FOX19.com-Cincinnati News, Weather & SportsRecipes from our Suburban Chef, Kia Crittenden

Recipes from our Suburban Chef, Kia Crittenden

By Dan Romito - email

Bourbon Balls

 

 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons corn syrup

1/2 cup rum or bourbon

2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar

 

  1. Place chocolate chips into a microwave-safe medium bowl. Heat in the microwave for 1 minute, stir and then continue to heat at 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Blend in bourbon. Add crushed vanilla wafers and chopped nuts. Mix until evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate until firm.

 

  1. Roll the chilled chocolate mixture into bite-size balls. Roll balls in a mixture of ground nuts and confectioner's sugar, plain confectioner's sugar, cookie crumbs, or sprinkles. Store in a covered container up to a week before serving to blend the flavors.

 

Coconut Rum Cake

 

Cake:

Nonstick vegetable cooking spray

1 package (18.25-ounce) classic yellow cake mix

1 cup Coconut flavored Rum

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 package (3.4-ounce) vanilla (or coconut crème) instant pudding and pie filling mix

4 eggs

 

Rum Glaze:

1 cup (packed) light brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1 stick butter

1/4 cup Coconut flavored Rum

 

  1.  Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
    Spray a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick spray. Using an electric mixer, beat cake mix, rum, vegetable oil, pudding mix, and eggs in a large bowl for 2 minutes. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan for 20 minutes. Invert cake onto platter, then carefully remove pan. Allow cake to cool completely.

 

  1. Meanwhile, stir sugar and water in a heavy medium saucepan over medium high heat until sugar dissolves. Add butter. Simmer until mixture thickens and is syrupy, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in rum. Cool glaze completely. Drizzle glaze evenly over cooled cake and serve.