St. Patrick's Day Brownies

Brownies

• 1 pkg of brownie mix
• 2 eggs
• Bailey’s Irish Crème original (enough to replace the water in the package instruction)
• Cooking oil (as called for in the instructions)

1. Mix and bake brownies according to package instructions, only replacing the water with Bailey’s Irish Crème original. 
2. Cool for an hour.
3. Spread icing on the brownies and cut. 

Icing

• ½ stick butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Crème original
• 3 drops green food coloring
• 5 drops of mint flavoring 

1. Cream butter and powdered sugar together.
2. Stir in the Bailey’s. 
3. Add the green food coloring and mint flavoring. 
4. Stir until smooth.

A Touch of Coffee Chocolate Frosting

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 5 cups of confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon instant coffee crystals
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• ¼ teaspoon salt

1. With a mixer on low speed, cream butter and cocoa powder together.
2. Add confectioner's sugar a bit at a time and mix.
3. Add vanilla extract, coffee crystals and salt to warm water and stir.
4. Add liquid mixture a little at a time to the butter-sugar-cocoa mixture a little at a time and mix until creamy. Add a little more water to make it spreadable at room temperature if necessary.
5. Frost a completely cooled cake.

Note: Cake was a Duncan Hines Devil's Food cake baked according to package directions for a Bundt pan. Then cooled and sliced in half into layers. Then frosted with the above frosting.

Sydney's Salted Caramel and Chocolate Shortbreads

This recipe was adapted from British concoction, Millionaire Shortbread, this is my granddaughter Sydney's improved version of it.  Shortbread, being very fragile, often crumbled when we made these in a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Using one of those silicone pans for baking filled mini-cupcakes we adapted the recipe to take advantage of this updated baking container. These finished delights reflect on the complex of layers of life—the salty caramel  paired with  the sweetness of the chocolate.  These cookies are required a bit work, but not overwhelmingly so and are so WORTH it!

Shopping list:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 pounds salted butter in sticks (2 packages, but you only use 6 of the sticks) 
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt,
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla divided
• ¼  cup light corn syrup
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 2-12 ounce packages of milk chocolate chips
• Non-stick cooking spray

Shortbreads:

Bake in two batches as follows.  For each batch:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Spray the silicone filled mini-cupcake baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

To make batch of shortbread, measure the 2 cups flour, ½ cup of the brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until mixed.

Add 1 cup (two sticks) of the butter in chunks and pulse until roughly mixed.

Add ½ teaspoon of the vanilla.  Continue to process until the dough begins to for a ball.  Remove from the process and press evenly over cupcake cavities of the silicone baking pan.  Try to make them even.

Bake 20 minutes.  Turn baking pan so that it browns evenly.  Bake another 15 minutes.  Remove the container and let cool exactly 10 minutes.  

Place a cookie sheet over the pan of baked shortbreads.  Invert and press if necessary to make the cups release the shortbread.

Repeat this process for the second batch of shortbread.  Use a separate cookie sheet for the inversion step.

Caramel Layer:

This amount will fill all the cookies.  

Melt the remaining 1 cup butter (2 sticks) over low heat.  Stir in the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar, the corn syrup, and the condensed milk.  Raise heat to medium-low.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  With a measuring spoon, scoop 1 teaspoon into each of the cooled shortbreads.  Let cool 10 minutes.

Chocolate Layer:

Do this next step in two batches. 

Heat half a bag of milk chocolate chips. heat over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Stir after every minute until the chips are all melted or microwave for one minute.  

Again with a measuring spoon, scoop 1 teaspoon over each shortbread with caramel piece.  This should do half of them.  Let cool.

Repeat with the second half bag of milk chocolate chips.  

Makes 40 Sydney's Salted Caramel and Chocolate Shortbreads.

Millionaire Shortbread

This recipe was stolen blatantly and adapted from the old people’s magazine, AARP.  A British concoction, these squares reflect on the complex of layers of life—the salty caramel  paired with  the sweetness of the chocolate.  I am so glad that we get the old people’s magazine (and we have been getting it for a while, since we turned 50, I think).  Anyway, these cookies are required a bit work, but not overwhelmingly so and are so WORTH it!

Shopping list:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (it didn’t say to, but I sifted it)
• 1 pound butter (in 4 sticks)
• 1 ½  cups packed light-brown sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla divided
• ¼  cup light corn syrup
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 12 ounce package of milk chocolate chips

Shortbread layer:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9” x 13” inch glass baking dish.

To make shortbread, measure the flour, ½ cup of the brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon of the salt into the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse until mixed.

Add 1 cup (two sticks) of the butter in chunks and pulse until roughly mixed.

Add ½ teaspoon of the vanilla.  Continue to process until the dough begins to for a ball.  Remove from the process and press evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Bake 20 minutes.  Turn dish so that it browns evenly.  Bake another 15 minutes.  Remove the dish and let cool.

Caramel Layer:

Melt the remaining 1 cup butter (2 sticks) over low heat.  Stir in the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar, the corn syrup, and the condensed milk.  Raise heat to medium-low.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly for 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Pour evenly over the shortbread.  Let cool.

Chocolate Layer:

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave on high.  Stir after every minute until the chips are all melted.

Pour the chocolate over the caramel layer and spread evenly over it.  Let cool. Once the dish is somewhat cool, you might even refrigerate it to make them easier to handle until they are cut.  Cut and enjoy.