Bourbon – mythankfultable.com

Dark Chocolate Bourbon Sugar Cookies

May 29, 2020 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I had a friend say to me a few weeks ago, “I am just so happy to see you are writing again.” Which, really warmed my heart. I carried that sunshine around for days, weeks actually. All during which, I did not write one more word.

Here’s what I have learned in the last two months of being home, only traveling for essentials, and basically being a rule follower. People sure do have a lot to say. Social media, bloggers, podcasters, news reporters, friends on the Facebook. Every person seems to have something to share. Right, wrong, insane, liberal, conservative. It’s a lot. I think in the last two months I have let go of some things I probably should have a long time ago. I have stopped following certain people on social media. I have evolved my opinions of some people in both the positive and negative as a result of words and actions or lack thereof. The learning curve has been steep.

That being said, I think to stop and write means to stop and make sense of the words in my head, and to put something out there that people who are already reading a lot want to and can read.

So reader, here we go. I will not offer you numbers or graphs or charts or rules. I will say that having lost one parent I will darned well do whatever I need to do to keep my living parent here as long as I can. I will say I had the gift of being with my Dad when he left this earth. A gift that I know too many people, people I know personally, did not get.

So, where does the writer find the words to fix this? I don’t. I just know that to not write means I am one less voice of hope out there. And we need hope. Well, some of us need toilet paper, and hope.

Friends, it’s time to bust out the boozy cookies. I will say it, I am not a big drinker. (Total transparency, I did join a wine club a month ago). But make a dark chocolate bourbon cookie and roll it in bourbon sugar? Sign. Me. Up. Sorry kids, these cookies are for the grown ups. They don’t taste heavily with alcohol, but they definitely have a rich and fantastic flavor. The original recipe for these cookies is from LoveandOliveOil.com. The original recipe calls for shaved chocolate in the cookie and dutch processed cocoa. I use dark cocoa and left out the chocolate shavings. I didn’t feel like I was missing out AT ALL. I also tried it with throwing in some semisweet morsels. Equally as amazing. A really neat tip in the original recipe is to store the cookies on top of any remaining bourbon sugar, which kept the cookies moist and fresh for a little longer.

What is bourbon sugar you ask? It is turbinado sugar and bourbon shaken together. Yes please. I am a fan of the big crunchy sugar crystals on top of muffins. Big crunchy sugar on a cookie? I’m in. You combine the sugar and the bourbon and it makes you wish the sandy beaches tasted this good. Another fun thing is post rolling the dough in the sugar, you can use a glass to flatten out the cookies to just the right thickness.

Friends, I wish I had answers. Answers to how this will all look or when this will all end. What the new normal will be. As an educator I wonder, what new changes in addition to the ones already made will take place? What about the students without access for a million reasons to an online format education? So many things. I guess, the thing I am learning in all of this, is gentleness. Being gentle with others, and all the more difficult, with myself. Trying to use this time to fix the things. So many things.

Gentleness, and grace. Time for kindness.

All of this, and chockey cookies with crunchy bourbon sugar.

Sending you so much love and light in this uncertain time. Thank you for sitting with me for a bit and for sharing your reading of the words with me. I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

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Dark Chocolate Bourbon Sugar Cookies

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This soft cookie rolled in turbinado sugar from the www.loveandoliveoil.com website is slightly modified (I use a dark cocoa powder but essentially it is the orginal masterpiece recipe).I can’t even begin to describe the combination of soft bourbon infused cookie dough and the crunch of the bourbon sugar on the outside except to say yes please.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

· ½ Cup Butter

· ½ Cup Vegetable Shortening

· 1 Cup White Sugar

· ¾ Cup Brown Sugar

· 1 Large Egg plus 1 Large Egg Yolk

· 3 Tablespoons Bourbon

· ¾ Cup Dark Cocoa Powder

· 1 ¾ Cup Flour

· ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda

· ¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder

· ½ Teaspoon Salt

For Rolling:

· 2 Tablespoons Bourbon

· 1 Cup Raw Turbinado Sugar

Instructions

1. In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a mixer, cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until creamy.

3. Add brown and white sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add egg and egg yolk and mix until incorporated; scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater as necessary.

5. Slowly mix in bourbon.

6. Add dry ingredients in two parts until incorporated. Mix in finely chopped chocolate.

7. Combine and scoop/roll into balls. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

8. In a mason jar or other container, combine turbinado sugar and bourbon. Top with lid and shake until it resembles wet sand. Pour into shallow dish.

9. Roll balls of dough into bourbon sugar until evenly coated.

10. Arrange dough on parchment lined pan approximately two inches apart.

11. Bake at 325* for 13 – 15 minutes or until slightly puffy.

12. Let cool on cookie pan for ten minutes then transfer and cool completely.

13. If there is extra bourbon sugar in the bottom of an airtight storage container; arrange cookies and cover.

When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding ;)

March 27, 2020 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

I’ll say this…we are using what we have, and I am loving it. My children aren’t big fans of leftovers. Yet, here we are eating them. This momma made a fresh loaf of bread because, bread is life and therapy for me. I took the uneaten bread, cubed it up, along with the rest of the borderline-toss-bread and made this little treasure. You too can make this magic with whatever you have on hand.

Bread pudding is the ultimate comfort food. It is warm, and sweet. It has crunchy parts (my favorite) and the soft parts (my daughter’s favorite). This one is literally a hodgepodge of the stuff I had to use in my pantry. No complaints friends, no complaints.

The basics in the recipe are: old bread, eggs, milk, sugar. I used part 2% milk and part almond milk, because it is what I had. You can alter the recipe to suit your supplies. I also added Vanilla Bourbon because, why not add booze to your bread pudding? I threw in chocolate chunks because I always have some sort of bagged chocolate in my baking stash. I sprinkled straight brown sugar on top, without nuts or anything else mixed in. Think little rivers of melty brown sugar puddled in the mix. But, if you have walnuts or pecans on hand, add away. You can even melt some butter and add that to the topping, if you want. There is nothing spectacular in making bread pudding, and yet…it is glorious.

You could share your stale bread with the critters outside… or you could take a few minutes and make this dessert. Which, by the way, could also be considered a breakfast of sorts…think French toast casserole.

Cube up your older bread and leave to get stale overnight. Butter a casserole pan of choice. Mix together eggs, milk, bourbon, vanilla extract, sugar. Add your goodies, chocolate chunks, pecans, raisins (never in my world but you do you), what have you. Sprinkle a topping on top if you want. Then bake. It is that simple.

I find that depending on the size dish you use to bake, you may have to cook a little longer. I do not like the idea of raw egg mix hanging out in the middle of my bread pudding. I bake it for additional 5-7 minute increments based on how it looks. It should not be runny, it should not look done. The edges should be golden and it will smell like deliciousness.

I will say that in this time of being home the salty has called out to me, the sweet has not. I also just haven’t wanted to bake. One, I am taking this meal-by-meal. Two, I can’t have an abundance of sweets in this house to be divided by three people, two of whom are new to leftovers. That said, when I did pull this out of the oven the kids emerged from their spaces and we all had a dish, warm from the oven. It was lovely.

Right now life is imperfect and different. We are making some things up as we go. And there are soft bits and crunchy bits. We mix and match and do the best we can. So hey, why not give that crusty bread a second chance to be something warm and delicious? You won’t regret it. I promise.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always…thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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When Life Gives You Stale Bread…Make Bread Pudding 😉

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This is a throw together, left over, waste-not-want-not dessert that is making the best of this time of COVID-19. There is no wrong path here…

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

5 Large Beaten Eggs
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Almond Milk
3 Cups Cubed Stale Bread
1 Bag of Chocolate Chunks/Chips (or whatever you want to throw in)
Butter to coat inside of casserole paper
Additional Brown sugar to top

Instructions

Cube bread and leave out to get stale overnight.
Preheat oven to 350* and lightly butter a casserole dish (I used an oval Corelle ware white casserole, you can use anything up to a 13×9″ baking pan).
Mix together eggs, milk and vanilla in a bowl, incorporate sugars and mix thoroughly.
Pour egg mixture over bread mixture and combine. Let sit for 10 minutes to soak in.
Add chocolate chunks or other mix ins and put in casserole dish. (I actually poured the egg mixture over the bread in the casserole dish and let it sit…whatever is easier for you).
Sprinkle additional brown sugar over the top of the saturated bread.
Bake for 45 minutes minimally- check and continue to bake until it is set.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

December 6, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Having grown up in a non-pecan pie eating house, the mystery that is pecan pie is a love affair that began when I was older, and was able to embrace the beauty of that sweet nutty flavor with a splash of bourbon. Fall fast and hard, I did.

I was always afraid of pecan pie because, as I mention A LOT, I am a north east lady and this pie is distinctively southern. I imagine pecan groves and roadside stands, very Gone with the Wind, very warm climate beautiful plantation sort of pie.

Turns out, pecan pie is preeeettty simple. And northeastern, if the gal who makes it is from the northeast. In a time where we can access southern pecans and southern made bourbon and whisk it into a pie crust, it doesn’t matter where you live or what your accent is, this pie is for you.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

The trickiest part of pecan pie is that special moment when the corn syrup mixture (and I use dark corn syrup, just a personal preference) meets the egg and bourbon mixture. Even though you do cool the corn syrup mixture, you have to be careful not to turn your eggs into a scrambled mess. It’s not as scary as it sounds, you just go slow and whisk fast.

In all of my pecan pie making, I have yet to make scrambled bourbon pecan eggs and yet every time I make this pie, this is my one worry. Again, it has yet to happen. Let the mixture cool enough, drizzle slowly, and whisk the whole time as you go.

Now, for the pecans. Halves? Pieces? up to you. I like to do a blend for visual appeal, and it is important, but, I have also made it with just halves, and just pieces, and no one has complained. Literally, no one complains that the nuts in a pecan pie are already smaller and therefore, easier to chew. SO, you do it the way it works for you.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

This pie cooks up and browns beautifully. I bake this pie until there is no jiggle in the middle (wish I could say that about my own middle) and the pecans have a roasted nutty flavor. I watch the edges of the crust so that they don’t brown too much and find that perfect balance of pecan pie doneness. It’s like the force, and you, young Skywalker, must harness it. Or, stick close to your oven and watch, give it a shake every five minutes or so near the end of cooking time.

I’m sad I didn’t get a slice shot of this beauty, but the caramel colored center serves as a perfect base for the pecan top layer.

The best part about growing up and learning about new flavors is finding something you really love. Like this pie. Don’t rule it out if you haven’t ever had a slice. Pecan pie could be your new great love. Then, you can mix it up, add chocolate chunks, and step up to Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. Just saying.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy,

Click below for a printable recipe.

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Bourbon Pecan Pie

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Delicious Pecan Pie with a Bourbon kick!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

1 unbaked pie shell
1 Cup Dark Corn Syrup
1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter
4 Eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup Bourbon
1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 – 1 1/2 Cups Pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325*
In a saucepan, combine corn syrup, butter, sugar, and cook over medium heat while stirring constantly until butter melts and sugar is dissolved.
Cool mixture slightly.
In an additional bowl, whisk eggs, bourbon, vanilla, salt and mix well.
Slowly pour egg mixture into corn syrup mixture, whisking continuously until thoroughly combined.
Add pecans and mix to coat.
Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until pie is set in the middle.

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

December 2, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Prepare to wow and amaze your guests, be the star of the dessert table, and enter into a sugar coma that compares to no other. May I present to you, the Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie.

This is a staple in my dessert arsenal, it is also the pie that never seems to have a remaining slice left in the pie plate. It’s the top pick of my daughter and I think, mine as well.

This pie comes out twice a year: Thanksgiving and Christmas. So maybe that is why it is so special. Or, it could be that pecan pie meets chocolate chunks and it melts into a flaky pie crust to make the gooey, sticky, wonder that is pecan pie meets chocolate.

I can’t expound on it’s perfection.

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

Now, if you aren’t a pecan pie lover, and I know you are out there. I understand. It isn’t for everyone.

But for a girl who didn’t try pecan pie until I was an adult, the wonder is still there for me.

This recipe is all over the internet, my original copy was from 2012 and printed from all recipes.com. I have since seen it on several blogs, and the variations are minimal.

Essentially, you combine sugars and corn syrup, butter until melty and beautiful. Combine eggs and bourbon and vanilla in another bowl, and you marry the two. Then add your pecans and chocolate and pour into the pie shell.

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

What I love about this pie is how beautifully it sets up. I let my pecan pie bake until there is almost no jiggle in the middle. It actually almost puffs up and then settles down as it cools. I have also experimented with chocolate chips and chocolate chunks, and both seem to have the same consistency when it comes to melting into the under-the-pecan layer.

The smell in your kitchen as this bakes is somewhere between pie crust and toasted pecans and brown sugar. Which, in my opinion, is quite lovely.

I am thankful this pie only appears a few times a year, even though my daughter continues to ask when the next pie is being made (she had to share this one with the family), I am reticent to make it only because it is a serious temptation. As in, let the dog out in the middle of the night and grab your fork temptation.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Click below for a printable recipe.

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Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie

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A delicious combination of melted chocolate and pecan pie come together in this dessert! Perfect with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

1 Unbaked Pie Shell
1 Cup Chopped Pecans
1 Cup White Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Dark Corn Syrup
1/2 Cup Butter
4 Eggs, beaten
1/4 Cup Bourbon
1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
6–8 Ounces Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325*
In a saucepan, combine corn syrup, sugar, butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved, and ingredients are combined.
Cool mixture slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla extract, bourbon, and salt.
Slowly pour melted sugar and corn syrup mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly.
When combined, add pecans and chocolate chips.
Pour into pie shell and bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on your oven. You want to check- give the pie a little jiggle and see if the inner part of the pie has set.