Dessert - Bourbon Brownies

As a special Valentine's day treat for my 2 favorite guys in the world (obviously my husband and my dad), I decided to whip up a quick treat. I referenced my current favorite dessert cookbook, Booze Cakes by Krystina Castella and Terry Lee Stone.

The book is filled with delicious desserts (mainly cakes) which all have a special, surprise, boozy ingredient. Of course, some of them contain more than one booze, and the resulting cake can taste just like a cocktail! What's better than being able to eat and drink your dessert all at once?! I can't think of anything.

I ended up trying a variation on the Mocha Rum Brownie Bites from the book, which was Bourbon Brownie Bites with Chocolate Bourbon Frosting. In the book, the brownies are topped with raspberries, but I was quite influenced by Kentucky's famous Bourbon Balls, as made by Rebecca Ruth, and therefore decided to top the brownies with a sugared pecan. (By the way, those Rebecca Ruth bourbon balls are incredible.)

The brownies turned out quite well!! I used the Four Roses bourbon that we purchased on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (highly recommended) this past summer. The recipe was also very simple and quick!! It starts with a boxed brownie mix, and you only add a couple ingredients to make them extra delicious!!

Bourbon Brownies

Ingredients:
-1 (19.8 ounce) box brownie mix
-2 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-1/4 cup half-and-half
-1/2 cup bourbon
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 baking pan.
Mix all ingredients well and pour into pan. Bake 40-45 minutes until knife inserted comes out clean.
Let cool, then cut into pieces. (I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them cute.)

For the frosting: (This is the full recipe. I cut it in half and it yielded PLENTY of frosting.)
Mix together until smooth:
-1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
-2/3 cup cocoa powder
-3 cups powdered sugar
-1/3 cup milk
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1-2 teaspoons bourbon

Top brownies with frosting and sugared pecans (if desired).