Recipes

[ChiliPepper]

Dirty Snowman

Made with hot chocolate, ice cream, creme de cacao liqueur and Kahlúa, this Dirty Snowman drink is an adult hot chocolate so rich and decadent that it’s the ultimate dessert drink, too!

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Servings: 1 drink

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
• 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
• 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream (1 large scoop)
• 1/4 cup Kahlua (or RumChata or Bailey's)
• 1 tablespoon dark creme de cacao liqueur
• 1 cup hot chocolate
• Garnish: whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles and/or chocolate syrup
•  

Instructions:

• Place chocolate syrup on a small plate. Turn glass mug upside down and dip the rim in the chocolate syrup.
• Dip the syrup-coated rim into a shallow tray of chocolate sprinkles until it is coated.
• Place ice cream into a mug.
• Add Kahlua and creme de cacao to the mug.
• Pour prepared hot chocolate over the ice cream and liquor.
• Top with homemade whipped cream, mini chocolate chips, and chocolate sprinkles.
• Serve immediately with a spoon and/or straw.
•  

Notes:

Prepare drink just before serving. Since the hot chocolate will melt the ice cream, this is one drink that needs to be served immediately. You can combine the hot chocolate and liquor amounts in advance but pour over individual glasses with ice cream just before serving.Use a quality hot chocolate. If you're using a store bought hot chocolate mix, opt for a quality one - not the cheapest one you can find, as it will affect the taste of the drink. Hershey's or Ghirardelli brands are great options.Variations. Use your favorite liquors in this drink - rum, coconut rum, or Bailey’s would all be yummy. A chocolate vodka could also work. Or give it a peppermint flair with peppermint schnapps and crushed candy canes on top. This is a pretty rich drink. While the liquor taste is present, it's not overpowering so it definitely leaves room for adding an extra shot or two of your preferred liquor.Make it kid-friendly. If you want to serve this to the whole family, simply leave out the liqueur and Kahlua for the kids.

Nutrition:

Calories: 917kcal · Carbohydrates: 156g · Protein: 6g · Fat: 26g · Saturated Fat: 17g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g · Monounsaturated Fat: 2g · Trans Fat: 1g · Cholesterol: 29mg · Sodium: 1092mg · Potassium: 176mg · Fiber: 6g · Sugar: 133g · Vitamin A: 291IU · Vitamin C: 1mg · Calcium: 207mg · Iron: 3mg

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[ChiliPepper]

Ants on a Log

So fun to make, ants on a log is the perfect snack for kids! All you need are celery, peanut butter, and raisins, but don't be afraid to create your own tasty version.

Prep Time: 5 minutes 

Servings6 logs

Ingredients

• 3 celery stalks (or other logs)
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (or other filling)
• ¼ cup Raisins (or other ants)

Instructions

• Wash and dry the celery stalks. Cut into 5-8 inch long pieces.
• Spread each celery with peanut butter. Press the raisins into the filling. Repeat for the other celery sticks. Note you may not need all the amount recommended.

Notes

4 other variations to try:

• Celery + hummus + red bell pepper (he calls these fire ants)
• Celery + yogurt + blueberries
• Celery + yogurt + edamame
• Celery + mashed avocado + hemp seeds

Nutrition

Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g

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Grown Up Ants on a Log

SERVINGS: 8

 

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES 

These Grown Up Ants on a Log are a unique hors d'ouerves, filled with a spiced goat cheese mixture, and topped with pecans and dried cherries.

Ingredients

• 5.3 oz tub mild goat cheese*
• 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp honey
• 8 ribs celery
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans toasted
• 1/4 cup chopped dried cherries
•  

Instructions

• In a small bowl, stir to combine the goat cheese, ancho chili powder, salt, mustard, and honey.
• Rinse the celery well, and pat dry. Cut into 1.5 inch pieces, and cut a small sliver off the bottom of the celery so it stands upright easily on a platter.
• Place the goat cheese mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star tip, then pipe the goat cheese into each piece of celery. Sprinkle with toasted pecans and dried cherries, then serve. Enjoy!

Notes

*I used Chavrie brand goat cheese because I like how creamy and mild it is, but you can also do a standard 4oz log. Try not to use crumbly goat cheese, since it won’t pipe well.

Nutrition

Calories: 105kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 166mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g

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Homemade Crème de Menthe 

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Infuse: 72 hrs

Total: 72 hrs 15 mins

Servings: 25 servings

Yield: 750 milliliters

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

73	Calories
0g	Fat
8g	Carbs
0g	Protein

Sweet and minty, crème de menthe creates delicious drinks. With an infusion of fresh mint in vodka and homemade simple syrup it's surprisingly easy to make crème de menthe from scratch, and it's ready within a few days.

Crème de menthe is one of the best-known mint-flavored liqueurs. Commonly found among other cordials at any liquor store, it's very sweet and comes in white and green varieties, the latter of which is used to create green cocktails. The store-bought liqueur is also notoriously cheap and uses artificial flavors and coloring agents.

With this homemade crème de menthe recipe, you can control all of the ingredients to make a naturally-flavored liqueur with a fresh mint taste you won't find at any store. It's also not as cloying as the commercial options and has a nice, gentle sweetness that wonderfully plays up the cool mint flavor.

Made with a two part infusion that takes a total of three days, the first step creates mint vodka, and then you'll add syrup and let it infuse for another day to turn it into liqueur. The entire process is mostly hands-off, and you can keep the natural light brown color or add food coloring for the green crème de menthe you are used to buying. To get a clear liqueur like white crème de menthe, you need to use the mint extract variation.

The finished liqueur keeps well, makes a delightful after-dinner sipper on its own, and it's excellent for minty cocktails. This recipe fills a standard 750 milliliter liquor bottle and can be divided into smaller bottles for gifting.

Ingredients

• 2 cups 80 proof vodka

• 1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves, unpacked

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3 to 5 drops food coloring, optional

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. In a one-quart jar, pour the vodka and tear the mint leaves as you add them. Shake well to immerse the herbs. Let infuse for 48 hours, shaking once a day.

   

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3. Bring the water to a boil in a small or medium saucepan. Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved, then reduce to a simmer. After 5 minutes, remove the simple syrup from the heat and let cool completely. If making ahead, refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to blend the liqueur.

   

   The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

4. After 2 days, add the cooled simple syrup to the mint-infused liquor. Shake and infuse for another 24 hours.

   

   The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

5. Strain out the mint using a fine-mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth. Discard the mint and strain one or two more times to remove extra sediment.

   

   The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

6. Funnel the crème de menthe into a 750-milliliter bottle or several smaller bottles.

   

   The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

7. To color the liqueur, add 3 to 5 drops of green food coloring and shake well to incorporate.

   

   The Spruce Eats / S&C Design Studios

How to Store Homemade Crème de Menthe

The vodka acts as a preservative, so your homemade crème de menthe will last up to a year. Keep the bottle under a tight seal to avoid oxidation and store it in a cool, dark place alongside other liqueurs. If you notice crystallization, it's best to make a new batch.

How to Serve Homemade Crème de Menthe

You can drink crème de menthe straight; it's a cooling dessert drink at room temperature or when served in a chilled cordial glass. The homemade liqueur is an excellent ingredient in any creme de menthe cocktail If you choose to keep the natural color, it will not create green drinks and slightly alter the color of recipes that typically use white crème de menthe. As a homemade recipe that doesn't have the precision of a laboratory, the specific gravity likely differs from commercial versions. It may not work as well in layered drinks (try it to see what happens, though).

This minty liqueur is also delicious poured over vanilla ice cream for an easy yet party-worthy dessert.

Recipe Variations

• Rather than fresh mint, skip the infusion and add one teaspoon of peppermint extract to the simple syrup, let it cool and mix it with the vodka. This version is ready as soon as the syrup cools and comes out with a transparent color (one that you can also make green with food coloring). Add 1/8 teaspoon at a time to the finished liqueur, shake, test, and add more if desired.
• Make a sugar-free crème de menthe using a keto simple syrup with an allulose-based sugar alternative.

How Strong Is Homemade Crème de Menthe?

Crème de menthe has a relatively low amount of alcohol compared to other distilled spirits. It's typically 25 percent alcohol by volume (ABV, 50 proof), and this homemade liqueur falls in the same range. Adding more syrup will create a lighter liqueur, and using high-proof vodka will make it stronger.

Are crème de menthe and peppermint schnapps the same?

While both are mint liqueurs, crème de menthe tends to be sweeter and have a less intense mint flavor than peppermint schnapps. Rarely green, the schnapps can also be much more potent, with some bottles reaching 100 proof, which exaggerates the taste. When using the two as substitutes for one another, you may have to adjust the mint liqueur and any other sweeteners in the recipe to create a well-balanced drink.

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