Bailey's Irish Cream and a Bucket list

As We all know, Christmas is just around the corner. I don't know about the rest of the world, but this puts me in a baking mood. On a side note, I have been completely obsessed recently with working on my bucket list, which is now up to somewhere in the range of three hundred items. You never know how long your going to live, so you got to start early on these things. :P As a matter of fact, starting this blog was an item on my list. Check! Anyway, on this list is one particular item that I am just itching to complete. Its the whole Julia & Julia cook my way through an entire cookbook thing. In honor of my favorite holiday, I've decided to cook through this:'

Isn't it just beautiful?  Doesn't it just make you want to cry? What makes it even better is, there are no ridiculous recipes like cow tongue in a soy cream sauce in it, so I won't be throwing up at any point while cooking through it. Instead,  the recipes will actually be enjoyed. Now! It would be ideal to plan on finishing this before christmas, but I'm not opposed to making christmas last as long as possible if I decide I don't want to finish it by then. Its a win win really.

So the first recipe I decided to make was these pretty little bailey's Irish cream bars. They seemed the perfect cookie to make because my amazing friend Lizzy was getting married and her bachelorette party was the next day. What better to celebrate than an alcoholic cookie? (That question was later answered when Shannon brought a smorgesborg of overly excited penis cookies) They were very simple to make, but I wasn't anticipating how strong the smell of the Irish cream would be. To anyone else, this would be an amazing smell. To me, the girl who was bought a cement mixer for her first shot that curdled in her mouth the second she took it... Well it made me sick. I hadn't really thought that one through. For those of you who don't know what a cement mixer is, its a baileys irish cream shot mixed with lime juice, which makes the baileys curdle inside your mouth. You end up swallowing chunks of unknown substance. Very gross. Back to the cookie! Once it was baking, my stomach recovered and I was able to finish these beautiful little cookies.

Here's how you make it!

3/4	cup all-purpose flour
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4	cup powdered sugar
2	tablespoons unsweetened baking cocoa
3/4	cup sour cream
1/2	cup granulated sugar
1/3	cup Irish cream liqueur
1	tablespoon all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	egg
1/2	cup whipping (heavy) cream
	Chocolate sprinkles, if desired Heat oven to 350ºF. In medium bowl, mix 3/4 cup flour, the butter, powdered sugar and cocoa with spoon until soft dough forms. Press in ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches. Bake 10 minutes. In medium bowl, beat remaining ingredients except whipping cream and chocolate sprinkles with wire whisk until blended. Pour over baked layer. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until filling is set. Cool slightly; refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with medium writing or star tip. Pipe dollop of cream onto each bar. Top with chocolate sprinkles. Store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours. So what's the verdict? I rate these cookies three chocolate chips out of five. They had a very odd texture that I think catches people off guard. It was kind of similar to that jello cheesecake texture, and it had a slight cheesecake sourness to it as well from the sour cream. I like the taste of the cookie, its just that you have to mentally prepare yourself for the texture. It tastes like a baileys cheesecake with an unexpected texture. :P I might just be to harsh though, cause these guys really liked them.

This is bob. 

This is Tim. 

Tim even helped me decorate them. :P