Tres Leches Cake Liquer Brownies

Like cookies & milk...it happened by mistake....

but I now realize that is how good brownies, tres leches y un poco (a little)  de tres leches liquer go together ...just like cookies and milk. .

And with cinco de mayo...literally right around the corner...my brain child couldn't have had any better timing!

If you are lucky enough to have your local liquor store sell this tres leches liquer in little shooters...Perfecto!..

If not these brownies are well worth the extra dinero required to go all in and buy the big bottle...

Because seriously...how can anyone be disappointed  by anything, especially liquor. that is inspired by the oh so delicioso

Latin American cake!

 Vamos a la cocina!

Ingredients

1/2 cup Tres Leches Liquer for brownie batter 1/4 cup to pour over brownies

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

2 sticks unsalted butter

3/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

 

 

Directions

 

 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch metal baking pan with foil, leaving a 2" overhang.

 

2. Stir 12 oz. chocolate and 1 cup butter in a medium metal or glass bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth.

 

3. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture, then 1/2 cup of the tres leches liquer . Fold in flour and 1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

 

4. Bake brownies until surface begins to crack and a toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35–40 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes.

 

5. Loosen and lift brownies from pan using the foil overhang; cut into squares. Using a toothpick poke 4-5 tiny holes on top of brownies. Take your tres leches liquer (you can warm liquer in a saucepan for a minute or two if desired) over brownies.

Mexican Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate

I have dreams of one day living in Mexico....I think it's one of the most beautiful places in all the world. I am fascinated by it's food, interested in learning about the culture, I absolutely love the Spanish language and I adore todos los colores brillantes  (all the bright colors) that are splashed everywhere!

I picture myself waking up one crisp fall mañana ( morning) the warm yellow sun shining in my window, grabbing the coziest sweater in my closet and walking to the local mercado (market). 

Entranced by all that it has to offer I walk vendedora a vendedora passing  la tortillería  it's table stacked high with fresh tortillas ready to be stuffed and filled with delicious meats and spicy peppers.  El Hombre with la fruta fresca (fresh fruit) and las verduras maduras ( ripe vegetables) mangoes, guyabas, chayote and noplaes all sharing the same space. Finally at the end of the aisle I see  una anciana (an old woman) with wispy gray hair slowly stirring a great big caldron of something.

I'm not really sure what it is...but the sweet smell in the air is drawing me near.  As I approach la senora she outstretches her hands and offers me a warm mug which looks to be filled to the brim with "melted chocolate" As I look at her questiongly "Champurrado" she says..she gestures at me to take a sip and when I do this warm hot drink fills my mouth and makes me smile and reminds me yet again all the reasons why I love this beautiful country!

So until my bags are officially packed and my United States passport is left behind...I will have to bring un poquito ( a little bit) of my Mexican dreams to where and I am now....so I present to you my
" Mexican Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate"....i'ts not quite my sweet ancianas Champurrado but it is a little piece of Mexican heaven right here in my cup until I get to officially call Mexico my home....Salud!

Ingredients

1. A tablet of Mexican Chocolate like Abuelita  or Ibarra

2. 4 cups of water (use milk if you prefer a thicker hot chocolate)

3.1/2 tsp of Mexican Vanilla

4. 1/2 can. pure canned pumkin (like Libby's)

5. 1/2 tsp. pumkin pie spice

6. 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

7. dash of salt

8. 2 tbsp. of packed brown sugar

Directions

1. In saucepan heat the 4 cups of water or milk the chocolate tablet, Mexican vanilla, pumkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, salt and brown sugar over medium high heat stirring constantly until well combined. (you can use a wire wisk, wooden spoon or this is the perfect time to use your Molinillo if you have one!) 

2. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Swirl with whip cream and sprinkle on a pinch of cinnamon.  Serve immediately.

Churro French Toast

Hola Amigos.! Lots of wonderful things going on in my vida(life) right now so I had to take a little break.

And although I've been gone and you haven't seen any new posts or photos.

I dream of sugar and baking up sweet ooey gooey love!

I assure my ovens have remained hot and I have so many new super delicioso recipes to share!

I know for you guys as well....things can get pretty busy en la vida (in life), crazy mañanas with long listas of things to do! 

But every since I was a young Chica, I was always told that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

I also believe one can never be too busy for something sweet,

so I figured why not jumpstart your day with a wonderful mix of  los dos ( both)!

So may I present to you a magically delicious addition to your busy mañana (morning )guaranteed to make you.......

okay maybe you can't

but the taste is so buttery and delicious your mouth while have no choice but to slow down and smile!

Vamos a la cocina

Ingredients

For the French Toast
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup milk

4 large eggs

10 to 12 slices white bread ( I love texas toast it's thicker and holds up great once dipped)

 

For the Churro

1/2 stick of butter (melted)

3/4 cup of sugar

1 tsp of cinnamon

chocolate syrup or maple syrup (optional for those without a super sweet tooth)

 

Directions

1. Break all the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate; beat lightly with a fork. Stir in milk, vanilla and cinnamon .
2. Over medium-low heat, heat griddle or skillet coated with a thin layer of butter, margarine or cooking spray.
3. Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl or plate, letting slices soak up egg mixture for a few seconds, if needed lightly shake extra cinnamon onto bread slice then carefully turn to coat the other side. Soak/coat only as many slices as you will be cooking at one time.
4. Transfer bread slices to griddle or skillet, heating slowly until bottom is golden brown. Turn and brown the other side.  Place cooked French toast on a separate plate until it's time to dip in the Churro mixture.
5. Once all your French Toast is done combine your 3/4 cup of sugar and your teaspoon of cinnamon in a shallow plate or dish. Melt 1/2 stick of butter about 45 secs or until completely melted pour it into a shallow bowl or pie plate , One at a time dip your cooked bread slices in the butter mixture and then place butter coated bread into your cinnamon sugar Churro mixture making sure to coat each side equally with cinnamon-sugary goodness!
6. Now that the hard part is over here comes the  easy! Stack your plate with as many slices of Churro French Toast that you think  your belly can handle. Now if your a complete sugar addict( like some Chica that I know cough, cough!) this is the moment that you can either swirl on some maple syrup or heat up a small cup of your favorite chocolate syrup. I personally love the taste of Churros dipped in chocolate....so chocolate glazed Churro French Toast es tan Perfecto para mi! ( so Perfect for me)

 

The Ultimate Cake Nachos

So one of my absolute FAVORITE holidays is literally right around the corner!

 I adore it because it's the day that many of the Gringos (like me)

love everything about Mexican Food, Mexican music & Mexican culture. 

Every store have an overstock of piñatas, super grande margarita glasses & hard taco shells.

It's the one day that it's perfectly normal to ride in your car wearing a colorful sombrero fist pumping to Mariachi music ( this is jersey after all)

and I love it!

El Ultimo ( The Ultimate) Cake Nachos are absolutamente perfecto for a Cinco de Mayo party or a super cute addition as a dessert for a summer party or BBQ.

                                                   Ingredients

1 box of Dark Chocolate cake mix ( I used Duncan Hines)
your favorite buttercream or frosting like this one ( I never use can frosting, but it can be substituted)
1 bag of yellow Wilton chocolate melts
1 bag of white Wilton chocolate melts
1 bag of Swedish Fish or any red gummy candy
1 package of green sour licorice string
orange food coloring
piping bags
colorful bowl

                                                Vamos a la cocina! ( Directions)

A day or two before you bake your cake, you may want to prepare your chocolate tortilla
 chips.

For the tortilla chips

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Take 1 Oreo cookies and crunch them until they are completely crushed in a plastic ziplock bag and set aside. Combine 1/2 bag of white chocolate with 1/2 bag of yellow chocolate in medium bowl.

2. Place bowl in microwave on 70% power heating for 35 second intervals, stiring well after each interval until completely melted.

3. Once chocolate is melted it's time to add in your crushed Oreos, you will only need about a couple of sprinkles of the cookie. ( the crushed cookies just serve as the black flecks seen in real tortilla chips)

4. Once you mix in your cookies, immediately place the chocolate in the piping bag and begin piping medium sized tortilla chips right onto your waxed paper.

5. Once all tortilla chips are piped, you can place them in the freezer and prepare cake, if your not baking cake that day the tortilla chips can easily be stored in the refrigerator or a cool place in your kitchen.

6. This is also a good time to chop your Swedish Fish and green licorice. I gave them a rough chop to resemble tomatoes and jalapeños and lettuce. Set them aside

For the Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, follow directions on box or cake recipe, you can either pour the batter in an 8 inch round cake pan or a jelly roll pan. I used the jelly roll pan because it was a shorter cook time and I seemed to get more cake out of it. ( I wanted my nachos to look like that had a lot of meat)

2. Once the cake is cooled, take a colorful bowl and crumble all of your cake it crumbs to resemble taco meat.

3. Take your buttercream and add a few drops of orange and yellow food coloring. ( I used about 3 orange drops and 5 yellow drops to achieve more of nacho cheese color). 

4. Place buttercream in the microwave for approx. 20 seconds until pourable. Once buttercream is colored you can either mix it directly into the cake crumbs or pour it all around. ( It all depends if you want to have a moister cake or not, the buttercream definitely soaks into the crumbs) If you are making the nachos with cheese, you need to add your chocolate tortilla chips first and pour the cheese on top of them and add a few jalapeño sprinkles.

5.If  you are going more for " El Ultimo" nachos, than it's time to add on heaping scoop of  plain white vanilla buttercream (sour cream) and sprinkle on your Swedish Fish & green licorice. You also use black licorice for olives, I am not a fan of black licorice or the smell so I didn't use it. Add your chocolate tortilla chips around the sides and in the middle to resemble "real nachos".

6. That's it!......All done a dessert that's not even hard, super cute and all dressed up for a
Fiesta!

Churros & Chocolate Donut Holes

If there is one thing I know about myself is that I heart sweets....... in all forms!

The dulce tenderness of a shiny round glazed doughnuts,

soft & fluffy chocolate chip cookies spiked with sweet chunks of chocolate chips,

a huge hunk of deep dark chocolate cake with smooth & creamy chocolate icing so thick it's practically cemented to the cake!

As much as I try to control my "sweet boca (mouth), yes I said mouth, instead of  "sweet tooth" because my addiction to yummy surpasses just my little old tooth!) 

My need for sweet is a desire I can't tame, and right now the thoughts of cinnamon & sugar have been sprinkling mis dias! 

And since mi amor is to share all my sugar-coated dreams with you, I present you with another way to love a Churro!

P.S...remember that Churro Funnel Cake recipe that I just posted, remember when I promised you another recipe for that extra Churro Dough?....Well here it is!

                                                                             
Ingredients

Churro Dough

1 cinnamon stick

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

4 eggs

vegetable oil, for frying

 

 

Churro Topping & Chocolate Stuffing

 

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

 

Vamos a la cocina! ( remember you can use this recipe or a boxed mix like this one.

 

 Directions

1.For the churro dough: Heat 2 inches oil to 350 degrees F in a wide 3 1/2 to 4-quart heavy pot over high heat. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine 1 cup water and the cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Discard the cinnamon stick. Add the butter, sugar and salt and stir until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts.

2.Turn off the heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in the flour until it is well combined and a shiny dough forms. Return the pan to medium-heat and cook the dough, stirring, until it starts to pull away from the sides of pan, about 2 minutes.

3.Transfer the dough to a medium bowl and let cool, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition, until the egg is completely incorporated (the dough will be sticky.)

4. Pull of 1-inch pieces of dough and stuff them with the chocolate chips. I used about 6-7 chips and was able to cover them completely in dough. It's important that the chocolate chips be completely covered or they will ooze out as soon as they touch the grease. Fry the churro donuts, 6 at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

For the cinnamon sugar topping: Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
Roll the churro donuts in cinnamon-sugar while they are still hot. It's best to eat them immediately while the chocolate stuffing is still nice and warm.

Grab a great big glass of cold leche and Disfrutalo! ( Enjoy It)

 

Sweet Churro Funnel Cake

Funnel Cake & Churros in my opinion ( or at least in my brainchild) go together like Peanut Butter & Jelly.

They are both enjoyed during outdoor events , the sugary sweet smell of each one wafting in the air are ridiculous!

The instant the sweet smell hit's your nose you have one desire......to find the Señor or Señorita selling them and get one into your belly instantamente! 

Well guess what? 

With this recipe there is no need to hop in your car, or leave your warm casa at all.

There will be no need to pay super loca carnival or amusement park prices to feed your need for hot crispy bites of sugary goodness.

Nope!

I have provided you the recipe for everything you need to become your very own in house professional funnel cake infused Churro maker!

Seriously, these are so good that your familia and amigos will insist that you purchase a food truck name it "ChurroTastic"! And take all your sugary magic on the road!

                                                                     Ingredients
adapted from Paula Deen's recipe

 

2 cups milk

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) melted butter

Powdered Sugar & Cinnamon mixed, for sugar sprinkle

1 box of Tres Estrellas- Churro Mix

 

P.S, You will only need to use about 1/2 cup of the Churro Mix, but muy pronto(very soon) I will be posting a new recipe to use up all that leftover mix! 

 

Vamos a La Cocina!

                                                                     Directions

 

1. Prepare Tres Estrellas Churro Mix and set aside;

 

2. Now for the funnel cake,combine milk, egg, vanilla in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar and gradually add to wet ingredients.

 

3.Beat with a mixer until a smooth batter forms. Fold in melted butter. Add in 1/2 cup premade Churro batter, mix until well incorporated. Pour batter into a funnel or squeeze bottle while using your index finger to stop the flow of the batter.

 

4.Bring the funnel over the hot oil and release your finger to start a stream of batter while moving the funnel in a circular motion to create circular swirls, I actually tried to make mine into the letter "C" for Churro. Go slowly to make sure that you don't break the flow of the batter. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown and slightly puffed. Sprinkle with cinnamon infused powdered sugar.