Irish Cream Liqueur Brownies- A Delicious Experiment and Two Recipes

All Costco’s Kirkland brand drinks seem to be great- the wines, the liquors, and now… how about this Irish Cream Liqueur? Into the cart it went since I couldn’t pass up the possibility of a good drink.

We have since tried it, and the Kirkland Irish Cream Liqueur is a winner! On ice and in coffee, The Husband and I have loved it. The Bunco Club has indulged and gave their approval, but the level in the bottle has still barely dropped.What am I supposed to do with an enormous bottle? It’s time to experiment because this is a seriously ridiculous amount of booze…

How about brownies? Yum.

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The Ingredients

Irish Cream Liqueur Brownies

Oven at 350. Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking pan.

Into a large bowl put:

  • The brownie mix

Mix together in a small bowl or measuring cup:

  • 1/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur instead of water (or amount of liquid as directed by recipe)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon instant coffee crystals

Beat together in a medium bowl:

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (or as directed)
  • 2 eggs (ditto)

Stir together the liqueur and egg mixes, then slowly add all the liquid mix into the large bowl with the instant brownie mix. Add in chocolate chips now, if you are using them in your recipe. Stir until combined, but don’t over mix. 

IMG_9748Pour batter into prepared pan. Follow your usual baking directions, and in about 25 minutes you should be in Brownie Bliss!

I need about a half gallon of milk right now, or maybe a big mug of black coffee… or two. I just tasted my brownie concoction and WOW. Very sweet, but Very good. I think that the brownie mix could have stood another tablespoon or two of liqueur, as the batter was not only more stiff than when usually made with water, but also- the Irish Cream Liqueur flavor is pretty mild.

Irish Cream Liqueur Icing (makes about 1 1/2 cups icing)

  • In bowl of stand mixer, slowly beat together one cube of butter, two ounces cream cheese(1/4 of an 8 oz. block) and two cups powdered sugar. Beat on high speed for three to four minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Stop the mixer and add one teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup Irish Cream Liqueur. Mix again, on low speed until combined, then high again for one to two minutes.

 

My Baking Notes:

-I used my family’s favorite boxed mix as a base and added my not-so-secret ingredients (instant coffee, vanilla, and chocolate chips). Remember, if you are going to use instant coffee crystals to punch up the chocolate flavor, you must add the dry coffee to the water/vanilla/liqueur and NOT directly into the batter, or they won’t dissolve.
-If you mix together all your liquids before stirring them into the brownie mix, you are much less likely to over mix the batter.

Bonus Tip!!

Ever hear that if you slice your brownies with a plastic knife, that they will slice more evenly and not get all ragged? Well, it is true.

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Metal knife vs. …

 

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…plastic knife (see the difference?

Yep. It works, slice up your brownies with a plastic knife from now on, everyone!

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Two Moms and A Lot of Fun…

The Intention:

Zumbar- the best coffee in San Diego
Zumbar- the best coffee in San Diego

Two moms have all teens and pre-teens either in school or otherwise accountable. They meet for coffee and pastries, have tickets to the San Diego County Fair, and plan to spend AS MUCH TIME AS THEY WANT, all morning and afternoon, to pore over the art, horticulture, cooking, and any other exhibits WITHOUT KIDS SAYING “Mooooom, we’re booooooored, can’t we leave the exhibits and ride the Throw ‘Em Upper Coaster now?!??”

Hidden Agenda:

Get the Swedish partner in crime to try Fair Food. Fried Fair Food.

The Reality:

The fair is closed for the first two Tuesdays. Dammit!

What We Did:

Liberty Station
Liberty Station

Sat in the fairground parking lot for five minutes wondering how it escaped both of our attention to this Tuesday closing… kept getting distracted with twenty other subjects, then decided to hit another San Diego landmark instead. Liberty Station? Great idea! I’ve never looked around this beautiful site or explored the grounds.

Need to come back to see more!
Need to come back to see more!

We had a great time wandering around, looking at all of the different art shops that were open at the time… less than half, I’d say, but we picked up flyers about a bunch of upcoming local events, classes and restaurants. There’s a WINE AND CHEESE AND CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL!! June 26th, people, mark your calendars- I know I am!

Bonus:

I kind of covered the hidden agenda, but it was a total compromise. Stone Brewing has an appetizer that can convert any vegetable hater- Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts, with Pancetta and a Honey Balsamic dressing. Holy Explicative, these are great, and I’m glad I got to introduce my friend to this snack and the lovely Stone restaurant.

We are trying for the fair again later this week. We are bound and determined. And I will make Annika try fair food- corn dog or funnel cake… her choice!

Little Bits of Fun on a Long Weekend…

-An attempt at trying to make my own Nutty Irishman at home. Verdict: mine wasn’t as good as the bartender’s.

-A garage full of teenagers working out how to build a boat out of cardboard for their AP Physics project. Their only goal is to do better than their friends in the other class. Good luck to them…

-And one last bonus: neighbor friend of The Husband had a grilling get-together this weekend. Thanks to them, I was able to meet people right around the corner who’s home I pass nearly every day. What a nice group of people! Lesson learned: get out there and meet the people in your neighborhood. Mr. Rogers would be proud of you.

All Hail The Nutty Irishman!

Oh man, where has this drink been the last 27 years of my life?!? Went to The Company Pub and Kitchen for wings and found a fabulous cocktail instead.

Photo from Food.com Click pic for link and recipe!
Photo from Food.com
Click pic for link and recipe!

It is unseasonably cold in The Great Southland tonight, and I went with our server’s suggestion to try this hot coffee-based drink- yea for great suggestions! The Nutty Irishman has a coffee base, hazelnut liqueur, and my all-time favorite, Bailey’s Irish Cream. Perfect. I really loved how a gal at the table next to us was delighted that I went with her favorite drink.

The basic recipe is-

That’s it- serve with whipped cream, if you like. I loved this drink.

Our $20K Coffee Mugs

Home again, and nothing tastes like your own coffee on your own couch with your pets in your laps and CBS Sunday Morning. Today’s coffee is brought to you by our new mugs from The Official College Bookstore of The Girl’s First Choice.

It has been an overwhelming past 10 days or so. This is all I can manage today- sharing a photo of our new coffee mugs.

Earlier today I posted on Facebook, “The last ten days have been a blur. There was no ‘break’ in my Spring Break. I want a do over. Wait. No, I don’t.”

Life never slows down, not for anything or anyone. I’m ready to Carpe me some Diem tomorrow.

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I actually do have a couple posts to fill in the missing days on this here blog thing… some photography and a new read that was surprisingly funny. For now, I’m taking the rest of this weekend off (I’ve sunk to using my dad’s jokes, time to catch some Zs).