The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets (14 page)

Bake the brownies for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached. Cool the brownies completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares and serve.

SHAKE IT UP:
Substitute orange liqueur for the framboise and orange marmalade for the raspberry jam.

Cuba Libre Brownies

M
AKES
24
BROWNIES

I
N
THE ULTIMATE BROWNIE COOKBOOK
,
Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough include a recipe for Cola Brownies that is a riff on traditional Southern Coca Cola Cake. I created a “cola cocktail” version by adding white rum. They are exceptionally moist and springy. The lime frosting adds a sunny note that complements the richness of the chocolate, but the brownies are also quite delicious without frosting.

FOR THE BROWNIES:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

¾ cup carbonated cola

¼ cup white rum

FOR THE FROSTING:

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

⅓ cup white rum

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Freshly grated zest of 2 limes

Position a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 × 9-inch baking pan with butter, or spray it with nonstick spray. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.

TO MAKE THE BROWNIES
,
combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir constantly until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely melted.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the melted chocolate and beat until well incorporated, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

With a wooden spoon or a spatula, gently stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture just until combined. Gently stir in the cola and the rum and then pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it to the edges.

Bake the brownies until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool the brownies in the pan completely.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING
,
beat the butter, cocoa powder, and rum with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, one cup at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition.

Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies. Sprinkle with the grated lime zest, cut into squares, and serve.

STICKY, SAUCY, AND SPIKED: SPOON DESSERTS

Late one August when I was
in college, my friend Peter and I took the bus to New York to visit my roommate Danielle, who grew up in the city and was at home for the summer. Since Danielle and I were accustomed to living together in a dorm room roughly the size of a toddler’s shoe-box, the past three months apart had felt like an eternity. A reunion celebration was in order.

After taking the wrong subway (and then the right subway in the wrong direction), Peter and I finally made it to Danielle’s apartment, where we drank many glasses of cheap white wine before heading out on the town. Hours later, as we drunkenly stumbled down Amsterdam Avenue, buses weaving in and out from the curb, a fire hydrant gushing into the street, the faintest hint of dawn on the horizon, Danielle suggested that we stop at her favorite 24-hour diner for food.

“They have amazing desserts here,” she promised, as we slid into a red vinyl booth. A refrigerated revolving display case filled with layer cakes and cream pies glittered enticingly next to the counter.

We ordered, and when the food came Peter devoured his dish of rice pudding like a runner sitting down to a plate of spaghetti and meatballs after a marathon.

“This is absolutely the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my entire life,” he slurred between spoonfuls.

Danielle burst out laughing. “That may be true,” she admitted. “But it may also be true that you’re just drunk.”

I’ve never been back to that particular diner, so I can’t speak to the quality of their rice pudding. However, I do believe wholeheartedly that booze and spoon desserts make a winning combination. The recipes in this chapter are totally bib-worthy: sticky, messy, and gooey. Yet they’re also quite impressive, even a tad elegant. Whipped cream, chocolate pudding, and lick-your-fingers fruit sauces never fail to elicit childlike “oohs” and “ahhs” from a crowd. But be forewarned: These desserts aren’t for kids—they’re some of the booziest in the bunch.

Banana-Rum-Raisin Rice Pudding

M
AKES
6
SERVINGS

A
FTER A DELICIOUS MEAL IN PARIS
,
I ordered a rum-based dessert. To my surprise, the waiter brought over the rum and the dessert separately. After setting the plate and the bottle on the table, he indicated that I should pour as much rum over my piece of cake as I wanted . . . let’s just say I had a very lovely—if a bit loopy—stroll home along the winding cobblestone streets!

I wasn’t quite so heavy-handed when developing this recipe, but the rum flavor is still very intense. The secret to perfect rice pudding is to stick close to the kitchen as it cooks—it needs to be stirred almost constantly.

1½ cups water

¾ cup arborio rice

½ teaspoon salt

⅓cup dark rum

⅔ cup raisins

2¾ cups milk

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup sugar

½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

½ cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)

Bring the water to a boil in a medium-large saucepan. Add the rice and salt, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the rum and the raisins in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer until the rum is almost absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Uncover the rice and add the milk, cream, and sugar. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and toss the bean into the pot as well.

Increase the heat to medium low and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is creamy and thick, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the rum and raisins.

Allow the pudding to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes, and then stir in the mashed banana. Refrigerate until chilled, or spoon into bowls and serve warm.

Chocolate Pots de Booze

M
AKES
6
SERVINGS

F
OR A LONG TIME, I NEVER MADE BAKED PUDDINGS
or pots de crème because I didn’t own a set of ramekins, nor did I want to buy them and thus further clutter my tiny Brooklyn kitchen. Then a friend told me I could just as easily use coffee mugs (make sure they are a ceramic, ovenproof variety). The pots de crème won’t come out looking quite as professional, but I actually like the mismatched, carefree style better.

6 large egg yolks

⅓ cup sugar

2 tablespoons coffee liqueur, such as Kahlùa

2¼ cups heavy cream

¼ cup whiskey

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and coffee liqueur. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and the whiskey over medium-low heat until just barely simmering. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir until smooth.

Whisk a few tablespoonfuls (no more than ¼ cup) of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture to temper it, and then whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the cream mixture. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl.

Divide the custard between six 6-ounce ramekins, custard cups, or ovenproof coffee mugs. Cover each with a piece of aluminum foil. Place the cups in a large baking pan or roasting dish and fill with enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the custards are set but the centers still jiggle slightly. Remove the custards from the water and remove the foil. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

SHAKE IT UP:
Substitute Irish cream liqueur, such as Bailey’s, for the coffee liqueur.

Schnappy Butterscotch Pudding with Pretzel Brittle

M
AKES
6
SERVINGS

H
OMEMADE BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING TASTES NOTHING LIKE
the instant mix varieties available in supermarkets. The flavor is deep and intense—layer upon layer of butter and caramel.

This recipe makes more brittle than you will need to garnish each pudding. But so what? It lasts for several months and makes an amazing housewarming gift.

FOR THE BUTTER-SCOTCH PUDDING:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1¼ cups packed dark brown sugar

1¼ cups heavy cream

2 cups milk

4 large egg yolks

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¾ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butterscotch schnapps

FOR THE PRETZEL BRITTLE:

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

½ cup water

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butterscotch chips

⅔ cup crushed thin pretzel sticks

TO MAKE THE BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING
,
combine the butter and the dark brown sugar in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and bubbling, 4 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another medium saucepan, warm the heavy cream over low heat. Slowly and carefully pour the warm cream into the brown sugar mixture. Stir over low heat until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk ¼ cup of the warm butterscotch mixture into the egg mixture to temper it, and then whisk the egg mixture back into the rest of the butterscotch mixture.

Return the saucepan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the mixture has thickened to a pudding-like consistency, about 7 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat (if the mixture is very lumpy, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl). Whisk in the butterscotch schnapps. Divide the pudding between six individual ramekins or custard cups. Chill at least 4 hours and preferably overnight before serving.

TO MAKE THE PRETZEL BRITTLE
,
combine the sugar, light brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and ½ cup water in a large saucepot and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring every so often, for about 20 minutes, or until it has turned a rich golden color, and a candy thermometer registers 300°F.

Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The mixture will foam and bubble viciously (don’t stress—that’s supposed to happen). Once the foaming subsides a bit, pour the mixture onto a baking sheet and spread it out as much as possible with a spatula. Let stand for about 10 minutes, or until the brittle hardens slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, melt the butterscotch chips in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and then return the butterscotch to the microwave and heat for 1 minute more, or until smooth. Pour the butterscotch over the brittle, and spread it to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle the butterscotch with the crushed pretzels and allow the brittle to cool completely, about 1 hour. Break into large shards.

To serve, garnish each pudding with a piece of brittle. (Leftover brittle will keep for up to six weeks stored in an airtight container.)

SHAKE IT UP:
Substitute bourbon or scotch for the butterscotch schnapps.

Butterscotch Hot Chocolate

3½ cups milk

½ cup half-and-half

½ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped

⅓ cup butterscotch schnapps

4 large marshmallows

Combine the milk and half-and-half in a medium saucepan. Heat until almost simmering (you will see steam rising from the surface and small bubbles forming at the edge of the pan). Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and whisk until dissolved. Add the butterscotch schnapps and divide the mixture among four mugs. Garnish each with a marshmallow or two.