Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes - The Responsible Way to Party

Adapted from www.browneyedbaker.com

So, we're all Irish today, right? Maxine says why not, since we all pretend we're good at Christmas. I have been dying to try this Pinterest find for weeks, been waiting until this week so I could time it for St. Patrick's Day. It's funny we were discussing what we were doing for St. Patty's day the other day during rounds at work, and when I mentioned I was making Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes someone said they thought that name would be offensive to the Irish. Well, the med student sitting next to me really was Irish, and she thought it was great - so if you're offended by the name then fine, you just don't get one. I've heard all kinds of radio ads this week for the Irish Car Bomb drink, and for the combination of Guiness Stout, Jameson, and Bailey's Irish Cream I would say the name is probably appropriate. So far, the cupcakes have gotten rave reviews - one comment was "Y'all shut up now while I sing to this cupcake.", so I would say even though this was a bit more labor intensive with the delightfully creamy whiskey chocolate ganache filling and homemade Irish cream buttercream, the effort was more than worth it!

Here's what you'll need:

For the Cupcakes

1 cup Guiness Stout
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache filling

8 ounce bar bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey
2 Tbsp butter (at room temp)

For the Baileys Buttercream

2 cups unsalted butter (at room temp)
5 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp Baileys Irish Cream

Before I start I want to say that the frosting recipe didn't work for me at all. It tasted like flavored butter rather than frosting, so I ended up adding more powdered sugar (and consequently, more Baileys) until I got the consistency and taste I wanted.

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F and line 24 cupcake cups with liners. I found these cute St. Patrick's Day liners at Michaels.

Bring the Guiness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the cocoa powder (I only used Hershey's because I ran out of Penzey's) and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside and let it cool slightly.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined.

Add the Guiness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Let me just say that Guiness and chocolate is a match made in heaven. I would never want to drink the stuff, but the flavor in the chocolate cupcake is really good. Trust me. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly, then take a rubber spatula and fold the batter until completely combined.

Divide the batter among the cupcakes liners. I used a spring loaded ice cream scoop for the batter and it filled each cup perfectly.

Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean - about 17 minutes. Now, I baked mine for exactly 17 minutes and when I took them out the centers immediately started to sink in - like they were not totally done. I put them back in for a couple of minutes, but then in my opinion the cake was a little dry. Don't worry too much about the centers because you are going to scoop them out anyway. Let them cool while you make the ganache.

To make the Whiskey Ganache filling:

Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. I just gave mine a rough chop because it tends to stick to everything if you chop it too fine. I broke the bar in half and stacked it, then chopped it on the diagonal - and then I turned it and chopped the other direction. The picture of the finished pile of chopped chocolate was too blurry to post, but you get the idea.

While you are chopping the chocolate, heat the cream just until simmering and then pour it over the chocolate. Now, if we were making truffles I would tell you to strain the cream through a fine mesh strainer to remove the film that forms when you heat the cream - but this is going inside the cupcake so it really doesn't matter.

After you pour it over the chocolate, let it sit for a minute, then take a rubber spatula and stir it from the center outward until it's smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined.

I got that cute little one-shot size bottle of Jameson from the HyVee liquor department - they are kept behind the cash register. I don't know if they have Baileys in the tiny bottles, the Jameson was left over from last year when I made Pioneer Woman's Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce for the Thanksgiving pecan pie.

The ganache will be runny at first, so let it sit and cool until it thickens to the consistency of pudding - you need to be able to spoon it into a piping bag to fill the cupcakes so you don't want it too runny. Here's what mine looked like after I ran some errands and did a load of laundry:

To fill the cupcakes:

Using a 1 inch round cookie cutter or the bottom of a large decorating tip (that's what I did), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about 2/3 of the way down.

Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes of each cupcake to the top. Mine sunk in a bit so I had to go back and top them off. If you don't have piping bags and tips, you can put the ganache in a Ziploc bag, then cut off one of the corners at the bottom and pipe it in that way.

To make the Baileys Frosting

Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium, and whip for another 2-3 minutes until it is light and fluffy.

Now for how I did it - and here's where I didn't follow the directions... I was apparently too lazy at 9:30 pm to drag out the stand mixer from my cluttered countertop, so I used the electric mixer and only beat the butter for maybe 3 minutes. When I had added everything, it still tasted and looked like a big bowl of sweetened butter. When I'm making frosting I want it to taste like frosting and have that consistency, so I added probably about 3 more cups of powdered sugar to get it there. This also meant drizzling in a bit more Baileys, but more liquor is not always a bad thing! I ended up with about 2 cups of leftover frosting (which isn't always a bad thing either), so next time I would try it using only 1 cup of butter. You can always add more and tweak it until you get what you want.

Using your favorite decorating tip or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

My piping skills need work, but it was fun anyway!

I sacrificed a cupcake to show you the center:

It looks a bit messy, but once you get a mouthful of that ganache you won't care. Don't doubt me! So remember, drink eat responsibly. Enjoy!

My New Favorite Sugar Cookies - Sugar Cookie Squares

I know I just recently posted my favorite cutout sugar cookie recipe, but now I think I may never make them again. I found this recipe on Pinterest, credit goes to fellow blogger Jaclyn at cookingclassy.blogspot.com It is super easy, super delicious, and super easy... did I already say it was easy? Every year I get all excited about all the goodies I'll make, and then before I know it I've run out of time, so I was thrilled to find this recipe!

I have to admit I briefly entertained the idea of using store-bought cookie dough for this, and I suppose you could do that in a pinch, but making your own is really so much more satisfying. I adapted this just a teeny bit because I wanted to try a new product I found - Princess Cake & Cookie Emulsion - in place of vanilla extract. If you have never tried using emulsions in place of extracts, you really should. Emulsions are alcohol-free, give a more robust flavor, and will withstand the heat of baking. You can purchase this from www.lorannoils.com. The Princess Emulsion gives a rich, creamy, nutty flavor - the taste was similar to a bit of almond extract.

I also used their Butter Vanilla emulsion when I made the frosting. Yum!

Here's the recipe:

SUGAR COOKIE SQUARES

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg + 1 egg white

1 Tablespoon sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract (here's where I substituted the Princess Emulsion)

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

VANILLA FROSTING

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2-tsp half & half

1 tsp vanilla (I used 1/2 tsp Princess Emulsion and 1/2 tsp Butter Vanilla Emulsion)

Pinch of salt

Food coloring as desired

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9x12 pan or use baking spray. I love the baking spray! In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt - set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients and stil until well combined.

If you don't want to mess with separating an egg and dealing with the leftover yolk, you can use the egg whites in the carton. I was doing this in the morning so I saved the yolk and made scrambled eggs while my pan was in the oven.

With buttered hands, gently pat the dough into the prepared pan. I hate buttered hands, so I keep a box of disposable gloves on hand and butter those instead. I thought of doing that about 8 years ago while making 8 million Rice Krispie treats for the concession stand when my son's high school was hosting a Speech and Debate meet, and it's one of my favorite kitchen tricks ever since.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Don't let it get too brown, the edges should be just slightly golden like this:

Cool completely before frosting, then decorate if desired and cut into squares. I cut mine diagonally across and straight up and down lengthwise so my bars ended up a cute diamond shape - just to be a little more festive.

I used green for Christmas, but you could use this recipe for any occasion throughout the year.

One thing I learned - I added a little extra powdered sugar and a teeny bit more liquid to get more frosting. Because I love frosting... but when you make the frosting, be sure and leave it a little bit stiff. I found that I had to let the pan set overnight before I could cut them because the frosting didn't want to set up.

My husband tasted these and the next day he was talking about them at work, so this is definitely a keeper!

My Favorite Holiday Salad

The only similarity between this and the Red Jello recipe made famous by the Lutheran Church Basement Women, is that this recipe uses red Jello and hot water. My mom has been making this salad for holiday dinners for as long as I can remember. I think she does it just for me because it's always been my favorite. What makes it unique is that it has walnuts in it. There is something about the combination of the nuts, celery and apples that goes mixed in with the cinnamon candy flavored jello that is just too good for words. I could make a snarky remark about nutty jello and the Lutheran Church Basement Women, but I'll be nice. Don't be afraid of nutty jello though, because each bite of this is a cool burst of sweet-apple-cinnamon-nutty-crunchy goodness that will make your mouth very, very happy. Just think, you will be getting your fruit, veggies, and your Omega-3s all in one sweet treat. Sounds healthy to me!


Cinnamon Jello Salad

1 small box cherry Jello (it's okay to use sugar-free jello if you like)

1 cup hot water

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup cinnamon red-hot candy

1 cup apples (peeled and chopped)

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the red-hot candy in a small bowl, set it aside until dissolved, and then add enough water to equal 1 cup of liquid. Pour 1 cup hot water over jello and stir until dissolved. Add the cinnamon water to jello, and refrigerate. When it is almost set, stir in walnuts, apples, and celery. We make this in a 9 x 13 baking dish and cut into squares to serve.

Love it! Thanks, Mom.

Thanksgiving Eve and Cider Pumpkin Bread

Twas the night before... oh wait, that's the wrong holiday. It's 10:30 pm and I have already made my pie crusts. Four of them. I had to turn on the ceiling fan by the time I was on the third one because I was sweating from patting out that dough while standing next to a 450 degree oven. Slaving over a hot stove is about right!

The crusts are pre-baked and cooled, ready for the various fillings in the morning. My sweet potatoes are cooked and the Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce I made for the pecan pie is done and everything is in the fridge ready for finishing before we head over to my parent's house tomorrow.

The last thing I'm doing tonight is trying a new recipe I found while browsing the Food Network website. So far, I haven't been able to get links to post here, but if you search the recipe title on their site you will find it. It was submitted by a viewer and not one of the Food Network chefs, so the "FN chefs have not tested this recipe and therefore, we cannot make representation as to the results." Fine. Good thing they have me to do their work for them. Anyway, judging by how yummy the batter tasted, this one will be a keeper! I didn't have time to deal with photos tonight, but I'll post the recipe anyway.

Cider Pumpkin Bread

2 cups brown sugar (I won't say "packed", because when was the last time you ever saw a recipe where you don't pack the brown sugar?)

2 cups pumpkin puree (1 can)

2 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup apple cider

4 1/2 cups flour

2 Tablespoons baking powder (No, this isn't a typo, it really says 2 tablespoons)

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 cup raisins (If you don't like raisins, leave them out... I did.)

1 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine brown sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and cider. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and mix until moistened. Add raisins if you like them, and walnuts, and mix thoroughly. Divide the batter into 2 portions and pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Just to be different, I sprinkled some sugar on top of the batter. Place in oven (Really? Did they think we wouldn't know to do that?) and bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pans on rack until room temperature. Remove from pans and serve.

My loaf pans are these ginormous 10 inch things, so my quick breads usually turn out wide but not very high. This time I am experimenting with some of those little disposable foil loaf pans. These measure about 5 x 3-ish inches, and come in a package of 5 for $1.50 at Walmart. This recipe filled 7 of them. Since the pans are small, I cut the time down to 40 minutes - just guessing here. I just took a quick peek, and with 8 minutes of baking time left, they look beautiful! I will take a picture when they are done and post it later after the holiday craziness is over.

In the meantime, I want to wish everyone a blessed Thanksgiving holiday. I know that I have so much to be thankful for today. More than you know.

Okay, the timer just went off. *runs into kitchen* I cannot wait to show you these loaves. They are gorgeous, 40 minutes was perfect. I did the "insert toothpick" test and it was perfectly clean. The sugar on top makes them look nice and sparkly, which is really cool if you like sparkly things. Hopefully they will cool quickly so I can wrap them up so I can go to bed. It's been a very long day!

Coming soon... Pecan Pie with Whiskey Maple Cream Sauce (courtesy of Pioneer Woman), and Toll House Pie (courtesy of my good friend Mary Beth.)

Update 11/26 Everyone was laughing at me yesterday because I made them wait until I got my pictures of the food before they could eat. The pumpkin bread is delicious! It's very moist, and the sugar on top adds a nice, subtle crunchy sweetness. This will be my go-to recipe for the future.

Here is the batter all ready for the oven:



One of the finished loaves:



A couple of slices: I love the pretty pumpkin color of this bread. I had it for breakfast this morning.

Pumpkin Pie... Round 2 & Pastry Flour

Okay, true confession time. When I was typing the recipe in my last post I realized that I had misread the ingredients for the pie filling. Instead of 3/4 cup brown sugar, I thought it said 1/4 cup. Blame it on the bifocals. Yeah, that works for me. That, along with the fact that I had completely forgotten to try my new pastry flour, is the reason why I decided to make another pie. The one with not enough brown sugar looked pretty, but it did not really taste very good. If I had tasted the filling I would have noticed it wasn't right. I don't know why I didn't, I usually am all over tasting stuff. Needless to say we each tried a piece and the rest ended up in the trash. If I had a nickel for every time I had to throw something in the trash because I screwed it up, well, I would definitely be able to quit my day job. So... here we go again!

Here's the scoop on the pastry flour. Arrowhead Mills Organic Whole Grain Pasty Flour. I found it at Whole Foods. See there in the background how I already have my oven preheated to 450 like a good girl? Yep, I'm doing it right this time.



This is a whole grain flour made from spring wheat, which is softer and has less gluten than the hard winter wheat used to make all-purpose flour. It is supposed to be better for pastries and cakes because of it's lighter texture. I like that it's whole grain. I admit I don't really care about it being organic, but I know that is important to some people so I consider it a plus. My favorite thing is that it's made from wheat grown in Colorado. I love anything to do with Colorado.

I can tell the difference in the color of the dough with this flour.



When I partially baked the crust, I noticed the edges had already started to brown. I usually use one of those pie shields to keep the crust from over-baking, but since this filling recipe fills even a deep dish pie pan almost to the top, a pie shield would leave it's mark in the finished pie. That will never do, because it has to look pretty. The good thing is that the crust didn't puff up during the pre-baking process. I'm much happier when I don't have to do an intervention with my food.



I made the same pumpkin-eggnog filling as before, only this time I made sure I did it right and tasted it. Yum. I also am 2 for 2 on getting it into the oven without spilling. Yay me... yeah right. Guess who forgot to reset the oven timer after she turned the heat down to 300? I guess I really did need to practice before turkey day after all. All is well though, with a little babysitting it all turned out just fine.

This pie is much prettier than the other one.



All dressed up and ready for tasting.



The filling on this one is wonderful, with just the right amount of sweetness and spice. The crust... well, let's just say I am disappointed. It looks good and is flaky enough, but I think the whole grain makes it more coarse rather than that nice delicate flakiness you expect in a good pie crust. I also think the whole wheat flavor is too strong. The crust should complement the filling, not compete with it. If you use a lot of whole grain products you might like this, but I'm really glad I tested this now before I crank out all my Thanksgiving pies next week.

If anyone out there wants to borrow a cup or two of pastry flour... call me.

Pumpkin Pie

Is anybody else staring into space with your mouth hanging open in shocked disbelief that Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow? That means the next time I blink my eyes it will be here, so I had better start thinking about getting ready. My job is always pies, so today I am doing a dry run of my pumpkin pie. Nah.. I really don't need practice, I just can't wait another week to eat pumpkin pie. Of course I'm mad now, because I found "pastry flour" at Whole Foods last week and wanted to try it, but just now realized that I completely forgot about it. Oh well, I had King Arthur flour in my cannister and that always works just fine.

I have several different pie crust recipes, and I'm always looking for the perfect one. Today I pushed the "easy" button and made the Pat-A-Pan Pie Crust from one of my favorite books, The Amish Cook's Baking Book. This is a great crust if you are teaching your kids to cook because you make it right in the pan, and you get to put your hands in it, but it doesn't terrorize your kitchen by leaving a huge mess. It's flaky and crispy, and super easy. It only works for a single crust pie though, you can't double it and it's too tender to roll out or transfer to another pan. For single crust pies and/or if you're in a hurry it's perfect.

Pat-A-Pan Pie Crust

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons cold milk

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a 9-inch pie pan and mix with your fingers until evenly blended. Mixing anything with your hand is fun, so do it. In a measuring cup (use a 2-cup one for this) mix the oil and milk with a whisk until it looks creamy.



Pour oil/milk mixture over the flour mixture and mix with a fork until is completely moistened.



Now pat the dough with your fingers until it is even on the bottom and all the way up the sides. The book says now to flute the edges, but I don't think this crust really works very well for that because it's not a real firm dough, in fact it will feel a bit oily when you have your hands in it. I'm using an old vintage deep dish pie pan which I love because all I have to do is press the dough into the already fluted edges, and it's good to go.



Now you can either prebake the crust if you need to, or partially bake it. I always partially bake my crusts when I'm making a single-crust pie, I think they just turn out more flaky on the bottom, and I hate a doughy bottom crust. To partially bake your crust, heat the oven to 450. Prick the crust all over with a fork, then place a sheet of heavy-duty foil in the pan and press it down against the crust inside the pan so it covers the entire crust. Bake it for 6 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 4 minute. Set it aside to cool while you prepare your filling. Keep a close eye on this, if it starts to puff up just poke it more with that fork.

Now for the filling. I use the Pumpkin Pie recipe from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book by Marion Cunningham. No, she is not Richie's mom. This book has been my "baking bible" for years, but I am guilty of going rogue for this one because I substitute eggnog for the evaporated milk. Even if you don't like eggnog don't be afraid to try this. You can't really taste the eggnog, but it gives it a nice but subtle extra layer of flavor and creaminess that you can't beat. Don't even bother with the recipe on the back of the Libby's can, it's nowhere near as good as the woman who is not Richie's mom's recipe. Trust me on this, you won't be sorry.

Pumpkin Pie

1 partially baked pie shell
2 cups pumpkin puree, either cooked fresh (I have no idea how to do this) or canned. (I use 1 can of Libby's, be sure you get straight pumpkin and NOT pie filling.)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or heavy cream (or eggnog)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice

(or use 3 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice instead of the individual spices)

Heat oven to 450. In large bowl, beat together the pumpkin and eggs. Add the milk/cream/eggnog and sugar, then the salt and spices. Beat until smooth. Pour into the cooled pie shell and bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is almost set. A sharp knife inserted just off center will come out clean, with traces of custard on it. The center should not be completely firm. In my oven, 35 minutes was a little bit too long, so start at 30 minutes and then you can always leave it in a little longer if needed.



Even with this deep dish pie pan, the filling really fills it up. I baked this on a foil lined pan in case I spilled it because it's hard to get it in the oven without spilling. I did good this time, no spills! You would never know I could get anything in my oven without spilling, as evidenced by the number of crusty burned spots that reside on the bottom of my oven.

Finished pie:



Pumpkin pie is never complete without a healthy dollop of whipped cream. I love the "extra creamy" Cool Whip, and my brother's family swears by the canned Reddi Whip, which is actually real whipped cream. The best ever though, is the homemade whipped cream that my grandma used to make. There's no right or wrong, just whatever you like and have time for. I remember one holiday gathering when I was a kid, my Aunt Margie literally buried my slice of pie under a small mountain of that sweet, creamy goodness. She said it was because I needed to put some meat on my bones. Well, thanks Aunt Margie, it worked...