Blueberry Banana Brandy Bars (B4s)

The brandy give these "brown bag" bars a little kick and depth of flavor often missing from some banana cakes.  And, I knew that blueberry and brandy would be a great pairing.  Super easy and a great way to use up those ripe banana sitting on your counter! 

So, funnily, I was watching ~briefly~ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory last night, and just so happened to stumble into the part of the movie where Violet Beauregarde eats the complete dinner gum, replete with blueberry pie.  Before Willie could convince Violet not to sample and even spit out the gum before dessert, she enjoyed her meal only to find as she started "chewing" on dessert that she was becoming a blueberry!  Remember Violet (from the original movie)? 

Violet sure learned her lesson...This is the part when the Umpa Lumpas show up to roll her away.  I never liked Violet...Just too bossy!  And, I will admit, I turned off this Johnny Depp version of the movie almost immediately after the start of the Umpa Lumpa disco scene...I mean, really? 

OK, back to my B4 bars...I found this recipe in my King Arthur baking book, under "Brown Bag Banana Bars."  The name does not do these "cake" bars justice.  Packed with poppy seeds and with a texture that has a nice "crunch" from the cornmeal.  I added blueberries, which were in the fridge, for a fresh and bright addition.

Easy to make, moist and full of banana and blueberry flavors: one of my favorite combinations.  And, the brandy gives them a nice smooth flavor...

Delish!

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Happy Thanksgiving!! {Giveaway Winner Announced}

Happy Thanksgiving to all our followers and blogger friends out there in cyberland!!!  Thanks for coming along for the ride with Jacqueline and I as we bake our way through our booze cabinets! 

We're so grateful for the blessings in our lives, and thankful for the people whom we love and for our life passions that keep us busy and always learning new things.

And, the winner of our first giveaway of pretty Meri Meri cupcakes goodies from Sur la Table is...

Danielle Vasquez!! 

Congratulations, Danielle!!  We promise to have your package in the mail tomorrow.  :)

We hope you all have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! 

Much BIWB love to you all! 

Jacqueline and Ellen

Almond and Orange Liqueur Cake {Gluten Free}

Yes, you read correctly: Bake It With Booze has gone gluten free again!  And, honestly, I'm beginning to think this gluten free baking thing is a great way to change up your favorite recipes.  This cake is super moist...Full of orange flavors...And has a very, very pretty presentation -- The Oooh and Aaah affect!

I made this cake for my boss's retirement reception and it was a huge hit with the crowd.  She is gluten free so I had to come up with a extra special cake just for her.  She's been such a wonderful boss, even though I've only had the chance to work for her these last 8 months. 

This yummy and elegant cake was all gone by the end of the reception (we did save a piece for my boss to take home) and I'm not even sure whether I got a piece!  I do have a vague memory of moist almond cake surrounded by soft and billowy orange frosting...

And, I am sorry, but I have no pics of the cut cake as it was gone before I could "stage" a good shot.  You'll just have to trust me that it was as pretty on the inside as on the outside!

One more eye-candy shot of all our sweets at the retirement reception...Sugar commmaaa!! 

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Blueberry and Cream Cupakes (with Gin!) and Our ~First~ Giveaway!!

So, have you ever watched Hoarders?  I know, not something you'd expect me to talk about on this blog.  But, I ~more often than I'd like to admit~ find myself glued to the TV watching these very, very sad people trapped by all their STUFF.  I have stuff, do you? 

Good thing for me, though, is that Hoarders makes me feel okay with my stuff.  I do need to purge this fall and make some changes to my life plans with all my stuff.  For example: Do I need 10 plastic lawn chairs and 2 tables for the next back yard bbq bash?  Probably not.  I think my large party days are over and to "draw" a crowd like that probably isn't in the cards.  Maybe next big bash will be a "Bring Your Own Chair" party...I don't know.

And, I will admit: there is a method to all this purging madness.  The simple truth is I need MORE room for all my BAKING STUFF!  Baking stuff before party furniture?  I think yes!

The Giveaway!
Yes, you read it correctly: OUR FIRST GIVEAWAY!!  So, we have a few little this and thats for one of you--to add to YOUR baking STUFF!  We're very excited to start our giveaways and we hope you can come back over the next few months to see what else we're giving away.  Our friends at Sur La Table are helping us gather up some of these goodies--We can't wait to share!

We're giving away these two fun cupcake items from Meri Meri: 3 cupcake boxes and cupcake liners.  Pretty cute, huh?  All you have to do is leave us a comment with your contact information.  You have until Sunday, Nov. 11th at 9pm (PST).  Open to everyone, no matter where you live cuz that's just how we roll.  Sorry, the giveaway is closed...Stay tuned for the winner annoucement coming soon! 

Now, on to the cupcakes!
I made these cupcakes using a few recipes.  The most special part is the blueberry compote that I learned to make from my friend, Susan, over at My Mother's Apron Strings.  Susan is amazing...I just wished I was as generous as her.  She's so creative and a great baker.  Someday we're gonna meet up and enjoy some tea and treats...I have hope.  :)

Extra special blueberry and mascarpone filled cupcakes with yummy blueberry mascarpone frosting...And, yes, there is booze in these: blueberry infused gin! 

Baking with Spirit Feature
I'm also sharing this recipe as part of our friend's, Janine, blog Cake of the Week, which features a monthly Baking with Spirit challenge. This month it's GIN!  I'm excited to be able to share these blueberry-gin inspired treats!  Please check out Janine's fun creations...Reading her blog always bring out the Anglophile in me!

So much is happening!!!

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