Irish Coffee Blondies For St. Patrick’s Day

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s day.  Do you have your green out and ready to wear?  We wouldn’t want you to get pinched!  What else goes along with St. Patrick’s day; good food and booze, right?  No matter what you have on your menu for St. Paddy’s day, make these Irish coffee blondies for dessert.  It’s the perfect mix of sweet, coffee and whiskey. 

I just recently came across a new blog that I am slightly obsessed with, Baked Bree.  I love everything about her blog; her writing style, beautiful photographs and awesome recipes.  This week she has been posting “Irish” inspired recipes and when I saw this recipe for blondies, I knew I had to make them for St. Paddy’s day. 

Every year I have wanted to make something for this fun holiday but it’s always snuck up on me and I hadn’t made a thing.  Well this year, I finally got a chance to make something.  These blondies are incredibly simple to put together, we’re talking no electric mixer needed, and consist of ingredients that are pantry staples.  Melt a little butter, mix in some sugar, eggs, flour and a few other ingredients and bake.  Top it with a simple whiskey glaze and you’ve got a dessert that is moist and delicious that is ready in under an hour.  You have all the deliciousness of the drink in the form of a dessert bar.     

Irish or not, these bars can be enjoyed by all.

Irish Coffee Blondies

 Ingredients:

For the bar-
2 Sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
2 Eggs
1 Tsp vanilla
2 Cups flour
1 Tsp baking powder
1/4 Tsp baking soda
2 Cups packed brown sugar
1/4 Cup freshly brewed espresso, or strong coffee
Pinch salt
1/2 Cup almonds, sliced or roughly chopped

For the glaze-
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey
3/4 Cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper, spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Place butter in a medium bowl and melt.  Set the melted butter aside and allow to cool slightly. 

In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir to combine. 

Add the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and coffee to the butter mixture and stir to combine.  Once combined pour into the flour mixture and whisk until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.  Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes, until set or toothpick inserted comes out crumb free.  Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

For the glaze-
Melt the butter.  Combine the butter, whiskey, and powdered sugar and stir to form the glaze.  If the mixture is still too thick add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time until the glaze can be drizzled. 

Sprinkle the cooled bars with almond slices and drizzle with the glaze. 

Note:

Prepared espresso can be replaced with 3 tablespoons of coffee grounds. *If the espresso is replaced with coffee grounds reduce baking time to 27-30 minutes.

Sprinkle sliced almonds on bars before baking to toast the nuts while the bars are cooking.

Replace milk, if needed, with additional whiskey to thin out the glaze to give a more “boozy” taste.

Recipe source: slightly adapted from Martha Stewart Living via Baked Bree