Don’t Rain On My Parade

There is a monsoon here in Boston. Seriously. The parade wasn’t canceled, but as Z and I walked to the diner to get breakfast this morning we were nearly blown over by the wind and returned home with our jeans soaked through. There was no way we were going to make it all the way to Southie. I was so disappointed! But we ended up having a friend over for a 4 hour “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” marathon, which made everything  right in the world. For the theme of our missed Saint Patrick’s Day, I decided to make a yummy dessert.

When I visited Ireland back in 2006 I had not yet gone gluten free, and enjoyed every aspect of the Irish foodie culture. Irish soda bread, fish and chips, Guinness! There are so many amazing pies and cookies and breads that I would have loved to make for this occasion (Car Bomb cupcakes? Yes please!) but I wanted to find something simple and naturally gluten free.

Bailey’s is an iconic Irish cream liquor. Its inspiration came from an old home remedy of drinking whiskey and cream to settle the stomach (though I don’t think whiskey would ever settle my stomach 🙂 ). However, the mixture would not keep together well, and would eventually separate and curdle. In the 1970’s Gilbey’s of Ireland was looking to manufacture a drink representative of Ireland. It took 3 years for them to discover the perfect way to keep the whiskey and cream together (using chocolate, caramel, and vanilla) and Bailey’s Irish Cream was born. (It’s official birthday is November 26th, 1974 if anyone wishes to celebrate!) And, it just happens to be gluten free. (Source)

With Bailey’s on my brain (but not yet in my glass!) I found this recipe for Bailey’s truffles. My Mom has often made truffles as gifts for family friends, they are elegant yet very simple to make. With the addition of Irish cream, they are indulgent and heavenly.

Baileys Truffles adapted from Razzle Dazzle Recipes

1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup Baileys’ Irish cream

Combine cream, butter and sugar in a medium double boiler (or saucepan filled with boiling water and a bowl on top). Bring  almost to a boil over medium heat.

Turn down the heat, and add chocolate, stirring until completely melted. (Don’t put it on high heat or the chocolate will seize or scorch).

Stir in Bailey’s. Chill mixture until firm, about 4 hours or overnight.

Shape into balls  and roll in desired coatings (cocoa powder) to cover thoroughly. Chill.

Store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

Makes about 3 dozen truffles.

I have dubbed these the unfreezable truffles. There must be something about the fat-chocolate ratio, or the ratio of alcohol, because these little guys were were a pain to work with! Rolling them into balls they turned to mush, and I ended up putting them in the freezer before rolling them in cocoa powder. After 24 hours in our frozen ice box, they still smush if you pick them up! However, I wouldn’t have posted the recipe if they weren’t delicious! And they were! These little squishy balls are amazingly decadent, with a powerful Bailey’s taste. My friends ooh-ed and aah-ed over their silky chocolate goodness. Sometimes it doesn’t matter if a recipe turns out perfectly…if it tastes good, everyone will still indulge 🙂

We are going to have a relaxing rest of our night, and probably catch up on some more TV shows.

Have you made a recipe that didn’t quite turn out right, but still tasted amazing?