The Boozy Baker: 75 Recipes for Spirited Sweets (11 page)

2¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1½ cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons bourbon

4 or 5 generous dashes bitters

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1½ cups of the 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 bourbon, bitters, and orange zest and beat to combine. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until incorporated. (If the dough is very soft, freeze for 10 to 15 minutes before proceeding.)

Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar-cinnamon mixture and place them on the baking sheets, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, flatten each ball into a disk.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown at the edges but still slightly soft in the middle. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon
Old Fashioned

1 (¼-inch thick) orange wheel

1 brandied cherry (or substitute maraschino)

½ ounce simple syrup (page 15)

2 dashes Angostura bitters

2 ounces bourbon

1 ounce club soda

1 cinnamon stick

Muddle the orange wheel, cherry, simple syrup, and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and add the bourbon. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass over ice. Top with the club soda and garnish with the cinnamon stick.

M
AKES
1
DRINK

Double Limoncello Poppy Seed Cookies

M
AKES
ABOUT
24
COOKIES

A
FTER A STICK
-
TO
-
YOUR RIBS MEAL
,
the idea of a colossal dessert can sometimes be overwhelming. Instead, set out a plate of these delicate cookies along with some fresh fruit and small glasses of limoncello, the sweet-tart lemon liqueur from Italy that is said to aid digestion. They keep well for up to a week, so a batch would make a great hostess gift, too.

FOR THE COOKIES:

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

⅔ cup sugar

1 large egg

Freshly grated zest of two large lemons

2 teaspoons limoncello

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

FOR THE GLAZE:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons limoncello

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

TO MAKE THE COOKIES
,
beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, lemon zest, and 2 teaspoons of limoncello. Beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Add the rest of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add the poppy seeds and beat on low speed just until combined.

Drop heaping teaspoons of the dough onto ungreased cookie sheets, spacing the dough balls about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are just beginning to brown at the edges.

Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE
,
combine the confectioners’ sugar and limoncello in a small bowl. Stir until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the cookies and let stand until set, about 15 minutes.

SHAKE IT UP:
For lemon-cherry poppy seed cookies, substitute cherry liqueur, such as kirsch, for the limoncello in the glaze. Add a drop of red food coloring, if using. For a gingery twist, substitute ginger liqueur, such as Domaine de Canton, for the limoncello.

Peanut Butter and Port Thumbprints

M
AKES
ABOUT
32
COOKIES

S
WEET, RICH RUBY PORT HAS A JAMMY FLAVOR
that pairs perfectly with peanut butter. Since everyone has an opinion about what makes the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich (Smooth or chunky? Strawberry jam, raspberry jam, or grape jelly?), I’ve left out those specifics. Use whatever you prefer—just don’t try to cut off the crusts.

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1½ cups packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup roasted and salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

¾ cup jam or jelly

3 tablespoons ruby port

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla and the peanut butter. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chopped peanuts. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the jam and the port. Stir until smooth.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and roll them between your palms to form balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet, spacing them 2 to 3 inches apart. Press the center of each ball with your thumb or the back of a small measuring spoon to make a “thumbprint.” Carefully fill each cookie with about 1 teaspoon of the jam mixture.

Bake the cookies until they are puffed and slightly browned at the edges, about 15 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

SHAKE IT UP:
Substitute berry liqueur for the port.

Ruby Flip

2 ounces ruby port

½ ounce cream

1 large egg white

1 teaspoon superfine sugar

Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

Combine the port, cream, egg white, and superfine sugar in a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously, strain into a cocktail glass, and sprinkle with the nutmeg.

M
AKES
1
DRINK

Dirty Girl Scout Cookies

M
AKES
ABOUT
32
COOKIES

Y
EARS AGO, WHEN
I
WAS JUST OUT OF COLLEGE
,
my friends Jess and Dave hosted a “very grown up” dinner party that quickly took a debacherous turn after someone suggested we make Dirty Girl Scouts, the incredibly sweet—and lethal—cocktail made of equal parts vodka, coffee liqueur, Irish cream liqueur, and crème de menthe. Though I was never a Girl Scout, I’ve always loved Girl Scout cookies, especially Thin Mints. I thought it would be fun to combine the flavors of the drink and the cookie in one.

FOR THE COOKIES:

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softene

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

FOR THE GLAZE:

1¼ to 1¾ cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur

1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

1 tablespoon crème de menthe

32 Junior Mint candies

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

TO MAKE THE COOKIES
,
beat the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and beat to combine.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed.

Drop the dough into rounded balls (about 3 tablespoons each) onto the cookie sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies have flattened, about 15 minutes.

Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE
,
combine the confectioners’ sugar with the liqueurs in a medium bowl and stir with a whisk until smooth. Set the wire rack with the cooled cookies on it over a row of paper towels. Using a spoon, drizzle about 1 teaspoon of glaze over each cookie, and gently press a Junior Mint into the center. Don’t worry if the glaze dribbles off the sides of the cookies a bit—it will firm up once it dries.

Dirty
Girl Scout

1½ ounces Irish cream liqueur

1 ounce vodka

1 ounce coffee liqueur

1 ounce crème de menthe

Mix together the Irish cream liqueur, the vodka, and the coffee liqueur. Pour over ice. Drizzle the crème de menthe on top.

M
AKES
1
DRINK

Banana-Chocolate Chip Biscotti

M
AKES
ABOUT
3
DOZEN
BISCOTTI

I’
M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE
to eat cookies for breakfast. Biscotti are perfect for dunking in coffee—and you could even argue that the banana chips count as a serving of fruit! Not convinced? Try them later in the day, dipped in a small glass of Vin Santo (a sweet Italian dessert wine). These biscotti will last for several weeks stored in an airtight container.

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

3 tablespoons banana liqueur, such as crème de banane

1 cup unsalted banana chips or dried bananas, slightly crushed or coarsely chopped

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then beat in the banana liqueur. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, beating well after each one. Stir in the banana chips and the chopped chocolate with a wooden spoon.

Gather the dough together in a ball and divide in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and freeze for 25 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and, using lightly floured hands, shape each half into a log about 14 inches long and 3 inches wide. Place the logs on the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, or until set. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and reduce the oven to 300°F. Transfer the logs to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.