Bailey's Irish Cream Brownies

I came across this brownie recipe as I was looking for something new to make for St. Patrick's Day. I knew that my Friday Night group would appreciate something festive and you can never go wrong with alcohol when it comes to this group.

I made two pans of brownies. One was for our martini group and the other was to take to my grandma's house over the weekend. The brownies come out delicious. They were a wonderful fudgey, chewy brownie with just the right amount of Irish Cream to not make the entire thing taste like a mixed drink. I botched the frosting a little bit but I think if I had actually followed the directions it would have turned out fine. I accidentally melted my butter instead of just letting it soften. I also put in too much Bailey's because I wasn't paying attention to how many tablespoons I had added. This made the frosting turn out more like a glaze and boy was it potent! I tried to rectify it by adding more sugar but that just made it sickenly sweet. I scrapped the whole thing and started over. My second attemp came out much better and I was able to pipe it onto the brownies just fine.

So just a word of caution, follow the instructions when making something new! I learned my lesson this time but I can't say it will stick with me. I have a tendency to just wing it most of the time.

Bailey's Irish Cream Brownies

Adapted from Alida's Kitchen

Ingredients
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Butter or Margarine
1 Cup Sugar
4 Large Eggs
1/4 Cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Frosting:
2 Tablespoons Butter, softened
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tablespoons Bailey's Irish Cream
Green Food Coloring

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9 inch square baking pan with cooking spray.
3. Put the chocolate chips and butter into a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high in 30 second increments, mixing in between, until the chocolate is smooth and glossy.
4. Let the chocolate cool slighly.
5. Add the sugar, eggs, Irish Cream, and vanilla.
6. Mix well and then microwave on high for 1 minute.
7. Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
8. Fold gently to combine.
9. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
10. Bake for 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out almost clean.
11. Cool on a wire rack.
12. To make the frosting, beat the butter until fluffy.
13. Add the sugar and Irish Cream.
14. Beat until well blended
15. Add milk or powdered sugar a teaspoon at a time to reach the desired buttercream consistency.
16. Add 3-6 drops of green food coloring and mix into the frosting.
17. Spread or pipe over cooled brownies.
18. Decorate with sprinkles.

Yields: 16 Brownies