Homemade Hazelnut Irish Cream

I’m not an Irish Cream on the rocks kind of girl.

I love it in my morning coffee or as an after dinner dessert drink.

I especially love it in a creamy Swiss Meringue icing.  Gorgeously piled on top of a Guinness Dark Chocolate Cupcake.

Or in a Hazelnut Irish Cream and Chocolate Ice Cream.

Rich Callebaut chocolate chunks marbled throughout a creamy Irish Cream Ice Cream?  Yes Please!

Do you see a theme here?

I think Irish Cream lends a smooth and creamy flavour to many desserts without going overboard.  And, even better when it can be made in an instant.  Literally.  Five minutes of prep time and your guests will love you for it.

Tell me your favourite way to use Irish Cream.

Homemade Hazelnut Irish Cream Liquor

*adapted from allrecipes.com

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
•  1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
• 1 cup Irish Whiskey
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 2 tbsp chocolate syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp hazelnut oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on high for 30 seconds.  Store in a sealed container in the fridge.  Shake well before using.

Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches and a Birthday (or two!)

Yesterday my boys turned 11.  Hard to believe that 11 years ago they were so tiny (just a little over 4 pounds when we brought them home!) and now I wear their shoes when I need to go outside for a quick second.  They are both very different personalities (one’s neat and tidy and one’s a whirling dervish!) but also so similar in some ways.  Both have a great sense of humour and both are sporty social guys who are really loyal to their friends.  They’re good boys.   I can’t really take credit because I think they were just born that way…perfect to me.

I have to say though, something happened, maybe ’in utero’ as they say….

I don’t know what I did….

I don’t know how it happened…I question it all the time…..

My boys don’t really like cake.  They don’t really have a sweet tooth which probably in the long-term is fantastic for them, however for me it continues to be a puzzle.

So, for birthday dessert one of my sons requested Homemade Brownie Ice-Cream Sandwiches.  Pretty easy to do, but a little tough to decorate with candles….

I found the recipe in Chatelaine Magazine and have made it many times over the summer.   There are so many options for flavours!  The sandwich part is a brownie baked on a cookie sheet.  Easy easy!  And so rich and yummy.

I did make some cupcakes too (I can’t help myself…) just for blowing out candles.  Some were a yummy Milk Dud flavour and some were Devils Food Chocolate with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream which I’ll be sure to share in a later post!

Brownie Ice-Cream Sandwiches

• 84 g  unsweetened chocolate, about 3 squares,  coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 cup  granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp  salt
• 1/4 tsp  vanilla
• 2   eggs
• 1/4 cup  all-purpose flour
• 2 L  vanilla ice cream or flavour of choice, in rectangular box

Preheat oven to 350°.

1.  Oil a rimmed baking sheet measuring about 11 × 17 in., then line with parchment paper. Place chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium until chocolate is almost melted, about 2 min. Stir halfway through.

2.  Stir sugar, salt and vanilla into warm chocolate mixture. Whisk in eggs, one at a time, until blended. Stir in flour just until mixed. Scrape onto prepared sheet. Spread batter over parchment using an offset spatula to create a smooth, even, very thin layer.

3.  Bake in centre of oven until brownie appears shiny and is firm but slightly undercooked, about 8 min. Remove from oven and cool in pan, about 30 min. Run a knife along edges of pan. Cut brownie in half, making two long rectangles. Place pan in the freezer for 5 min. Remove from freezer. Gently lift brownie and, using scissors, cut the parchment, separating the rectangles.

4.  Place 1 brownie top-side down on a cutting board. Peel off parchment. Open box of ice cream. Slice off 5 1-in. slices and arrange on top of brownie on board until it’s completely covered. Peel parchment from bottom of remaining brownie and place on top of ice cream. Pat down firmly. With a sharp knife, score top of brownie into 16 rectangular pieces.

Freeze for at least 3 hours, until very firm. Remove from freezer and, using a serrated knife, cut into 16 sandwiches, using the scored lines as a guide. Individually wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap. Sandwiches will keep well in the freezer up to 1 month.

Good Things Come In 3′s….

The first person every little girl falls in love with is her dad.  And I, like I’m sure many others, have spent a good deal of my life comparing the other men in my world to my dad.  He’s  an ultra-focused, perfectionistic kind of guy with a killer dry sense of humour.  He’s my ‘go to’ guy when I need a home inspector, an appliance repair person, someone to tell me how to cook my seafood dinner, someone to teach me how to build something, a financial advisor and the list goes on….Thank you dad for teaching me all about my heritage.  I love your family stories and how you have shown me all the neat places and people from your childhood.

How blessed I have been to have another father figure in my life too!  A step-dad who can tell you the back road route to any destination, whom I have called many (NUMEROUS) times when I needed directions or something was wrong with my car.  Oh, and not to forget the hell he put any date through who came to pick me up!  Thank you for making me proud to have the nickname “squirt” even though I’m a grown woman with a family of my own (who all have nicknames too!).

And, finally number three, a fantastic person who I love more each day for the role model he is to my own children.  He is a hard worker, ultra-loyal, laid back kind of soul.  And, he has taught my sons (without even realizing it), the way you respect and love your leading lady.   Thank you for showing me how easy it is to just sit back and enjoy the ride.

So, now that we’ve got all that mushy stuff out of the way, lets eat boys!  This one’s for you.  Who wouldn’t enjoy a dessert made with Irish Whiskey?  Yum!  Happy Father’s Day,

Irish Coffee Sundaes with Caramel Whiskey Sauce

from Epicurious - I did not change a thing from this recipe!  It is absolutely perfect as is.

For coffee nut crisp:

• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules, crushed
• 1 cup walnut pieces (3 1/2 ounces), coarsely chopped if desired

For sauce:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 Tablespoons Irish whiskey
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• good-quality coffee/cappuccino ice cream

1.  Whisk egg white, sugar, coffee powder, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Stir in walnuts until coated. Spread mixture onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (make an 8 x8 rectangle) and bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until fairly dry to the touch.  Remove to a rack and break into small pieces when cool (I left some larger pieces to use for garnish).

2.  For the sauce, bring the sugar and water to a boil in a 2–quart heavy saucepan over medium–high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil without stirring, until syrup begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is a deep golden caramel.

3.  Remove pan from heat and carefully add whiskey, cream, and salt (mixture will bubble up and steam and caramel will harden).  Return the pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and sauce is smooth. Cool to warm.

Serve sauce over scoops of cappuccino ice cream then sprinkle with walnut crisp.

I would double the batch of walnuts, these are really addictive all by themselves!