Irish Car Bomb Cocktail and Guinness Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

St. Patrick’s Day happens to be one of my favorite holidays. It could be because my favorite season is only a few days after, but a bigger reason is that I enjoy myself a good Irish Car Bomb. A drink only quite acceptable to have on this very holiday. Typically a single shot of Bailey’s is dropped into a glass of Guinness before drinking in one shot, or as quickly as you can. I’ve grown a deeper appreciation for beers, but dark stouts still haven’t quiet been able to please my palette, unless when paired with sweet Irish Cream. I wanted to recreate a cocktail that resembled this bomber drink, but that I could casually sip and dunk Guinness infused oatmeal chocolate chips cookies in, or alongside these Irish Soda bread rolls, because today we’re all a bit Irish…

Even if stout isn’t your choice of brew, you might want to give this Irish Car Bomb cocktail a “shot”, and if it still doesn’t quench your St. Patrick’s Day thirst, then that Guinness will surely taste milder in these cookies. I enjoy infusing desserts with a fine spirit like this and these, but I remembered a batch of stout chocolate cupcakes I made a few years ago. The depth of flavor stout adds to sweets, isn’t that of brown butter or molasses, although now I’m curious to remake these with them. It adds a mild heartiness, and moisture, creating a chewy gooey delight that pairs well with the nuttiness of spelt flour, oats and bittersweet chocolate. Irish Car Bomb cocktails and Guinness Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies, is my way of spreading the luck of the Irish, and hoping there is green grass and flowering trees in the days to come.

Irish Car Bomb Cocktail

Ingredients {Makes 1 Cocktail}

1 shot – Whiskey {I used a Honey flavored}

2 shot – Bailey’s Irish Cream

1 can {20 oz} – Guinness Stout {use less depending on your taste}

Recipe 

Place the Guinness and whiskey shot over ice in a mixer, and shake. Pour over a glass with ice, then pour in the shots of Irish cream. Stir together quickly to prevent curdling, and serve chilled.

Guinness Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Ingredients {Makes about 3 dozen cookies}

12 tablespoons – Unsalted Butter {melted}

1/4 cup – Greek Yogurt

1 cup – Dark Brown Sugar {packed}

1/2 cup – Granulated Sugar

2 large – Eggs

1/2 cup – Vanilla Stout Reduction {recipe below}

3/4 cups – All Purpose Flour

3/4 cups – Spelt Flour

1 teaspoon – Sea Salt

1 teaspoon – Baking Soda

2 cups – Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

2 cups – Bittersweet Chocolate

1/4 cup – Unsweetened Cocoa 

Sea Salt, for sprinkling {optional}

Recipe {Adapted from The Bojon Gourmet}

Whisk together the butter, yogurt, sugars and eggs in a large bowl, then whisk in the stout reduction. In a medium bowl, whisk the flours, salt, and baking soda, then stir into the wet ingredients with the oats, chocolate, and cocoa nibs until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about an hour.

Pre-heart over to 350 degrees, with racks in first and third levels of the over. Butter or use non-stick spray on four baking sheets. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough into rounds at least 2″ apart onto sheets, and top with a sprinkling of sea salt. Bake cookies, rotating halfway front to back and top to bottom, until golden around edges and tops are set {about 12 minutes}. Allow to cookies to cool on sheets, for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. 

Vanilla Stout Reduction 

30 ounces – Guinness {or your stout of choice}

1 – Vanilla Bean {split lengthwise and scraped}

In a medium saucepan, combine the stout and vanilla bean. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce down to a simmer, stirring occasionally until reduced to 1 cup {about 25 to 30 minutes}. Cool slightly, and remove the vanilla.