Irish Cream Brownies

 

Sure, in this photo these just look like any old brownies. Not that there’s anything wrong with any old brownies, but perhaps there should have been some kind of prop in the photo to give you a clue. Maybe there was some kind of frosting I could have made to gussy them up a bit, make them more showy. Can I tell you, though, that they don’t need it? Much like us plain-looking girls, the best features may be on the inside.

That’s because I spiked these with a good, delicious dose of Irish cream liqueur. Bailey’s original to be exact, but other brands are certainly welcome. These are good brownies in the first place, a combination of this recipe and another one from The Ultimate Brownie Book by Bruce Weinstein. They are tender and lightly cakey, not quite fudgey, but I didn’t want them to be so super chocolaty that it would overwhelm the Irish cream flavor.

And you can really taste the Irish cream! I don’t think they quite qualify as “boozy” but there’s good flavor beyond the chocolate. I’ll warn you, however, that as much as the flavor of the liqueur comes out in the brownies, there’s even more oompf in the unbaked batter. Sample with caution and discretion. You may not have enough batter left to bake brownies to share.

So far, this is the only tribute to the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day in recipe form that I’ve put together this year. Even if it’s the only one I get to, however, I’ll be pretty darn happy. And then there’s the rest of that bottle of Irish cream to enjoy, too!

Irish Cream Brownies

Based on recipes in The Ultimate Brownie Book by Bruce Weinstein

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup cocoa

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup Irish cream liqueur (such as Bailey’s)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray or grease it with butter.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Whisk together until well-combined and free of lumps. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer (or another large bowl if you are using a hand mixer), combine the butter and sugar. Beat together using the paddle attachment on medium speed until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

4. Add eggs one at a time, beating until completely incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla and Irish cream liqueur. Continue beating until very smooth, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating in at low speed until just moistened. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

6. Bake at 350 F about 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out with just moist crumbs attached and no wet batter. Cool on a wire rack at least until cool enough to cut and handle. Store in an airtight container for a few days.

Another recipe like this one: Cocoa Chocolate Chip Brownies

One year ago: Mocha Granola

Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

 

I’m sure you’ve noticed that this winter has no interest in ending. My part of the world hasn’t had quite the inundation of snow that the East Coast has endured, but the cold cold COLD seems to have settled into my bones and taken up long-term residence. A few shakings from a box of cereal served with cold milk just isn’t going to get me going in the morning, I’m afraid. I was thinking fondly, instead, of this delicious baked oatmeal from back in apple season. I make breakfast (for around 100 people) at work and one of our occasional hot cereals on the winter menu is a similar baked oatmeal without the apples. I decided to see if I could combine the two ideas and make something warm and hearty for a weekend breakfast.

This recipe with raisins and walnuts is really a simplification of the version with apples, since it’s pared down to just the oatmeal, nuts and dried fruit. I used the same proportion of oatmeal, eggs and milk, and just added extra raisins and walnuts to take the place of the apples and dried cranberries. I also increased the cinnamon (and left out the nutmeg) and added a bit of additional sweetener in the form of maple syrup.

The resulting warm and comforting breakfast dish is still not very sweet, so if you like it sweeter, you could serve it with maple syrup. I stole another idea from the work recipe and served mine with warm milk poured over it, which is a very fine addition. The baked oatmeal has a texture of more like a slightly moist and crumbly cake than a bowl of oatmeal, so the additional liquid is nice. I’m sure the baked oatmeal with apples would also be well-accompanied by warm milk.

This recipe makes a whole 8-inch square pan of baked oatmeal, so it will serve me warm and cozy breakfasts for a few days (it heats up well in the microwave). I certainly hope that a little warmth from the inside does some good in getting through this tough winter in one piece rather than shattering into many. Keep warm, friends!

Cinnamon Raisin Baked Oatmeal

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup chopped walnuts

¾ cup raisins

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

warm milk for serving if desired

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray or grease as desired.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, walnuts, and raisins. Toss together to combine.

3. In a medium-size bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk together until smooth. Whisk in the cinnamon.

4. Pour the egg mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

5. Bake at 325 F for 35-40 minutes or firm and the top is brown. Serve with warm milk if desired. (I recommend!)

Makes 6-8 servings.

Another recipe like this one: Apple Baked Oatmeal with Walnuts and Cranberries

One year ago: Winter Vegetable Galettes with Cheddar, Mustard and Caramelized Onions

Crispy Light Wheat Waffles

 

There’s a really great light and crispy waffle recipe from Fine Cooking magazine that I love. It was published in The Best AmericanRecipes 2002-2003, which is where I found it about 10 years ago. It makes delicious waffles with a gently crispy texture. They require a bit of extra time and result in some extra dish washing since they contain a (as in one, single) beaten egg white. I, however, have always found it worth that time and effort.

I’ve also always thought the recipe looked like a good starting point for all kinds of variations (such as this good one from a few years ago). This time I took a cue from some of my recent baking excursions and replaced some of the white flour with whole wheat flour. Again, exchanging about a third of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat seemed like a safe place to start, and this worked well. What worked even better, at least as far as new flavors in a familiar recipe are concerned, was to add cinnamon as well.

The combination of the slight nuttiness of that little bit of wheat flour and a decent dose of cinnamon is a really winner. Of course, I also added some more sugar, though there’s still not a lot in the recipe, which I think makes the cinnamon come through even more. The whole wheat flour did nothing to diminish the lovely crisp texture of these waffles, which gets a boost from a few minutes in a warm oven. I highly recommend not skipping this step for maximum loveliness.

I liked this version of my favorite waffle recipe so much that I think it’s going to achieve status as the new favorite. I hope that doesn’t stop me from trying other variations. I think other whole grain flours could work (and be delicious) in place of the whole wheat and other warm spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, or blends like Pumpkin Pie Spice or chai spice would be good, too. I also think that this recipe could be easily doubled. So many waffles to try, so few weekends off!

Crispy Light Wheat and Cinnamon Waffles

Based on a recipe in The Best American Recipes 2002-2003 and Fine Cooking magazine

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon fine salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg, separated

¼ cup canola or other neutral oil

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat a waffle iron. Preheat oven to 250 F. Place a cooling rack on a rack in the oven.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk or sift together to combine well. Set aside.

3. In another medium-size bowl, combine the egg yolk and oil. Beat together until well-combined. Add the buttermilk, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, beat the egg white to firm peaks with an electric mixer. Set aside.

5. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until all of the dry ingredients are moist. Fold in the beaten egg white, taking care to keep it light and puffy. Stir just until the white is evenly distributed.

6. Spray the heated waffle iron with cooking spray or brush it with butter or oil. Pour a portion of batter (the sized will depend on the size of your waffle iron) onto the iron and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions.

7. Remove the baked waffle from the iron and place on the rack in the preheated oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. The waffles will not only stay warm, but will also crisp in the oven. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Makes about 4 waffles.

Other recipes like this one: Orange Millet Waffles, Overnight Yeasted Belgian Waffles

One year ago: Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Biscuits

Cherry Almond Scones

I’ve wanted to try a dried cherry and almond version of these Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones since I bombed an attempt to make them with fresh cherries last summer. I’m happy to say that using the delicious dried cherries I picked up on a mini vacation to Door County, WI last year was a much better idea. Besides, dried cherries are available year-round making them a better choice for out of season baking.

My original idea was to talk about making a basic scone recipe that I could vary as I chose, but, then, I realized that if I’m really working on such a thing, I’ve been working backwards. To have such a narrative make any sense at all, I should start with basic cream or buttermilk scones and show you how adding this or that has made my life wonderful. I didn’t do that. I made the Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones two years ago because they looked good. Then I decided to make a cherry-almond version without the oatmeal. Not a particularly fascinating story.

These scones are good, though. Dried cherries and chopped almonds are a delicious combination and I enhanced their shared performance with some almond extract, too. The scones are a bit softer than the oatmeal version, simply because I used all-purpose flour without, she said guiltily, any whole grain additions. The buttermilk contributes to this fluffiness as well.

These scones are not very sweet on their own, but I drizzled a bit of a buttermilk glaze over them. I think I’ve become obsessed with glaze since making this cake, and just couldn’t go without it. You, of course, don’t need to use it and could sprinkle some coarse sugar over the scones before baking for a bit of enhancement, or go without the additional sweetness altogether.

I cut these tea-time treats into heart shapes (aaawww…) with a cookie cutter. Actually with two different cookie cutters making some 3-inch and some 2-inch hearts for Valentine’s Day. You can cut them into whatever shape you want, although baking time might vary if you make them much larger or smaller than I have here. For me, I find them good enough that I should have made them even smaller, so I could have several at a time without quite so much calorie guilt.

Cherry Almond Scones

Both the glaze and the coarse sugar sprinkle are optional for these scones. Feel free to swap in other dried fruit and nuts to suit your taste.

for the scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon fine salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup chopped almonds

½ cup buttermilk

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup dried cherries

Coarse sugar for sprinkling, optional (do not use if using the glaze)

for the optional glaze:

½ cup sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse a few times to combine well.

3. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is distributed in pea-size lumps. Add the almonds and pulse just until they are evenly distributed.

4. Add the buttermilk and almond extract and process just until the dough starts to come together. Add the cherries and pulse a few times to distribute them.

5. Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Gently knead the dough to bring it together. Form the dough into a disc about 1inch thick. Cut out the dough with 3-inch or 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutters (I made some of each) or cut the dough into 8 to 12 circles, squares, or triangles if you prefer.

6. Transfer the cut dough to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired and you are not planning to glaze the baked scones. Bake at 350 F for 20-25minutes or until the scones are gently brown on top and golden brown on the bottom. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

7. Cool the scones completely, if not using the glaze, or enjoy them slightly warm. If using the optional glaze, set the cooling rack with the scones on top of a baking sheet or a sheet of parchment paper. Cool until they are just warm to the touch.

8. To make the glaze, place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons buttermilk and ¼ teaspoon almond extract. Spoon or brush evenly over slightly warm scones. You should have just enough glaze to pour about a teaspoon over each scone. Allow to cool long enough for the glaze to set. The glaze will remain slightly sticky.

Makes about 12 three-inch heart-shaped scones.

Other recipes like this one: Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Scones, Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Biscuits

One year ago: Tomato Sauce with Root Vegetables