March Bonus Post: Golden Mint Crinkles Part 2

March 13, 2019 / theblindpig11 / 2 Comments

It’s time for our March Bonus Post! The sun finally came out in Texas today, so we feel like our spring break is just getting started. We spent a little bit of time in downtown Dallas enjoying some sunshine in Klyde Warren Park.

Grandma Ruth is in town visiting and you know when Ruth is around great things happen for The Blind Pig Blog. Need we remind you about last year when we made these delicious Kerrygold Cinnamon Rolls?

This week we have been up to lots of fun mixing and baking, you’ll see some of our great treasures in future posts. However, for our bonus post we are going to remind you about our Golden Mint Crinkles which were such a huge hit during the holiday baking season. These delicious treasures are also a big hit for celebrating your Irish heritage — or someone else’s. Kiss us both. We’re Irish and needed another excuse to share these delicious cookies with you.

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You Asked, We Answered

January 28, 2019 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

We love hearing from our readers through Facebook, Instagram and especially in person. We have so much fun creating our blog posts and hope that you look forward to receiving them in your inbox each week. This week we are taking a break from sharing more recipes with you to answer some commonly asked questions about The Blind Pig Blog.

What do you do with all of the drinks and food that you create for the blog? That’s an easy answer… we drink and eat them. Many of the drinks and recipes that we make for the blog have made it into our regular rotation. We love to share the food we make on the blog with friends and family, so what are you doing next Friday?
Does everything you make contain “The Blind Pig” twist? No. We make plenty of food and drinks on a daily basis that do not contain extra libations at all. In fact, when we are not cooking things up for TBPBlog we try to eat fairly healthy. Actually, Blind Piglet #2 prefers recipes that we make without a twist.
Do all of the recipes and concoctions you make get featured on TBPBlog? No. We try all of our recipes out at home before posting. Many of the recipes we try get tweaked and adjusted before making it to the blog. Some we try and nix altogether. Some recipes we prepped, took photos, and then never made it into the queue. We try to bring you relevant recipes with current trends and if we just don’t feel confident with a recipe, we don’t post it.
Do you get paid to feature certain products on your blog? Not currently. Everything that we feature on our blog is because we believe in the quality of the product. We like to feature products from smaller companies when we can. When our blog grows up and we get the opportunity to be paid for a feature, we will be sure to be transparent about it with our readers.
How do you decide what you want to blog about? We think about what kind of entertaining our readers may be planning for in the near future. If there is an upcoming holiday, we want to give you some ideas to serve your guests. Throughout the year we are on the lookout for ideas to include in the blog. Rhonda has a huge file of recipes that she has kept throughout the years. When we need some inspiration we look through Rhonda’s files. When we find something that interests us, we play with the recipe and tweak it to make it relevant and current.
What is your favorite ingredient to use in TBPBlog posts? For Rhonda it is Kerrygold Irish Cream. The chocolate flavor makes it so easy to add to many dessert recipes, and we have been surprised how easy it is to incorporate into other things.
What is your go-to drink when you are out and about? Craig hands down loves to drink anything with Fernet Branca or Fernet and Coke. He orders it everywhere we go. Rhonda’s go-to drinks are usually a Templeton Rye and Ginger Beer (Maryann or Ginger) or a Correlajeo Skinny Agave Margarita. It’s just easy to order and most bars are able to make it.
Where is your favorite place to go out and have a drink? Craig’s favorite place is Sable Kitchen and Bar in downtown Chicago at the Kimpton Hotel. Rhonda’s favorite place is Village Burger Bar. They have really good Corralejo Margaritas and I love their sweet potato fries. Really she just loves anywhere with a great patio and fire pit.
What have been your favorite posts? Choosing a favorite post is a lot like choosing your favorite child. It’s difficult to pick just one. (Don’t tell, but Blind Piglet #3 is our fav. Shhhh!) We do have a few favorites, though. Some of the posts that are special to us are because of things that were going on in the background when we were prepping or taking photos.

Rhonda’s Favs:

Corralejo Skinny Agave Margarita: This was our first official post and some of Rhonda’s girlfriends came over to help us kick off the post.
The Watermelon Wars: Both of these drinks are delicious and it truly was a war between us to decide which recipe was better.
Mary Ann or Ginger: To this day, this is still my go-to drink when out and about.
Golden Mint Crinkles: This cookie recipe was a family favorite to begin with, and we were able to make it even better.
Salted Whiskey Caramel Corn: We had a lot of activity in the house the weekend we made this post. This post always makes me think of warmth, family, and home. Not to mention all of the caramel corn was gone within two hours of the photo shoot.
Tequila Ceviche: We used this recipe all summer long. It was so easy, tasty and fresh.
There are more, but we don’t want to bore you.

Craig’s favs:

All of the margarita posts: Corralejo Skinny Agave Margarita, Jalapeno Popper Margarita, Santorita,
Christmas Morning Bread:

Still have more questions? Bring it on. We would love to answer them!

Are you following us on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram? If not, use the links below! Have an awesome week. Next week we will be back with more yummy recipes for your taste buds and tummy with a February flair. Love is in the air!

Disclaimer: All beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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Snowed In?

January 12, 2019 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

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Let us just start by saying that we planned this post a few weeks ago. At that time we had noooo idea that the Midwest would be under a winter storm warning. Currently there is close to a foot of snow on the ground for many of our Midwest followers. When we created this recipe and came up with the name, we did not realize that the universe was listening so closely. We apologize. However, we are sharing a delicious, chocolaty drink with you that we aptly named Snowed In. We felt that reflected the weather in much of the country for this time of year. (Yes, parts of Texas did receive some snow two weeks ago.) It has a little chocolaty goodness, a little bit of coffee and a lot of yum!

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There are three main ingredients in Snowed In: Crystal Head Vodka, Cafe Borghetti, and Kerrygold Irish Cream. Put them together and shake with a little ice, and presto you have a fabulous cocktail to drink next to the warm fire.

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We used chocolate syrup, semi-sweet chocolate shavings and a few espresso beans for garnish. We showed you our trick for garnishing with chocolate syrup last year when we made Who Needs Half Price Shakes Before 8?

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We’ve made this tasty little drink a couple of times now, and we think we like it more and more every time we make it. It would be perfect to serve to guests as a dessert drink. We would love to hear what you think!

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If you are viewing this post via email, visit us at http://www.theblindpig.blog for a full printable recipe.

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The next time you are snowed in or not, shake up this cocktail to keep you warm on the inside as you cuddle up next to the fire with your honey.

Disclaimer: Beverages on this site are meant for adults 21 years of age and older. We do not condone underage drinking, and never drink and drive.

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Saucy Gift Ideas for the Holidays

December 9, 2018December 9, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

We are so glad to see many of you sharing and commenting our latest posts: Golden Mint Crinkles and Yum Rum Balls. ‘Tis the season to share and give, so keep on sharing. This week we have another great idea for giving and sharing this season.

If you are looking for an easy treat to share in a goody bag, with your child’s teacher, the mail man, or just a little something special to add to a gift, Kerrygold Hot Fudge Sauce is a great place to start.

Kerrygold Hot Fudge Sauce is a great addition to a holiday gift basket.

This sauce is a great topping for a variety of treats and desserts. Drizzle some over a sponge cake for a little extra pizzazz. Serve over a bowl of fresh berries. Use it for a yummy ice cream sundae. Warm it up and place in a fondue pot with lots of fun fruit, brownies, marshmallows, or angel food cake dippers. Drizzle some over a pile of pancakes or french toast on Christmas morning. Get creative, and let us know how you used the sauce.

Getting organized took longer than actually making the sauce. First decide how you want to package the sauce. Rhonda went to Hobby Lobby and found a variety of cute little jars and bottles. We have also seen bottles similar to this at World Market, or you can purchase small canning jars at the grocery store. Make sure that the bottles are safe for food, and not just made for decoration. Bring the bottles home and wash them thoroughly. We put ours through the dishwasher on high heat to make sure they were well sanitized. We (Rhonda) found some fun tags, bows and ribbons at Hobby Lobby to dress up the bottles and jars for a festive flair.

You can find a variety of jars and bottles at Hobby Lobby. Make sure they have been thoroughly washed.

Next start the process of making the sauce. You will need a package of unsweetened chocolate baking squares, butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, salt and Kerrygold Irish Cream. We have a variety of variations to this recipe that we will share with you below.

Place the chocolate and butter (We used Kerrygold butter, of course.) in a small saucepan over low heat stirring constantly. Add the sugar and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the milk stirring constantly and cook for an addition 3-5 minutes until the chocolate sauce is smooth and creamy. You want to keep the heat on low and do not let the sauce boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, salt and Kerrygold Irish Cream. Yes, it’s that quick and easy!

Kerrygold Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:
1 -8 oz package of unsweetened chocolate baking squares
1/2 cup of Kerrygold butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
1 ounce of Kerrygold Irish Cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt

Melt unsweetened chocolate baking squares and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups of sugar and continue to stir for about 30 seconds. Add milk to saucepan and continue to stir until sauce is smooth and creamy. Make sure sugar is dissolved, but do not allow the sauce to boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt and Kerrygold. Cool before placing in container.

Can be refrigerated for up to two weeks. Reheat sauce in microwave prior to serving.

Makes approximately 3 cups.

The sauce is good for up to two weeks when stored in the refrigerator. It is best served warm, so you will want to include that information on your instruction tags to your friends. We made sure to remind our friends to place the sauce in a different container before placing in the microwave.

We love choices and variety, and there are several variations you may choose from for your sauce depending on your taste. For a coffee flavor with your chocolate sauce, substitute the Kerrygold Irish Cream with Cafe Bourghetti Espresso Liqueur. Want a little mint and chocolate? Add Branca Menta in place of the Kerrygold. Caution: Branca Menta is strong, so we would only include half as much Branca Menta as Kerrygold. Feeling a little frisky and want some whiskey? Replace the Kerrygold with Templeton Rye Whiskey. Zaya Rum and chocolate complement each other nicely, as well. So now you have choices to satisfy the range of the taste buds in your rainbow of friends and family.

Try it out this week and let us know if you will be in the spirit of giving some Kerrygold Hot Fudge Sauce this season! It’s time for our December Bonus post this week, so be on the lookout for our Merry Margarita!

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Holiday Treats Worth Their Weight in Gold

November 25, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 5 Comments

Welcome back Blind Pig Friends. How was your Thanksgiving? The big question is did you serve the Prosecco Peas? We know some of you considered it, but did you follow through? We had a great time eating turkey with family in the Show Me State! We always enjoy visiting the Midwest to see family during the holidays. We returned with a vehicle for Blind Pig #2. You can see more about that on Instagram. With our tummies full of turkey and Templeton Pecan Pie our sights now turn to the Christmas holiday season. We have lots of great ideas and recipes lined up to share with you from now until NYE.

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To kick off the season, we have a special, golden, sweet, treat for you. This cookie recipe has been in Rhonda’s stash for years and has long been a family favorite. These cookies easily make their way into the friends and family goody basket each season, but this year they are new and improved. When you put these goodies on Santa’s plate, they will not disappoint!

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What makes these cookies so special? We slipped a little extra something in the dough by adding Kerrygold Irish Cream. We’ve shared other recipes that featured Kerrygold before, such as, our Twisted Mississippi Mud Brownies. We dressed these cookies in their finest glittery holiday attire to add a festive flair. Our harshest critiques, Blind Pig #2 and Blind Pig #3 got in on the action of helping with this post by taste testing the results. Both piglets agreed that the Golden Mint Crinkles are better than the original recipe. (No Blind Piglets were harmed in the making of this post.)

To start you will need the following ingredients: flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, sugar, brown sugar, Kerrygold butter, vanilla, Kerrygold Irish Cream, eggs, package of Dove Dark Chocolate and Mint Swirl Chocolates, and gold sugar crystals. We found gold sugar crystals in the baking aisle at Kroger.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Blend well.

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In a large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add Kerrygold Irish Cream and mix through. Add flour mixture slowly and mix well.

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Chill the dough for about an hour. Do not skip this step. It is very helpful to have well chilled dough for the next step.

Chill the dough for at least an hour

After dough has chilled and you have thoroughly washed your hands, unwrap the chocolates and place nearby in a bowl. In order to easily prepare the cookies, make sure chocolates, cookie sheets, golden sugar crystals poured into a saucer and a tablespoon are in close proximity. Before forming cookies, spray your hands with cooking spray. This enables you to form the dough around the chocolates while avoiding a clumpy, sticky mess. (We have learned this the hard way after years of making this recipe.) Scoop a spoonful of dough and place a chocolate inside the dough. Using your fingers, form the dough around the chocolate. Dip the dough in the sugar crystals and place on a cookie sheet. Continue until 12 cookies have been placed on the sheet. (We place our dough back in the fridge in between filling the trays.)

Ready for the oven

Bake cookies at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes. You do not want the cookies to be over baked. It is better to pull them from the oven looking a little under baked. You want the cookies to have a slightly crinkled or cracked look. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes after removing from the oven to continue the baking process. Next remove cookies from sheet and place on parchment paper to continue to cool.

Cookies will be slightly cracked

The yummy creaminess of the Kerrygold Irish Cream complements the chocolate cookie, and who can resist the melted minty goodness surprise on the inside?

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These treats will delight family and friends throughout the holiday season, and have them begging for the recipe. Golden Mint Crinkles are a hit at cookie exchanges. If you are a lucky recipient of a Blind Pig Holiday Goody Basket, you may be receiving some of these goldies.

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If you are viewing this post in your email, visit us at theblindpig.blog to find the printable recipe.

Try out the Golden Mint Crinkles. We would love to hear what you think!

If you are new to The Blind Pig Blog, welcome. We are glad that you stopped by. We would love to hear what you think about our blog and would love you even more if you became a permanent subscriber!

Here are some recent posts you may have missed:

Oh Pumpkin…Bread!

A Better Aperol Spritz

Hard Cider Donut Holes with Kerrygold Chocolate Sauce

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Holey Moley: Hard Cider Donut Holes with Kerrygold Chocolate Sauce

November 2, 2018November 1, 2018 / theblindpig11 / Leave a comment

hard cider donut holes

How was your Halloween? Did you try one of the Six Great Drinks for Fall this week? Our final post for our Apple Fest series is an easy recipe for making Hard Cider Donut Holes. We know you are thinking that donuts seem like a lot of work and really hard to make. We thought that at first. Rhonda remembers making homemade donuts with her mom when she was a youngin’, but she hasn’t made them in years. Craig? Well… if you know Craig he’s eaten plenty of donuts in his life, but never made any. After reading this post, you will see how easy it is to make your own donuts. By the way, these donuts are not for breakfast. No way. These donuts are drizzled in a delectable chocolate sauce, to be served as a dessert!

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To get started you will need 1 bottle of hard cider. (We used Angry Orchard Rose’ for this recipe.) You need all-purpose flour, wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cardamon, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, eggs, melted butter, and oil for deep fat frying.

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Bring cider to a boil in a saucepan and cook over high heat for about 12 minutes.

Whisk together flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and spices. In a separate bowl whisk eggs, melted butter and cooler cider. Stir into dry ingredients until moistened. Beware the dough is very sticky at this point, but the spices make it smell so yummy. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

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Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, pat the dough into 1/2 inch thickness. Flour a donut hole cutter and cut holes.

In a iron skillet, heat oil to 325 degrees. Fry donuts a few at a time until golden brown. Ours only needed to cook for about 1-2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Sift powdered sugar over the tops of donuts and continue to cool. Now wasn’t that easy?

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To make the donuts even more delectable, we decided to drizzle Kerrygold Chocolate Sauce over the top. Yummo!

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If you are viewing this post though your email, visit us at www.theblindpig.blog to view a full recipe.

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Hard cider donuts have a nice, spicy flavor and the chocolate sauce only adds to the overall yumminess. This recipe was a simple delicious hit in our house. Make them this weekend, and let us know what you think!

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Twisted Mississippi Mud Brownies

August 25, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 2 Comments

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Have you ever had one of those weeks when things should be very easy, but nothing seems to come together? This week has been a comedy of errors trying to get this post out to you. For one thing, Rhonda’s computer wifi card went bust, or that is what we think happened. If you ever think you don’t need the internet, try going without it for awhile. But we problem solved and prevailed. Our family motto is, “There is a workaround for everything!” We are happy to share a very twisted recipe with you: Twisted Mississippi Mud Brownies.

When Rhonda was young, her mother, (aka-Grandma Ruth) always made the most delicious Mississippi Mud Brownies to take to picnics and special occasions at church. Who doesn’t love all of that chocolately goodness topped off with marshmallows and more chocolate, right? We found this recipe in Southern Living Magazine’s October 2012 issue originally, but we Blind Pigged it up a little. We think this week’s treat, just might have perfected the Mississippi Brownie.

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This recipe comes in three basic parts. You have the brownie base, then a layer of peanut butter yum. Topped with another layer of brownie and perfected with a layer of marshmallows, chocolate chips, peanuts, and chocolate frosting. Oh yea!

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What do you need? Besides an enormous sweet tooth and an appetite for chocolate and peanut butter, you need several ingredients that may already be in your kitchen, like unsweetened chocolate baking squares, butter, granulated sugar, eggs, all-purpose flour, vanilla, peanut butter, light brown sugar, baking powder, mini marshmallows, Kerrygold Irish Cream, mini chocolate chips, lightly salted peanuts, and powdered sugar. Remember, if you are viewing this post in your email, you can visit www.theblindpig.blog to get a downloadable and printable complete recipe.

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Your first step will be to melt the baking chocolate. We melted it slowly in a microwaveable bowl in the microwave using short bursts of cooking time. Once the chocolate is melted, add in 2 ounces of Kerrygold Irish Cream and stir together well. Set aside.

Next beat together softened butter and 2 cups of granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time. Then add in melted chocolate mixture beating until just blended. Add in one cup of flour and stir in vanilla. Spread half of the batter in a 13 x 9 inch pan that was sprayed with baking spray.

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Next you will make the peanut butter mixture. Beat the peanut butter, brown sugar and 1/3 cup of softened butter with 1/2 cup granulated sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 eggs one at a time. Stir together baking powder and remaining flour. Add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture on low speed until blended.

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Spoon the peanut butter mixture over the bottom layer of brownie mixture. Top with the remaining brownie mixture and swirl together with a knife.

Bake the brownies at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

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While brownies are baking make the frosting. Place 1/4 cup of butter, 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa and 3 tablespoons of Kerrygold Irish Cream into a small sauce pan. Turn heat to medium and continue to stir constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract. You may need to reheat the frosting some when you are ready to drizzle it over the brownies.

Insert wooden pick in the center to check for only a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven.

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Sprinkle with marshmallows, peanuts, mini-chocolate chips, and drizzle with frosting. Let cool completely before cutting. Then enjoy!

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So what do you think? Are you ready for a Mississippi-sized sugar rush?

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Spirited Chocolate Orange Bars

June 23, 2018June 22, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

This week was the summer solstice which officially ushered in Summer. There are many reasons that we love Summer. One reason is that it is filled with countless cookouts, family reunions, and casual get-togethers with friends. We never want to show up empty-handed for these casual occasions. Of course, Craig is always popular because he can supply a beverage or two, but we like to show our appreciation to the host and hostess with other treats, too.

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Rhonda snipped this recipe from the Dallas Morning News about a year ago during their annual bake off competition. We adapted the recipe submitted by Rex Poland of Dallas, and just recently had time to try it. When you show up at the family reunion with this sweet treat, you will be the favorite cousin for sure!

The ingredients are mostly basic things that you have in your pantry or fridge – unsalted butter, semi-sweet baking chocolate bars (we used Ghirardelli chocolate) , eggs, sugar, cream cheese, freshly grated orange zest, and heavy cream. You will need some Kerrygold Irish Cream and Cointreau for the spirit in the Spirited Chocolate Orange Bars. There is one ingredient that was a bit tricky for us to find – plain chocolate cookies, such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers. We did not find these on the cookie aisle. With some help from our handy dandy Kroger manager, we discovered that they are kept near the ice cream sundae supplies on the baking aisle.

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The recipe is easy to follow but has several steps. First you crush the cookies and melted butter in a food processor. Then you press the crust in a 8 X 12 inch baking pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Next melt the chocolate in a microwave and set aside.

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Beat eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl beat cream cheese. Then beat the egg mixture into the cream cheese. Divide the cream cheese mixture in two bowls.

Stir in melted chocolate into the one bowl of cream cheese mixture. In the other bowl of cream cheese add orange zest and Cointreau.

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Gently pour each mixture over the cookie base and swirl gently with a spatula. Bake about 25 minutes. Turn off the oven and cool with the door ajar to room temperature.

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While the bars are cooling, prepare the ganache. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave. Heat heavy cream to a hot temperature. Combine the cream and melted chocolate, and 1 ounce of Kerrygold Irish Cream stirring until smooth.

Spread ganache over the top of the cooled bars and refrigerate for 3 hours. When ready to serve cut the bars into squares and serve.

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If you are viewing this post in an email, visit our site for a printable version of the recipe.

This recipe has a few extra steps, but the final outcome is definitely worth it. The chocolate and orange flavors compliment each other nicely for a tasty treat. Will you bring Spirited Chocolate Orange Bars to your next casual gathering?

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Kerrygold Cinnamon Rolls

March 25, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 5 Comments

Kerrygold Cinnamon Rolls Where 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.

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Do You Fondue?

March 16, 2018 / theblindpig11 / 1 Comment

fondue 3 ways Do 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.

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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