Kentucky Bourbon Brownies Recipes

BOURBON BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch baking pan.
• Stir sugar, melted butter, cocoa powder, oil, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Mix in eggs, then add bourbon.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Add to the cocoa mixture. Smooth batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is dry and edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

MINT BOURBON BROWNIES

Steps:

• For the brownies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with parchment hanging over the edges by about 2 inches (to use as handles for removing the brownies later). Spray the parchment with cooking spray.
• Combine the butter and chocolate in a double boiler or bowl set over simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
• Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the bourbon and melted chocolate. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined. Stir in the chopped chocolate thins.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven until the edges are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few wet crumbs, 35 to 38 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before frosting.
• For the cream cheese frosting: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until smooth and light, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and salt and beat on low to incorporate, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the bourbon, extract and food coloring. Beat until smooth and pale green in color, scraping down the bowl once, about 30 seconds.
• Remove the cooled brownies from the pan and peel off the parchment. Spread the frosting on the brownies in an even layer. Top with the chopped chocolate thins. Cut into squares to serve.

SPICED BOURBON BALL BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
• For the brownies: In a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water, combine the butter, the brown sugar, the cocoa powder, the instant coffee and the salt. Stir continuously until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth and hot to the touch, about 8 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir with a silicone spatula until cool, about 2 minutes. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla until the mixture gets very shiny and smooth, about 2 minutes. Your arm may get tired, but 10 more stirs and you are done! Now rest for a second, and then fold in the flour. The batter will be very thick.
• Spray an 8-by-8-inch (20-by-20-centimeter) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and line with two 14-by-4-inch strips of parchment paper; the parchment will make a cross in the bottom of the dish and raise out of the sides. (This creates tabs that will help you remove the brownies from the pan later.) Pour in the batter and bake until the center has just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, for the icing: To a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the butter and mix on medium until smooth. Turn the mixer off and add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low to combine. (I sometimes wrap a kitchen towel around the top to capture any flyaway powdered sugar.) When the powdered sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer off and repeat with the remaining sugar. Add the cardamom to the bourbon and stir to distribute the spice. With the mixer going on low, drizzle in the bourbon and continue to mix until smooth.
• Slather the icing onto the brownie and spread evenly across the entire top. Refrigerate until the icing is cold.
• When the icing is chilled, make the ganache: Place the chocolate chips in a heat resistant glass bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk the chocolate to make sure all the pieces melt. Cool slightly. (You don't want it to be too hot, which would melt the icing.)
• Pour the melted chocolate over the icing and spread evenly to cover the entire top. Place back into the refrigerator and allow the chocolate to set up. This will take about 30 minutes.
• When you are ready to serve: Run a paring knife along the sides to release any chocolate or brownies from the pan. Use the tabs to lift the brownies out of the pan. Using a sharp chef's knife, divide into 16 even pieces. Enjoy!