The Kentucky Derby takes place on May 6, and this year we'll be celebrating with some Four Roses bourbon and some Four Roses Bourbon Scented Brownies.
Four Roses Bourbon
As a wine drinker who is learning more about spirits, I've really come to enjoy this brand. We buy the Single Barrel, which I like for its smoothness and flavor. Tasting notes describe it as "moderately woody" with flavors of plum, cherries, spices, vanilla and cocoa, and while I can't quite taste all of those things, it's always fun trying.
Small Batch and Yellow
There are two other Four Roses bourbons. A top shelf "Small Batch", which I've yet to sample, and Four Roses Yellow, which is perfect for cocktails, cooking and baking. In fact, Four Roses sent me a sample of "Yellow" to try in their Four Roses Bourbon Scented Brownies.
I served these to some friends at a coffee and everyone loved the flavor. The brownies are somewhere between fudge-y and cakey, have a lightness about them, but are still rich. Even with 3 oz of bourbon, the brownies aren't overpoweringly bourbon flavored.
Here's the recipe for the brownies. Let me know what you think!
Recipe
Four Roses Bourbon Scented Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 stick 4 oz/ unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 5 oz semisweet chocolate chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 large eggs cold
- ¾ cup cake flour 3 oz/84 grams
- ¼ teaspoon plus a pinch of salt optional
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons 3 oz Four Roses Bourbon (Yellow Label or Small Batch)
- Chopped white and dark chocolate for topping optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 inch square metal pan with nonstick foil.
- In a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt chopped chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa powder and sugar.
- Let cool slightly, then whisk in vanilla. Add eggs one by one, whisking gently after each egg but being careful not to whisk too much air into the batter.
- Add the flour and stir until incorporated, then add the Four Roses and stir again.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake at 325 for approximately 35 to 40 minutes.
- To test if the brownies are done, insert a toothpick - when you pull it out of the batter it should be wet with a little bit of the brownie mixture adhering to the toothpick.
- Let cool completely, chill so that you'll get a cleaner cut, then cut into squares.
Sonya says
By the way, this post reminded me of another favorite use for bourbon - the Brown sugar and bourbon whipped cream that Cook's Illustrated made to go along with their pumpkin cheesecake (also an amazing recipe). Here's the recipe if you're interested in making some to top your brownies 🙂
Published November 1, 2003.
BROWN SUGAR AND BOURBON CREAM
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: We discovered a few keys to the perfect pumpkin cheesecake recipe: For a smooth and creamy texture, we blotted the canned pumpkin puree with paper towels to remove excess moisture before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients. We passed over brown sugar, which overpowered the pumpkin, in favor of milder granulated sugar. Baking the cake in a water bath in a moderate oven also helped give our pumpkin cheesecake a velvety texture.
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons bourbon (Four Roses of course 🙂
Instructions:
1. In bowl of standing mixer, whisk heavy cream, sour cream, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve cheesecake, at least 4 hours or up to 24, stirring once or twice during chilling to ensure that sugar dissolves.
2. When ready to serve cheesecake, add bourbon and beat mixture with whisk attachment at medium speed until small bubbles form around edges, about 40 seconds; increase speed to high and continue to beat until fluffy and doubled in volume, about 1 minute longer. Spoon cream on individual slices of cheesecake.
Sonya says
Yummy!