homemade irish cream

I wasn't going to worry about posting again until after the new year, but this was just too good not to share.

So what happened was...

When UGA lost the SEC Championship, I was feeling devastated and apparently somewhat bold, leading me to buy a bottle of bourbon...
Which, if you know me, you know is completely out of character considering wine or vodka sprite are my two drinks of choice always.
Plus, I'm not even a fan of dark liquor.
This purchase makes no sense really.

Needless to say, the aforementioned bourbon has gone untouched since that awful night.

So, I had been brainstorming about things I could do with it to make myself feel like it wasn't a total loss - {FYI, spiked apple cider is not as good as it sounds} - when Friday one of my favorite food blogs posted this recipe for homemade Bailey's.

I mean honestly, could it be any more meant to be?

Obviously I took the timing as a sign and jumped on it.

Best decision ever.

recipe found here via How Sweet Eats

Things you'll need:

5-6 oz. milk chocolate, roughly chopped {I used Nestle chocolate chips}

1 1/2 cups Irish whiskey {in my case, bourbon}

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/4 tsp instant coffee

Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.

I used a little over 5 oz. of chocolate.

What can I say, I love sweets.

When finished, whisk in a few tablespoons of whiskey to get the chocolate into a more liquid-y form.

Whisk in evaporated and condensed milks until smooth.

Then, add remaining whiskey, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and instant coffee.

Transfer to a large pitcher and refrigerate.

Make sure to stir at least once a day to make sure everything is well mixed so all the flavors can combine well!

And there you have it!

Serve over ice or in coffee!

I've even heard it's good in hot chocolate or over ice cream...

Just saying.

I do recommend going to How Sweet Eats and looking at the recipe too, if only for the pictures.

Her's make it look a lot more delicious than mine do and actually do it justice.

After trying this out, I have now fully jumped on the 'make your own infused-alcohol' train.

So you'll definitely be seeing more of that from me in 2013.

I can feel your excitement.

See you next year!