Ohmygoodness…I almost forgot my own blogiversary! Two years ago today, this kat and her feline sidekick started to let you in on our little kitchen in the Land of Steady Habits that is Connecticut.
If you’ve been reading along, by now you know I LOVE brownies and LOVE to liquor up my recipes–especially with bourbon–so it seems only fitting I should share how to bourbon up your favorite brownies with a lovely salted caramel frosting.
First, my favorite brownies. My go-to recipe, having tried many others, is the recipe on the Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa canister with a bit less sugar and a handful of Valrhona chocolate chop-chopped! To make life easy, consider lining your 8 x 8″ dish with foil, then butter the foil. For these, somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes seems to be the right amount of time to spend in the oven. Make sure a toothpick comes out clean when you test. But how to bourbonize?
Did you know it’s sweater weather, by the way?
While the brownies are still warm, gently poke with a fork to create lots of delicious little entry points for the bourbon. Pour 1/4 cup of your favorite bourbon over the top and let it sink in. Inhale deeply over the dish. No one is watching and I won’t tell.
Once the brownies are completely cooled, it’s time to make the frosting.
BOURBON SALTED CARAMEL FROSTING
First, make the salted caramel. In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, whisk together:
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
good pinch of salt
Continue to whisk till sugar dissolves, then cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, get the rest of the frosting together.
3 oz. cream cheese (I got away with Neufchâtel, so can you), softened
4 tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Cream together butter, cream cheese, bourbon and vanilla. Gradually blend in powdered sugar. Then blend in salted caramel.
This recipe makes enough to frost a 9 x 13 cake, but I frosted generously, then put the rest of the frosting in a small bowl for snacking purposes ’cause that’s just how I roll! 🙂
The Queen and I thank you kindly for reading along as we continue to bake, cook and otherwise concoct in Katty’s Kitchen. XOXOX ♥
Editor’s note: Hello again! Having made these a few times, I can tell you there’s no need to poke holes. Bourbon sinks RIGHT IN when poured over warm brownies and sizzles as it sinks. Sizzle-sizzle and happy bourbon brownie baking! >>^..^<<
Katty's Kitchen 
February 11, 2012 at 10:18 pm
There are no words to accurately describe my desire for one of these lovingly handcrafted brownies! I guess I will just agonize over the loss I feel alone in silence except for the reruns of the At&T Pro Am on the golf channel in the back ground which are not cheering me up!
February 12, 2012 at 8:48 am
Patty, you crack me up! I wish I could magically teleport one directly to you! 🙂
February 15, 2012 at 5:05 pm
Wow! I’m drooling. Brownies and cats? Too much goodness for one post 🙂 Thank you for sharing…and thank you for visiting my blog. It brightens my day to hear from you! Hugs and love from Austin.
February 15, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Straight back atcha, sweet friend–it always brightens my day when you stop by to visit and comment! XOXOX
February 20, 2012 at 1:58 am
That sweater on the bottle is killing me. I love how you liquored these up. I love that photo of your cat, the first time I saw it I thought of my Aunt’s cat Chad it was the son she never had. Hope you had a lovely weekend, heck with these brownies I know you did, lol.
-Gina-
February 20, 2012 at 8:22 am
Thank you, thank you! I make A LOT of brownies and these are probably right at the top of the list for my own personal faves (between these and the Mounds variation). Have a great week, Gina!
February 8, 2014 at 9:14 pm
[…] of bourbon over the cake once it’s out of the oven. To top it off, I whipped up my very own bourbon salted caramel frosting. Sound good to you, amici? Let’s make […]