I mean, when the sun goes down at 4:30 in the evening, what else can you do but cradle a warming winter cocktail and wholeheartedly embrace the season?

Alcohol helps. Just sayin’. (Just kidding. Mostly. It is very warming!)

This warm vanilla cinnamon Bailey’s drink is another throw-together recipe that, with a few tweaks, has become a fast winter favorite. We wanted a warm cocktail; I didn’t want to go to the store. So we made do with what we had in our cupboards. And we adored the outcome.

Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Drink Ingredients

• Milk – dairy or plant-based work! My fave is 2% if using dairy or oat milk.
• Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, and star anise. But you can totally just do cinnamon if you prefer!
• Vanilla – Best if you can include the bean but totally fine with extract instead.
• Irish cream (Bailey’s) and bourbon – for the lushy part of the equation – wonderfully warming and just darn tasty.
• Cinnamon and sugar – for the rims. Optional but wonderful!

We love the cinnamon and vanilla in this drink, but thought we’d add some star anise and a sprinkle of nutmeg. That lends a bit of a chai latte air to this Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Warmer.

The rim though. That cinnamon-sugared rim. It’s a keeper. It reminds me of cinnamon toast. Except no bread. Or toaster. Just cinnamon sugary goodness.

We may not be seeing the sun right now, but things like this can definitely still brighten our days (and nights).

More Warming Winter Cocktails

• Gluhwein – hot mulled red wine. YUM.
• Hot Spiced Cider – so good with a splash of rum!
• Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Mulled Wine – so cozy and perfect for the holidays.

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Warm Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Drink

Cinnamon, vanilla, Irish cream, and bourbon make for a cozy hot cocktail that'll warm up the coldest of winter nights. Perfect with the newer Vanilla Cinnamon Baileys!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 427kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 4 cups milk I use 2%, but whole would also be good. I also love full-fat oat milk in these drinks.
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 5-inch cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 star anise
• 1 vanilla bean optional
• 2/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream or another Irish cream liqueur, or Bailey's Vanilla Cinnamon
• 1/3 cup bourbon like Maker’s Mark
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the rims:

• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• To a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and star anise. If using a vanilla bean, split it open and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and remainder of vanilla bean to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and steaming. Reduce to low and heat for 5 minutes, being careful not to ever let it come to a full boil. Remove from heat. Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large heat-proof bowl and carefully pour the liquid over the sieve. Discard the solids. Add the liquid back to the saucepan. Stir in the Irish cream, bourbon, and vanilla extract.
• To garnish the mug rims, pour the 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup into a small saucer. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon, then pour it onto another small saucer. Dip the rims of the glasses into the maple syrup, then dip into the cinnamon and sugar mix, pressing to coat evenly. Flip over and fill glasses with the hot cocktail. Serve.

Notes

Vegan option:

Use a plant-based milk like oat milk, and use vegan Bailey’s. 

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 401IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 345mg | Iron: 0.3mg

The post Warm Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Drink appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Our 2-year-old has a new habit lately, and I worry it’s something she learned directly from her parents.

“Daisy! No eat the house!”

“Daisy! No hit the CARS!”

Daisy is our three-year-old golden retriever, and she’s a bit … boisterous. She’s a somewhat troubled rescue dog that we found at a shelter when she was six months old. She was completely shut down – afraid of everything and everyone. She’s still skittish, but for the most part, she’s transformed into an overgrown, over-rambunctious, 70-pound, out of control puppy. She is also unbelievably wonderful and patient with our toddler, thankfully. The toddler, on the other hand …

“Daisy! No. Lick. The. Book!”

“Daisy! No. Eat. The. Bunny MAC!”

It’s always a bit of a reality check to hear yourself through your child (though we do structure our sentences a little differently, promise). Anyway, we’re sorry, Daisy. We’ll try to be a little more patient with you – and teach our daughter to do the same.

Not that Daisy reads this, but you know.

Anyway! Blondies! I’ve been obsessing over blondies a bit lately, so I thought it would be fun to create a St. Patrick’s Day-esque version: Bailey’s & Coffee Blondies. Though, by all means, these should be enjoyed any time of year.

We’ve got rich, dense, espresso-spiked blondies, and then we top them with Baileys Irish Cream icing. Basically, blondies both caffienated and boozified. Kind of like me! Not really. Maybe a little.

One cool thing about these blondies is that the base only takes one bowl. No separate bowls for wet and dry; you just melt the butter in the bowl, then add the rest of the ingredients. So easy! Although … you do need a mixer for the icing, so that’s kind of a bummer. But totally worth it, promise!

My self control is often nil, but with these blondies, it’s pretty much minus nil. 20 degrees below nil. After my quality control sample(s), the rest went to the office with my guy. They had to GO. Except for that one I, ahem, hid away. Now where is that thing?! (I am not looking at the dog accusingly. I am not.)

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Baileys & Coffee Blondies

These utterly decadent blondies are a new take on Baileys and Coffee. Espresso flavors the rich, caramel-y base; Irish Cream spiked icing takes them over the top.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 16 squares

Author Kare

Ingredients

Coffee Blondies

• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso granules
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Irish Cream Buttercream Icing

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 cups powdered aka confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream liqueur or other Irish Cream liqueur
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Pinch salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish or coat well with non-stick cooking spray.
• Add the butter to a large, microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 50% power in 20-second increments just until melted. Whisk in the brown sugar, then stir in the instant espresso granules, egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix well.
• Add the flour and stir just until combined.
• Spoon batter into baking dish - it will be very thick. Using an offset spatula or your clean fingers, press and spread the batter evenly into the pan.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle and the edges appear dry and slightly golden.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1 hour.
• Make the icing. In the bowl of a stand mixer afixed with the whisk attachment or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter until pale, about one minute. Add the powdered sugar and blend at low speed until the butter and sugar begin to combine. Drizzle in the irish cream. Add the milk, a little at a time, until you reach a creamy, spreadable consistency. Add the salt and combine well.
• Spread the icing evenly over the blondies. Cut into 16 squares and remove with a cookie spatula.
• Blondies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days.

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I mean, heaven knows how much we desperately needed yet another sinful, scrumptious way in which to enjoy everyone’s beloved Nutella. How about a Nutella mudslide to fill the (non) void?

This is the mudslide to beat all mudslides. If there was a mudslide showdown – a Mudslide Challenge if you will (and I would be first in line to participate in such a glorious thing) – this mudslide would get first prize. Rich, creamy, decadent. Chocolate and hazelnut. Baileys and Frangelico. Cream and Nutella. Happiness and light.

So, yes. Yes, absolutely: liquor and Nutella.

I mean, if you’re going to indulge, indulge.

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Nutella Mudslides

This rich, creamy, chocolate-hazelnut cocktail tastes just like a milkshake. Careful; it might be a little *too* delicious.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Nutella
• 2 ounces half-and-half
• 2 ounces Frangelico liqueur
• 2 ounces Baileys Irish cream
• Ice

Instructions

• Fill a glass with ice cubes.
• Stir together the Nutella and half-and-half for about a minute or until the Nutella is dissolved. If the Nutella isn't dissolving, microwave the Nutella and half-and-half for 10-20 seconds then stir again; that should do the trick.
• Add Nutella/half-and-half mixture to an ice-filled cocktail shaker. Pour in the Frangelico and Baileys. Shake for about 10 seconds and pour into the glass with ice cubes and serve with a straw.

3.1.09

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