Kahlua | Adventures in Thyme

Mudslide Pudding Pie

So there I was, enduring another abominable day at work, chomping carrot sticks like I was crushing the heads of my enemies when I came across a mudslide pudding shot recipe. (Yes, I daydream of cocktails at work and Google is my partner in crime.) The recipe was straight forward, and seemed to be replicated across a dozen foodie sites and a darling of Pinterest boards – but the serving was so small! That teensy little pudding cup…it needed to be supersized to exorcise my demons. So hide the scale, banish calorie counting and get ready for something over the top – Mudslide Pudding Pie.

For the filling:

1 cup cold milk (you could use 2% but why bother)
1 3.9oz package of chocolate pudding
3 oz Kahlua
3 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
8 oz Cool Whip
1 chocolate pie crust
optional: shaved chocolate from dark chocolate bar (I used a 60% cacao bar)

Super easy – AND you can eat the batter without fear of salmonella. Hello?! The best tip I have for this recipe is to leave your cool whip in the fridge a few hours before you incorporate it into this recipe, you’ll want it fairly soft. To begin: Whisk together the milk and pudding mix until all the lumps are gone. Whisk in the Kahlua and Baileys, then carefully fold in the Cool Whip. There will be a few lumps, just gently fold these down. Pour into a chocolate pie crust until it reaches almost to the crust top. You will have a bit of filling left over, so you can make some petite pudding shots if you’re willing. (I just sat with the bowl in my lap and watched Sharknado 3 with a happy pudding smile on face.) At this point you can artistically scatter chocolate shavings on your pie, or forego this step and just place your pie in the freezer. I let mine sit for 24 hours before serving. The pudding will warm fairly rapidly so remove from the freezer only when you’re ready to cut a piece. Enjoy!

Chai Pumpkin Cookies

I’d like to be able to say that these cookies are healthy – think of all that pumpkin! It’s a fruit for cryin’ out loud! But alas, these cookies are only delicious, I can’t claim they are healthy. No matter though, grab a cup of coffee, or a steaming cup of Earl Grey and enjoy!

For the cookies:

1. Begin by setting your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In an electric mixer whip the following until it’s “light and airy”:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup softened unsalted butter

3. To the mixture combine well:
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla

4. The dry ingredients are next, combine these together and then add the dry mixture to your bowl and mix well:
2 Tablespoons Chai Powder (I use David Rio’s Tiger Spice Chai purchased at World Market)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Spoon generous tablespoons onto a baking sheet (I use nonstick baking mats in mine) and bake for 10 mins. These cookies don’t really spread out, but remain pretty much in the “footprint” you put them in. You’ll know they are done when the cookie gets a golden brown appearance on it’s edges.

As they are cooling it’s time to make the Kahlua frosting:

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar and 3 Tablespoons of butter to boil. I recommend bringing it up to boil slowly, but stir constantly, you don’t want the sugar to burn in your pan. Once it’s bubbling begin to take note of the hot mixture, it will begin to get very thick, remove from heat. This should only take about 30 seconds or so after the boil (at least on my stove). Set the saucepan aside and let the mixture cool (about 10 mins).

Now add 2 Tablespoons of Kahlua and 1/4 cup of milk. Stir well, eventually the sugar will incorporate evenly into the mixture. At this point you’ll need to add powdered sugar until the frosting gets thick enough to almost spread. Using your 1/2 cup measure add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, mix and then add more as needed. I use about 2 cups worth of powdered sugar to get the right consistency.

To frost the cookies place a small dollop on top of the cookie and it should still have enough viscosity to gently spread out over the top of the cookie with the help of gravity.

This recipe is modified from a wonderful recipe found on the Pillsbury website.