Kerrygold Cinnamon Rolls

Kerrygold Cinnamon RollsWhere has March gone?  Do you realize that Easter is next weekend, which also is the start of April?  To help you prep for your Easter brunch or breakfast after sunrise service, we are sharing a delicious cinnamon roll with Kerrygold icing.  You are probably thinking, “Fresh baked cinnamon rolls are quite a chore.”  We are telling you that this recipe if fairly easy and foolproof.

Cinnamon Rolls with Kerrygold Icing

You may have seen our tease on instagram, where we brought in the big gun, Grandma Ruth, to help.  Grandma Ruth is a cinnamon roll baking pro, and she was able to share some helpful tips to making rolls taste great.  We got our recipe from kerrygoldusa.com, and of course changed a few parts here and there.

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First we prepped the dough.  We put our dough hook on our mixer and combined the yeast and warmed milk.  We used a kitchen thermometer to make sure that the milk was a cozy 110 degrees.  We stirred in the sugar and let it sit for about 10 minutes until it was foamy.  (This is when the yeast begins to activate.  Don’t skip this important step.)  We added the eggs and the flour.  Add eggs and especially the flour slowly in order to get them incorporated with the dough.

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Next, gently knead the dough with the mixer.  We had to abandon the mixer fairly quickly at this step.  The dough kept wrapping around the dough hooks and was not kneading well.  We kneaded it within the bowl.  Next, knead in the soften butter in chunks.  You can add more flour if the dough looks sticky.  Ours did not need extra flour.

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We removed the dough from the bowl and gently kneaded it on a lightly floured surface (about 10 times).  Then we rolled the dough into a ball and placed it in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray.  We covered with plastic and a clean kitchen towel.  The dough was placed in a warm area for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours or until it doubled.

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In a small bowl we prepared the filling — brown sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch.

When the dough doubled in size, we removed it from the bowl.  We divided the dough in half, and gently rolled it out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.  Make sure to roll your dough into a rectangle about the same size as a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Then we spread softened butter over the dough and sprinkled with half of the filling mixture. Starting at the long end, we rolled the dough up into a log.  After rolling,  we cut it in half and then cut the halves into thirds.  The rolls were placed in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish which was sprayed with baking spray.  We repeated the steps with the other half of the dough.

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We covered the baking dish with a clean kitchen towel and placed in a warm area until slightly risen.  We waited about 30 minutes.  The rolls were baked at 375 degrees on the middle rack for about 20-25 minutes.  Make sure not to overcook your rolls or they will be dry and hard.

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While rolls were baking,  we prepared the frosting by combining softened butter, powdered sugar and Kerrygold Irish Cream.  The frosting was beaten with a small electric hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.

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We frostened our rolls when they were slightly warm, so the frosting glazed the top.  You may want to frosten the rolls when completely cooled.

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You  can serve the rolls warm or at room temperature with a mimosa or Hot Chocolate with a Twist.  These rolls will be sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face on Easter morning.

If you are viewing this post in an email format, go to our site to view and print a full version of the recipe.

Thanks for visiting us at The Blind Pig Blog.  We are happy that you stopped by.  Let us know if you serve Kerrygold Cinnamon Rolls for a special breakfast.

 

Do You Fondue?

fondue 3 waysDo you fondue? We are surprised to learn many people have never tried this delicious and easy dessert with many variations.  We show you three of our favorites today.

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Fondue is a Blind Pig Family favorite.  We have many great memories of sitting outside near the fire in the evening and culminating the night by chowing down on some heavenly dessert fondue.  We like all kinds of fondue, but it seems like the people in our family with the sweet tooth always win out and expect dessert fondue when they hear the name.

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Today we are bringing you 3 easy, fresh, and tasty ways to have fondue. These three delicious options take very little prep and if your house is like ours, there is very little clean up.

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Prior to making fondue, we always prep our dipping ingredients.  Our family favorites are: sliced strawberries, chopped apples, marshmallows, cubed angel food cake, graham crackers, sliced bananas, and popcorn. Other great dippers are pretzels, raspberries, blackberries, sponge cake, and brownies. Basically anything that tastes good covered in chocolate or caramel — which is basically everything.  Right?

 

Option 1:  Kerrygold Chocolate Fondue.  This creamy fondue is made with  1 12 ounce bag hershey’s milk chocolate chips, 1/4 cup of milk, 1 ounce of Kerrygold Irish Cream, and a tablespoon of peanut butter.  Place all ingredients into a fondue pot or a small saucepan on the stove — low heat. Stir ingredients until smooth and creamy.  When you are ready, pass out the skewers and let the dipping begin!

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Option 2: Espresso Chocolate Fondue.  This is a great option for the coffee lovers in your life.  Follow the directions listed above for Kerrygold Chocolate Fondue.  Add 1 ounce of Caffe Borghetti Espresso Liqueur. Stir until smooth and then dip!

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Option 3: Nutty Butter Rum Fondue. This fondue takes a different turn and is not made with chocolate, but with  caramel. The caramel flavor of Zaya Rum compliments this fondue nicely. Put 1 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until the sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil for 6-7 minutes.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of Zaya Rum and cook for about a minute.  Remove from heat and stir in the 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter until melted.  Stir in 1/2 cup of half and half until the mixture is smooth.  Finally stir in 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts. This fondue is great with popcorn and apples.  It makes an excellent Fall treat.

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Fondue can be prepared ahead of time and reheated once you are ready to serve.  It is fun to make the Kerrygold Chocolate Fondue as a base.  Separate the fondue into small little ramekins or shot glasses for guests to use as their own dipper.  Just make sure that you serve the fondue warm.

Kerrygold Irish Cream gives this chocolate fondue a creamy texture and taste.

Many of our followers ask us, “What do you do with the food and drinks you make for The Blind Pig?”  The answer is that we eat it!  If we make something that doesn’t pass our taste testers, we don’t share it with you.  Here is a look at the rest of the story, after the posed pictures are complete.

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Official Blind Pig Taste Testers.

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The pans were licked clean and there were only 2 lonely slices of strawberries left on the plate. They came and they conquered!

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Now that you know 3 easy ways to fondue, will you fondue?  Which one will you try first?

What a week!  It was spring break for 3/5 of The Blind Pig household, so there was a flurry of activity. Did you see the sneak peek we put on Instagram?  Grandma Ruth was here and we made cinnamon rolls with a Blind Pig twist!  No one makes cinnamon rolls like Grandma Ruth.

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Mint to be Irish

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This tasty little cordial made with Kerrygold Irish Cream, Zaya Rum and Branca Menta will have your dancing an Irish jig in no time.

Hello friends! We are starting spring break this weekend, and we are looking ahead to St. Patrick’s Day.  We both come from Irish ancestors. Craig’s grandmother’s maiden name was Gertrude Holmes. Rhonda’s grandmother was Mary Dorothea O’Donnell, and Mary Dorothea’s father was Patrick O’Donnell.  Can you really get any more Irish than that?   Whether you are Irish or just want to be, we have a fun little cocktail for you to toast your lads and lassies.  You will believe that you were Mint to Be Irish.

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Just like the lucky three leaf clover, this cocktail is made with three delicious spirits — Kerrygold Irish Cream, Zaya Rum, and Branca Menta.

Add 2 ounces of Kerrygold Irish Cream, 1 ounce of Zaya Rum, and 1/2 ounce of Branca Menta to a shaker.  Top with a scoop of ice and shake for 20-30 seconds.  Pour into a small cordial glass and garnish with a mint leaf.

Yummo!  This tasty sipper will have you kissing the Blarney Stone and dancing an Irish jig.

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Visit our website to get a printable version of the recipe.

This tasty little cordial made with Kerrygold Irish Cream, Zaya Rum and Branca Menta will have your dancing an Irish jig in no time.

We would love to hear if you try Mint to Be Irish or any of our ideas on our blog.  Be on the lookout for a bonus post coming in the next week.

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Disclaimer: The beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years and older.  We do not condone underage drinking.  Never drink and drive.

Whiskey Bread Pudding

 

All of the rain and cold weather that we had last week got us in the mood for some warm comfort food. Bread pudding has a homey feel and taste that makes us think of our grandmother.  It’s a little bit like having a hug in a cup.  We’ve adapted this recipe to put a little extra twist on this traditional winter dessert.   We made a few adaptations to this basic bread pudding recipe that was originally found in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  Whiskey Bread Pudding fits our blog criteria.  It is easy.  It is tasty.  And because we added a few fresh ingredients, it is fresh.

To make this recipe you need dried bread.  When we plan ahead of time, we save up the ends of our bread and let it dry out on the kitchen counter for a couple of days.  If you don’t plan that far ahead, it’s okay.  You can place bread cubes in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

In a mixing bowl beat together 4 eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, whiskey and vanilla.  Place dry bread cubes in a round baking dish.  Sprinkle dried cranberries over the bread.

Pour egg mixture over all.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly.  It’s that easy!

While cooling make the whiskey sauce.  In a small saucepan melt margarine, butter, beaten egg yolk, water and whiskey.  Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and mixture boils.  Remove from heat and stir in whiskey.

Scoop bread pudding into serving cups.  Drizzle whiskey sauce over bread pudding and serve.  Yes, please!  This takes little effort and will delight your guests.

For a downloadable and printable version of our recipe.  Visit our website.

We hope you try out our Whiskey Bread Pudding and let us know what you think.  If you are new to our blog, thanks for stopping by.  We hope you visit us again.

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