Vodka Drunk Gummy Bears

This experiment was about creating an adult snack from a childhood favorite. I had heard about these from my sister and brother-in-law. So why not take a stab at it? The gummy bears grow with the vodka and patience!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Vodka Drunk Gummy Bears

Yields one 13″x9″ pan

Ingredients:

• 5 (about 5.29 ounces) bags gummy bears
• 1 (750 mL) bottle of vodka (We used nearly all of this and had a few shots left at the bottom of the bottle that we enjoyed ourselves sans gummies!)

Directions:

Open the bags of gummy bears and dump them into a 13″x9″ glass pan with a cover. Pour the vodka over them to make sure they are all touching some vodka. (You don’t have to drown them in vodka. The idea of this is slow and steady!)

Mix the gummies with your hands or a spoon so that all the bears are covered. Cover the pan and place them in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, remove the pan from the fridge for a good 15 minutes before handling them (if not they will be super cold). Use your hands and massage the gummy bears apart. (They will be bigger than the night before.) If all of the vodka has been soaked up, add more and toss as you did the day before. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight again.

We repeated this process of adding vodka for an additional night. Before we took this treat to a friend’s party, we let the massaged gummy bears come to room temperature.

We served them in little plastic cups. Enjoy the cute little gummy bear shots! **And remember to keep these out of reach of children NOT of age!**

Enjoy!!

“Happiness is finding half a bag of gummy bears in the bottom of your purse.” – Unknown

PB Toffee Pretzel Truffles

Sweetness, saltiness, and richness in one bite. These peanut butter toffee pretzel truffles are the perfect combination of these tastes rolled into a bite sized piece.

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

PB Toffee Pretzel Truffles

Yields 12-15 Truffles

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup toffee bits (I used Heath)
• 1/2 cup pretzel sticks, crushed
• 8-10 ounces chocolate bark coating

Directions:

In a large bowl, add the butter and peanut butter. Use your stand mixer or hand mixer and cream the two ingredients together. Add the sugar, toffee, and pretzel pieces, and mix well.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls, and place them on the lined baking sheet. (I like to spray my hands with a little nonstick spray first so that the peanut butter does not stick to them.) Cover loosely with plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes or until firm.

In a small microwave-proof bowl, place the chocolate bark coating pieces. Melt it in 30 second increments at 50% power until it is all melted and mixing in between the microwave heating sessions.

Remove the firm peanut butter balls from the freezer. Drop the balls, one at a time, into the chocolate. With two forks or two spoons, make sure the balls are fully covered. Place them on a piece of parchment paper to dry, harden, and come to room temperature.

Store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.

Enjoy!!

“I got to thinking about relationship and partial lobotomies. Two seemingly different ideas that might just be perfect together–like chocolate and peanut butter.” – Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City

Cinnamon Croissant Bread Pudding with a Bourbon Sauce

We had the privilege of having a croissant bread pudding at a fancy dinner enjoyed in San Antonio, TX during an extended weekend getaway. Since then, I have been meaning to make it. Valentine’s Day seemed like the perfect time since my husband LOVES any type of bread pudding. This is my version of the delicious dessert we enjoyed!

With LOVE from Texas,
The Pint-Sized Mayo

Cinnamon Croissant Bread Pudding with a Bourbon Sauce

4-6 Servings

Ingredients for the custard:

• 8 large eggs
• 1.25 cups heavy cream
• 1.25 cups whole milk
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for the croissants:

• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 6 large croissants (usually located in the bakery area of the grocery store)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for the bourbon sauce:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup bourbon (I used Wild Turkey)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• powdered sugar, for garnish (optional)
• fresh berries, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Place the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until combined well. (I used my stand mixer with the whisk attachment for convenience.) Add all the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl, and whisk together until the mixture is smooth. Set custard in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Preheat oven to 350°F, and cover a large baking sheet with foil. In a small bowl, mix the 1/3 cup sugar with 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon. Set both the baking sheet and cinnamon-sugar mixture aside for later.

Brush some melted butter on the sides and bottom of a 8” x 8” baking pan. Set aside for later.

Cut the croissants open (as if you were making a sandwich), and place them on the prepared baking sheet cut side up. Generously brush cut sides with melted butter, and sprinkle the buttered sides with the reserved cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Removed from oven and cool, about 5 minutes.

Layer croissants in the buttered 8″x8″ baking pan with the cut sides up. (You should have 3 layers of croissants.)

Remove the custard out of the fridge and pour it over the croissants. Cover pan with a lid or foil and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Once you are ready to bake the bread pudding, remove the 8″x8″ pan from the fridge, and preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the pan pan in a water bath and bake for 2-2.5 hours, until custard is firm and contents do not jiggle. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

While you wait for the bread pudding to bake, you can make the bourbon sauce. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and add the brown sugar. Stir this mixture until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool until warm to touch. When waiting for the butter and sugar to cool, whisk together the heavy cream, bourbon, egg, cinnamon, and nutmeg (I just used my measuring cup since it was big enough and has a spout.). Once the butter and brown sugar mixture has cooled, pour the cream mixture into the sauce pan. Whisk until the ingredients are combined thoroughly.

Cut the bread pudding in individual square servings, and serve warm. Top with the bourbon sauce, and garnish with powdered sugar and an assortment of fresh berries.

Enjoy!!

“The proof of the pudding is the eating.” – Don Quixote