Sweet, Spice, and Everything Bourbon - My 3 Favorite Fall Recipes

It’s Fall y’all! And I’ll admit, I’m a summer girl at heart. Always have been, always will be. But there is something undeniable about when that chill blows through and night falls early that make those wonderful warm spices call out to me like a sweet siren song. The PSL effect, as I like to call it (pumpkin spice latte for those unfamiliar with the term ;). So now definitely feels like the time to share with you three of my favorite fall dessert recipes. Full disclosure – there’s no pumpkin spice here – but plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, bacon and most importantly bourbon. Let’s get into it.

Recipe #1

First up is pie. Of course it’s pie! It’s fall. This pie is my absolute, hands-down, favorite pie of all time. The Peach Bourbon pie. Aptly named, it combines two of my favorite ingredients – peaches and bourbon. There’s also the option to add chopped pecans to make it the ultimate southern favorite.

Ingredients:

5 cups fresh peaches (about 6 or 7 medium)

½cup white sugar

½cup brown sugar

½cup flour

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt pinch of nutmeg

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. lemon juice

¼ cup good bourbon (Bulleit is my favorite here)

1 Tbsp. butter

milk and sugar, for crust

Optional: ¼ cup chopped pecans

Flour for sprinkling working surface

1 chilled two crust pie dough – refrigerated or make your own! My go-to is this classic Betty Crocker recipe: : http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pastry-for-pies-and-tarts/e74dfc22-dd54-4564-b653-0f142faf91a2

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F

Pit and thinly slice peaches. You can also peel if desired.

In a large bowl, combine white sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon zest. Add peaches, then chopped pecans if desired. Toss to combine. Add the lemon juice and bourbon. Toss until evenly coated.

Either roll out your refrigerated dough, or using a rolling pin, roll out your homemade pie dough on a floured surface into approx. an 11”- 12" circle and put into a 9" pie pan. Pour in peach filling. Cut the butter into small pieces and place evenly over the peaches. Roll out your second pie dough and slice into even strips. For the lattice top as shown, evenly space your strips (approx. 6 depending on the size of your strips) in one direction across the top of the pie. You want to make the strips long enough so they hang over the side of the plate about ½ inch. Then, lift up every other strip and place one strip across. Fold down, flip up the other, every other strip and place another strip across. Repeat for lattice pattern. Once the lattice is formed, roll under any excess dough so it no longer hangs over, then crimp using your fingers to create crust border. Finally, brush the crust with a tablespoon or so of milk, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 30 min. Then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. If the crust begins to brown too much, loosely cover it with aluminum foil while baking. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Recipe #2

Next up is the Apple Spice Cupcake with Salted Caramel Frosting. Perfect for a thanksgiving or holiday party potluck. The apple cake and salted caramel flavors have that undeniable fall feel in a bit size package. This recipe is credited to Well-Floured. As soon as I tried, it, I loved it! It has nice large chunks of apple it in which almost seem wrong when you’re making the batter, but it’s so, so right.

Recipe/blog post here. Also copy/pasted full recipe below for easy reference: http://www.wellfloured.com/apple-spice-cupcakes-with-salted-caramel-frosting/?/2012/09/apple-spice-cupcakes-with-salted_html

Ingredients:

* makes 12 cupcakes

1 cup of sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup of softened butter

1 cup of flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. apple pie spice

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 finely chopped apples

Salted Caramel Frosting:

2 sticks of butter

8 ounces of cream cheese

2 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of caramel sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and spice. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour then fold in the apples.

Bake in liners for about 20 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add in the caramel and powdered sugar. Blend well.

Recipe #3, saving the best for last!

I went through this kick where I just HAD to incorporate bourbon into every recipe (see recipe 1) and this beauty came about. Meet the Bacon Bourbon Pecan Cinnamon Roll with a Bourbon Glaze.

Ingredients:

1 loaf frozen white bread dough – thawed in refrigerator

Flour for sprinkling working surface

1 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

½ cup chopped pecans

4- 6 strips maple bacon, depending on thickness and love of bacon

2/3 stick butter, softened

Bourbon Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsps. bourbon (Bulleit is my preference, but any kind of tasty bourbon will do)

4 tsp. milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Fry bacon strips and cut into small pieces.

In a bowl, whisk together brown sugar and cinnamon to combine.

Lightly flour surface and roll out thawed dough into an approx. 15 x 7 rectangle. Spread butter all over dough, then sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with desired amount of bacon pieces and pecans. Starting at the long edge, roll up dough, making sure to keep the roll fairly tight as not to create gaps. Cut roll into 16 slices and set aside in warm place for about an hour. The rolls should double in size.

Divide rolls into 2 lightly buttered baking pans and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

While that bakes, combine the powdered sugar and bourbon in a bowl. Slowly add milk until glaze comes to desired consistency. Should be pourable but not too thin. Frost warm rolls with icing and avoid the urge to smash your face into them.

*Note: When I originally made this, I candied the bacon. To do that, I laid the bacon strips onto a baking sheet, sprinkled with brown sugar and let it bake until crispy. Although the bacon was delicious, I found myself craving the saltiness from the bacon vs. the sweet, so now I don’t candy it. However, give the candy a try and see what you think!

** Bonus Recipe! Bourbon and Orange Bitters cocktail.

- Large Ice Cube

- 3 Fingers Bulleit Bourbon or other preferred bourbon

- Few dashes orange bitters

- 1 tsp. honey

- Rosemary

Place ice in glass, combine all ingredients, stir, garnish with rosemary sprig. Enjoy!

Eat, Drink, Be Merry, and Party On,

Amanda