Lime Mojito Bars

I know.  You're saying to yourself, "Self.  If only I could eat that screen!"  And, yes.  Believe it or not, these Lime Mojito Bars do taste as good as they look.  Velvety smooth, sweet lime cure nestled on top of a short bread cookie crust.  The colors just pop in this easy lime curd bar based on the traditional summer cocktail, the Mojito.

The Mojito translates to "something a little wet."  It is a traditional highball cocktail, served in a tall cooler with ice.  Cuba is the birthplace of the Mojito, which consists of 5 simple ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, mint and sparkling water.  Sound refreshing doesn't it?  

I've tried to make a Mojito, once.  It didn't go so well.  I'm not sure why, perhaps it was the mint and lime.  I just couldn't wrap my cocktail taste buds around that flavor combination.  I have always imagined it might have gone much better if only I had an authentic muddler, which is used to mash up the mint leaves into the sugar.  

Maybe I need to try this mojito cocktail making one more time as the weather changes from winter to spring...

In the meantime, I can enjoy these luscious and not too sweet Lime Mojito Bars.  There isn't a whole lot of rum coming through in these bars, and the mint is very subtle.  Next time I may experiment with a darker rum or a spiced rum, both of which might allow the rum flavor to come through.  

These Lime Mojito Bars are smooth...Just don't know how else to describe them.  The lime curd is soft yet holds its shape.  An interesting addition to the curd is a wee bit of milk.  I've never seen that in any of the similar lemon bar recipes I have tried over the years.  Might just have to make that a new "secret" ingredient in my favorite lemon bar recipe.

I've had this recipe for Lime Mojito Bars on my BIWB baking bucket list for quite some time.  It really is a great change up to traditional lemon bars that we've all been making for years.  I'm very sure I'll be making these again and sharing them with friends in the years to come.  

Give this one a try as I'm certain you'll be pleasantly surprised!

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Ginger Rogers Cupcakes

Today is Ginger Rogers' birthday and she would have been 101 years old today.  This cupcake honors her and her amazing talents.  The ingredients and inspiration come from the cocktail named after her.  The Ginger Rogers Cocktail is the most popular cocktail at the super trendy and super retro bar, The Absinthe Brasserie and Bar in San Francisco.  These guys really celebrate the era of great and creative cocktail culture and have a very cool bar companion book (that I MUST have), The Art of the Bar. 

I grew up watching Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movies...Who in my generation didn't?  My sister and I watched them whenever they came on the T.V.  No DVR in those days, so watching a movie lots and lots of times kinda took the place of re-wind today.  Here is a clip from one of those movies, Swing Time.  They say this is the best dance scene these two great dancers ever filmed...You're about to see why.

Isn't that amazing.  I so dreamed as a little girl that I would dance like this one day.  Alas, no couples dancing ever came for me, but that doesn't mean I don't chair dance when I can.  Ya know, the kind you do in the car?  And, let's not forget dancing while your baking!  ;-D  Or, even while cleaning house. 

And, don't get me wrong: I am not adverse to learning swing dancing and the Texas two-step some day!

I know that you'll enjoy this cupcake...It's super moist with a great texture and full of exotic flavors: ginger, mint, lime and gin!  Kinda like being in Rio, huh, with Ginger and Fred. 

And, lest we not forget...there is a famous quote about Ginger: "Sure he [Fred Astaire] was great, but don't forget Ginger Rogers did everything he did backwards...and in high heels!" -- Bob Thaves 1982 © NEA Inc.

I'm sharing this over at Cake of the Week's Baking with Spirit Challenge: Cocktail!  

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Luck O' The Irish Cupcakes

GO IRISH!!

St. Patrick's Day will soon be here and these chocolate and mint cupcakes would do him proud!  Light and full of flavor.  And, okay, I admit it: there is no Irish whiskey in these, but the GREEN is amazing and so are the mints in these babies.  Andes mints are hiding in there and on top.  I brought these into work and all 12 were gone by 9am.  I had 3 of these cupcakes consumed without even leaving my cubicle by 3 VERY hungry men! 

Unabashed consumption of breakfast cupcakes--a sight to warm my heart.   

These cupcakes are based on the Grasshopper cocktail, which my parents drank when I was little, like when I was 4 and 5 years old.  I remember these, even as a very young kid.  Obviously.  :)  Probably the first cocktail I ever knew about.  They are legend in my family stories of our time at Picatinny Arsenel in New Jersey.  Yes, I'm sorta an Army brat and believe it or not, my dad was a REAL rocket scientist.  Those were back in the lazy days of playing outside all day and watching the tar bubble up in the roads on a hot summer day.  Not wearing shoes and learning the phrase, "It's either: IN or OUT!"

I used Jacqueline's famous Mint Julep Cupcake recipe as the basis for this cupcake.  I am truly amazed by this recipe.  This are the BEST recipe so far as they achieve the crumb and moisture I've been searching for since we started this blog.  Give them a try and you won't be disappointed. 

And, look, can't you just smell the mint and see how luscious these are?  No delayed gratification this time!

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Mint Julep Cupcakes

I want to throw this out there right off the bat: these are my favorite cupcakes that I've made so far.

Pin It My friend Jenn sent me this recipe from The Hostess Blog well over a year ago, and we had grand ideas of throwing a Kentucky Derby party but that hasn't materialized yet (maybe next year!). These looked so darn cute that I seized the opportunity to try out this recipe a couple weeks ago when we were invited to a BBQ with some dear friends I just knew would appreciate the cuteness. I decorated them the very same way they were done on The Hostess Blog : silver cupcake liners to look like traditional silver mint julep cups, bright green sprinkles and straws, and garnished with organic mint springs from my own garden. What a fun twist on a southern summertime classic!

Mojito fruit salad

A festive twist on basic fruit salad. I think these would be fun for a summer bridal shower.

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I know, this really isn't a baked good, but it's boozey - and good - and sometimes it's just too darn hot to turn on the oven, but you still need something sweet. I tried this out as an experiment, and was very pleased with the results. I served this "mojito fruit salad" to friends at a BBQ, and it was a hit. I cut up pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries - but you can use any fruity combination you like.

I made the mojito glaze out of one part lime juice to two parts rum, with sugar to taste (depending on how much fruit you're using). I chopped up a couple tablespoons of fresh mint leaves and whisked it all together, then tossed with the fruit, and chilled until time to serve. There was just enough of everything to give a basic fruit salad a refreshing twist.