Bourbon Superfecta for Thanksgiving

Kentucky is an amazing place for a number of reasons. Besides being the state that boasts the “horse capital of the world” (Lexington), the home of the Kentucky Derby and the host city (Lexington) for the 2015 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, it is also the go-to state for all things bourbon.
On my first trip to Lexington, Ky., I was introduced to Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, beer that is aged in bourbon barrels from Kentucky distilleries, and I fell in love.
During my most recent trip earlier in November, I was introduced to bourbon cookies, which were incredible! The entire plane ride home I kept thinking about how many different ways bourbon can be used in dishes or cocktails and I tracked down some great recipes.
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, here are four (easy) ways that you can incorporate bourbon into your holiday meal. A “bourbon superfecta,” if you will.
I warn you, the photos below do not do justice to how good these all smell or taste! 
Let’s start out with something to sip while we prepare the ingredients and cook. There is a wide variety of great content on the Hello Natural website, including beauty advice and recipes. It was there I found a fantastic fall-winter bourbon cocktail. Check it out:
Cocktail: Honey Apple Bourbon Cocktail
(serve hot or cold)

Ingredients:

10 ounces spiced apple cider
4 ounces bourbon
1 apple, sliced (Hello Natural recommends a lady apple)
2 teaspoons of raw honey (Hello Natural recommends organic, I used orange flavored)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Combine the apple cider, sliced apple, honey and cinnamon in a sauce pot and bring the ingredients to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Strain the mixture (save apple slices to garnish the drinks) and add bourbon.
Pour into serving glasses and serve warm.

You really just can’t go wrong with this incredibly easy recipe. The first batch that I made I served warm, but the flavor was just as great as the cocktail cooled. I used a spiced apple cider and orange-flavored honey for an additional flavor, which was a great choice! Other substitutes for this recipe I would suggest trying are apple juice, a bit of fresh lemon and maple syrup … the possibilities are endless.
Moving on to the main course, you can’t have a Thanksgiving feast without stuffing. This time for a bourbon-inspired option I found a winner at www.food.com (Home of the Home Cook):
Bacon Bourbon Stuffing
(Recipe serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

2 loaves of french bread, around 10-11 heaping cups
12 ounces bacon, cooked
2 apples (food.com recipe suggests granny smith apples)
1 onion
5-6 stalks of celery
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of chopped sage
1 tablespoon of chopped thyme
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
2 tablespoons bourbon (plus, a little extra later!)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (original recipe calls for 2 cups, but I added a half-cup of additional bourbon)
4 eggs

Instructions:

Cut up the French bread into small cubes and spread the bread out on a baking sheet for a minimum of 3 hours to dry the bread out. (Note: I put the baking sheet of bread in the oven while it was preheating to appropriate cooking temperature to dry the cubes out and save time.)
Fry the bacon (save the cooking fat for step 3) and then chop into small pieces.
Slice the apples, onion, and celery into bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic. Combine the apples, onions, celery and garlic and cook in the bacon fat with 2 tablespoons of bourbon until it begins to soften. Add salt and pepper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked veggies, bacon and bread cubes. Stir in the stock, half-cup of bourbon, eggs and chopped herbs. Transfer into a buttered baking dish, and bake at 375° for 30 minutes.

This stuffing is so easy to make! Another way to save time is to buy pre-cut french bread cubes that most grocery stores carry in the bakery section. I wanted to add more bourbon (of course), so I poured a bit in with the bacon and took ½ cup out of the vegetable broth and substituted bourbon. 
This side dish recipe is my own and a result of having leftover bacon from the stuffing and some brussels sprouts in the fridge. It turned out amazing.
Side Dish:  Bourbon Brussels Sprouts 
Ingredients:

1 pound small Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
⅔ cup bourbon
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
salt and pepper
8 ounces bacon (optional) 

Instructions:

Clean and cut brussel sprouts in halves or quarters, set aside.
Cook the bacon and chop into pieces, set aside. (optional)
In a large skillet, add the olive oil, garlic and seasonings.
Add brussels sprouts and cook on medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes.
Add bacon, maple syrup and bourbon, let simmer and serve. 

I love throwing a bunch of ingredients together and seeing how it comes out. I devoured my entire plate and can’t wait to make more of these!
For dessert, I found a fantastic cookie recipe on the Bake Your Day website, which has pages and pages of great recipes for food lovers. This was another winner! 
Dessert: Vanilla Brown Butter Bourbon Cookies
(Recipe makes 12-16 cookies)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, browned (see instructions below) and cooled

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons Bourbon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice together until blended and set aside.
In mixing bowl, add both sugars along with cooled brown butter and using a paddle attachment, mix until well blended. The batter won’t be creamy like a normal cookie batter.
Add egg, yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.
With mixer on low, add bourbon and mix blended throughout.
Next add remaining ingredients and mix just until evenly distributed.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets, and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are nicely done around the edges.
Let cookies cool for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Instructions from Bake Your Day on how to brown the butter: Place butter pieces in a small sauce pan over medium heat. When butter begins to foam, stir with a wire whisk and continue to whisk constantly. The color will begin to change and you’ll see some brown flakes on the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until the butter has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown. Remove from heat and stir until the foam subsides. The whole process takes 8-10 minutes.
The cookies turned out really well! The brown butter gives the cookie this fantastic, nutty flavor, which compliments the bourbon notes. The overall taste of this cookie recipe was reminiscent of a snickerdoodle, and who doesn’t love those!
For the next batch, I’d like to try a few different options by adding an additional ingredient like pecans, chocolate or caramel.
With these four items on your Thanksgiving dining table, there’s no way you can lose!
I hope these recipes have inspired you to create something great! Have another great Bourbon recipe or a link to a tasty treat? Leave it in the comments below. And be sure to visit http://hellonatural.co/, www.food.com and  http://www.bakeyourday.net/ for more great suggestions and recipes.