The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets (13 page)

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a log about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet and bake until they are set and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, and then cut each log crosswise into 9 pieces.

SHAKE IT UP:
Substitute whiskey for the rum.

Dark and Stormy Punch

M
AKES
6
TO
8
DRINKS

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 lime, cut crosswise into thin wheels

½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ cup simple syrup

2 cups dark rum

4 cups ginger beer

In a large pitcher, combine the grated ginger, lime slices, lime juice, and simple syrup. Stir in the rum and then the ginger beer. Serve in tall glasses over ice.

Apricot Brandy Bars

M
AKES
12
BARS

O
NE OF THE BEST JOBS
I
EVER HAD
was as the recipe tester for
The Veselka Cookbook.
Veselka is a New York institution, one part traditional Ukrainian restaurant and one part all-night diner. I spent months cooking up borscht and pierogis, but my favorite chapter was the one on desserts. Lisa Staub, Veselka’s pastry chef, graciously allowed me to adapt her wonderful recipe for Raspberry-Apricot Bars. I streamlined it by omitting the raspberry jam and pumped up the apricot flavor with fruity brandy.

FOR THE CRUST:

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

FOR THE FILLING:

1 cup apricot preserves

¼ cup apricot brandy

4 ounces almond paste

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened

⅓ cup sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

¼ cup all-purpose flour

Grease a 9 × 9-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray. Line with parchment and dust with flour, tapping out the excess. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE CRUST
,
combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and the egg and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour and beat until combined. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface roll the dough out into a 12-inch square and transfer to the prepared pan. Press the dough up the sides, prick the bottom, and crimp the edges with a fork. Freeze the crust for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the crust until it is light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool. Leave the oven on at 350°F.

TO MAKE THE FILLING
,
combine the apricot preserves with the apricot brandy in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the almond paste, butter, sugar, and salt. Add the egg and the egg yolk, and beat until combined. Add the flour and beat until combined. If the mixture looks too soft, refrigerate it for 30 minutes.

Spoon the almond mixture into a large zip-top bag. Snip off one corner, and pipe diagonal lines (2 inches apart) onto the cooled crust.

Using a small spoon, fill the empty spaces in the crust with the apricot mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake just until the almond and jam mixtures are set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool con a wire rack. Cut into 12 bars and serve.

Sherried Date Crumble Bars with Almonds and Orange

M
AKES
24
BARS

THERE IS A WINE BAR AROUND THE CORNER
from my apartment in Brooklyn that has a divine sherry on the menu. One night, as I was sipping a glass, I told the owner, Adam Robertson, about this book and asked him what he thought would be a good recipe for sherry. “Anything with dates,” he said. His eyes lit up. “And almonds. And orange.”

The sherry flavor improves overnight, so bake these bars the day before you plan to serve them. Substitute figs or dried plums for the dates, or use a combination.

FOR THE DATE FILLING:

¾ pound (about 2¼ cups) pitted dates

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

⅓ cup water

⅓ cup dry sherry

1 heaping teaspoon freshly grated orange zest

FOR THE CRUST AND CRUMBLE:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch chunks

TO MAKE THE DATE FILLING
,
combine the dates, brown sugar, water, and sherry in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the dates have softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the orange zest, and allow the mixture to cool completely. Pulse the date mixture in the food processor (or in a blender) until it is coarsely puréed. Set the purée aside. Wash and dry the work bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 × 9-inch baking dish with butter, or spray it with nonstick spray. Dust the dish with flour and tap out the excess.

TO MAKE THE CRUST AND CRUMBLE
,
combine the flour, almonds, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the food processor and process until the almonds are finely ground, 6 or 7 good pulses. Add the butter a few chunks at a time and pulse until the mixture begins to clump together.

Transfer half of the flour mixture to the prepared baking dish and press it down evenly. Spoon the date mixture over the crust and smooth it to the edges (it will be very sticky; don’t worry if there are some bald spots—it will spread out as it bakes), and sprinkle it with the remaining flour mixture.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden and firm. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, and then cut into bars and serve.

SHAKE IT UP:
Substitute brandy for the sherry.

Oak Bars

M
AKES
12
BARS

T
HESE BLONDIES ARE BIG, BOLD, AND BUTTERY
.
Richly flavored California chardonnays were popular in the 1980s but fell out of favor as people’s tastes evolved toward lighter, crisper varietals such as sauvignon blanc and pinot gris. I’m convinced Chardonnay is poised for a comeback. It pairs especially well with seafood—and with buttery desserts! For the best flavor, make sure you use a Chardonnay that has been aged in oak barrels (as opposed to steel).

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup chardonnay

½ cup chopped, toasted cashews

¾ cup butterscotch chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan with butter, or spray them with nonstick spray. Dust with flour and tap out the excess.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and the brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and the chardonnay. Gradually beat in the flour mixture just until combined. Stir in the nuts and the butterscotch chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden at the edges and just set in the center. Cool the blondies completely in the pan on a wire rack, and then cut into squares.

Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

M
AKES
16
BROWNIES

W
HEN WE WERE KIDS, MY BROTHER AND
I
once attempted to bake brownies without any adult supervision. We didn’t burn the house down, but we did forget to add the flour until 15 minutes into the baking time. Unwilling to admit defeat, I took the pan out of the oven, dumped the flour over the hot, half-baked brownies, and raked everything around with a fork. “There,” I proclaimed. “That should work.” My brother wrinkled his nose. “I don’t know,” he said. “It kinda looks like something the dog would eat.”

Needless to say, I’ve come a long way since then. These brownies are dense, fudgy, gooey, and totally irresistible. With ingredients like raspberries, cream cheese, chocolate, and booze (oh, yeah—and flour) how could they not be?

FOR THE BROWNIES:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1¼ cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons framboise

FOR THE CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE RASPBERRY TOPPING:

⅔ cup raspberry jam

2 tablespoons framboise

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 9 × 9-inch baking pan with butter, or spray it with nonstick spray. Dust it with flour and tap out the excess.

TO MAKE THE BROWNIES
,
whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

In a medium, heatproof bowl, combine the butter and the chocolate. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat, stirring often, until the mixture has melted and is smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.

Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the eggs and then add the vanilla and framboise. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE TOPPING
,
beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla, and beat until smooth. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE RASPBERRY TOPPING
,
stir together the raspberry jam and liquor in a small bowl until smooth.

To assemble the brownies, reserve ¼ cup of the brownie batter. Pour the remaining batter into the prepared pan. Alternately dollop large spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture and the raspberry mixture on top of the batter and then dollop on the reserved brownie
batter. Using a butter knife, cut through the batter to create a swirled pattern.