Then whisk the batter again, making sure the cornstarch is evenly distributed.

Add the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk in three increments, whisking for about 30 seconds after each addition.  Then place over medium heat, continuing to whisk constantly.  Once mixture thickens and comes to a boil, remove from heat.  Then whisk in the bourbon while the cream is still warm. Let cool for about 10 minutes before filling donuts.

For assembly, take a long knife and a cut a slit in the donut all the way through or take a core out of the donut half way down on each end.  Either way is a personal preference.  Then take a piping bag with a large pastry tip and fill with cream.  Stick tip into one end of donut and fill halfway with cream.  Then repeat on other end.  Continue this process for all of the donuts.

For the topping, mix together the cinnamon and sugar.  Then brush the top and sides of the donuts and sprinkle sugar on top and sides.  Then turn and brush the bottom with butter and do the same.  Now you are ready to enjoy some donuts!
                     **Last Year: Avocado Egg Rolls**

Brazilian Bourbon Blondies

Some days you are really reminded that food bloggers are such a unique niche of people out there.  When talking about my blog, there are 2 responses I sometimes get.  One is that wierd look-you know- the ones that say I have no clue of what you are talking about, but I do not want to ask.  The other one is "Now what is this blog thing??".

Not all of us dive into the social media or even concern ourselves about it.  Funny, my mom said that my uncle has a computer and all he has on it is the game of solitare.  Oh, he spends time using it, but he also spends time sleeping in front of it.

I am not sure what I would do without having the computer and all my blogger friends that share a comment interest of food.

Anyhow, on to the recipe.  The recipe below is reflective of the changes I made from the original recipe.  The sugars called for were in measurements of 3/4 of a cup.  Due to the sweetness of the white chocolate, I changed it to 1/2.  The other thing is that it took longer to bake than the recipe stated.

The bars are moist and chewy, not cake-like.  I my opinion, the flavor blend kind of reminds me of a cinnamon praline.  The white chocolate gives it the chewy texture while the brown sugar and bourbon is the height of the flavor along with the cinnamon spice.


Brazilian Bourbon Blondies
adapted from Sophisticated Cookie

Ingredients
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
1 cup chopped unsalted Brazil nuts (boil for a few minutes if salted to remove salt)
1/2 cup white choc chips
3 tbs bourbon

Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and line the bottom and two sides with parchment, leaving an overhang on each side to use as handles.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Sift together flour and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.  Beat together butter and two types of sugars until light and fluffy.  Set is aside also.

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler.  The recipe states to let cool for 5 minutes, but my chocolate set up too fast.  I did not let cool.  Pour melted chocolate into butter/sugar mixture and beat until completely blended.  Then, with a wooden spoon, blend eggs and bourbon into the batter.

Fold the flour mixture into the batter until no dry streaks remain.  Lastly, mix in the chopped brazil nuts.

Spoon the batter nto the pan and smooth the top so all is even.  Place pan in oven and bake for 20-35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  The recipe said 20-25 minutes but mine took about 33 minutes.

Remove and cool in pan before cutting. Then lift out by the parchment handles.  Cut and it is ready to serve.

The cookbook states that complete cooling is required in order for the chocolate in the bars to set up.  Also, there is a note about many blondies are cakes masquerading as blondies because eggs are used to create the texture.  I guess the author feels that "real" blondies as well as brownies require chocolate.  That is probably how some baked goods got the name of bars instead of blondies.
                       **LAST YEAR: Frangelico Ice Cream**

Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Recently, I received an ice cream recipe book that was created by a girl that had her first ice cream shop when she was 23.  In reviewing the book, I noticed that some of the ingredients as well as methods were unique.  Mostly all of her recipes contain a little cream cheese and corn syrup.  In addition, she does a ice bath as an alternative to refrigerating all night prior to putting the mixture into an ice cream maker.

The ice bath just moves the chilling process to the end, so that was not much of a time saver.

The other unique part about the book is the flavors represented in frozen yogurt, sorbets and ice creams. With ice creams names like Queen city Cayenne and Bankok Peanut, it was hard to decide which one to make.  Since I never made any of her recipes before, I picked one recipe that was fairly tame to start.

The end result was a very creamy treat that had just the right amount of bourbon complimented with the roasted pecans.  This particular ice cream is one of their signature flavors and after tasting it, I can understand why.  This recipe makes about one quart of ice cream, but if you have guests or a big family-it won't last long.

Bourbon Butter Pecan Ice Cream
courtesy of Jenis Splendid Ice Cream at Home

Ingredients
3/4 cup halved or quartered pecans
1 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp fine sea salt (for roasting pecans)
1/4 cup bourbon
2 cups whole milk
2 tbs light corn syrup
1 1/2 oz or 3 tbs cream cheese (softened)
1 tbs plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
big bag of crushed ice

First you will need to prepare the pecans.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, mix together the pecans, melted butter and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Pour into a foil pan or onto a baking sheet and spread evenly.  Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, turning at the halfway point.  The release of the aroma is a good indicator that they are finished toasting.  Remove pan and set aside to cool.  Turn off oven.

Take out two small prep bowls.  Out of the 2 cups of milk, measure out 2 tablespoons and place in one bowl.  Stir in cornstarch until smooth.  In another bowl, mix together 1/4 tsp of salt and cream cheese with a fork. Set both small bowls aside.

Put the rest of the milk, corn syrup, sugar and cream in a large saucepan.  Place pan over medium high heat.  When the mixture reaches a rolling boil, set timer for 4 minutes and continue to boil. Once timer goes off, remove from heat. Take the small bowl of cornstarch mixture and stir for one last time and then slowly pour it into the saucepan.

Put saucepan back on stovetop to cook again.  Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Boil for one minute. It should thicken a little bit in this time. Remove from heat.

Using a spatula, take your cream cheese mixture and empty it into a large bowl.  Set it aside.

Take a large heat proof cup or deep small bowl and place a gallon size plastic freezer bag inside(I used Ziploc brand).  Leave the top gaping open.  Also, fill your sink with some water and then pour in the bag of ice.  Place the bagged cup or bowl close by the sink.

Pour 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the bowl of cream cheese and whisk until smooth.  Slowly add the rest of the liquid, continuing to whisk.  Once the cream cheese is no longer visible in the mixture, pour in the bourbon and stir to finalize making the ice cream batter.

Acting quickly, pour all of the batter into the bag and seal top. Then immerse bag in ice bath.  When I first read about this process, I had a picture of a melted plastic bag and ice cream running everywhere.  Surprisingly, that did not happen, so there was no need to worry.

Set the timer for 30 minutes and leave the bag immersed so the batter can get cold. After that, pour it into ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions.  Add The pecans to the ice cream a few minutes before churn completion time.

Lastly, empty ice cream into a container with a lid and cover ice cream with parchment paper.  Then place lid on top and freeze for at least 4 hours, or more depending on how frozen you like your ice cream.  It was 8 pm when the 4 hours passed, but I just left mine to freeze overnight.  Now, enjoy this frosty treat!