Alcohol |

It’s true.

I’m in love. Complete and utter love.

GUYS, I’ve never felt this way before.

Do you know about granita? ‘Cause it just walked into my life. And, I know this may be soon, but I’m never letting it go.

Never, ever, EVER.

I know, how clingy of me.

I don’t know how I survived this long without knowing about it. It’s so simple. It’s so genius. It’s so damn delicious.

Quick lesson for those that may not know about it. It’s a semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water, and flavoring of your choice. Think snow-cones here. Except, you don’t have to leave your house to get it. All you need is a freezer. Pretty simple huh?

But wait, it doesn’t stop there.

Think boozy snow-cones. Then think boozy shaved ice on top of ice cream.

Can you imagine anything better?

Neither can I.

I really owe Honestly Yum a huge thank you. That’s how I met granita. When I saw the recipe for Red Wine Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream, I knew I had to make it. Except not with red wine. Fun fact: I’m not a red wine fan.

But, the good thing about granita is that it’s versatile. You can match any flavors you want and it’ll still taste good.

Now that’s a recipe that caters to your tastes. See, why I’m in love?

I’m really into mimosas. It’s my go-to drink at brunch. What’s not to love about them? ~~A little~~ a lot of bubbly, a little orange juice, and ta-da you have a drink. Except, I like my mimosas with pineapple juice. Please tell me you’ve tried it. It’s absolutely life changing.

Seriously, try it.

In fact, drink one while you wait for your granita to freeze up. That’s the one thing about making granita. There is a lot of waiting time. The whole process takes about 4 to 5 hours. Don’t let that be the reason you don’t make this though. It’s honestly one of the simplest and easiest recipes I’ve ever shared on the blog. And, as of now, it’s also my favorite recipe.

So, Pineapple Mimosa Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream. What does that mean exactly?

It means at the bottom you have a layer of vanilla ice cream, in the middle you have a layer of pineapple granita, and on the top you have a layer of champagne granita.

Oh, lets not forget the little pineapple wedge.

It’s trying to look nice for you.

How sweet, huh?

Pineapple Mimosa Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipe adapted from Honestly Yum

Ingredients:
Pineapple Granita
18 oz of pineapple juice (I used 2 pineapple juice cans from Trader Joe’s)

Champagne Granita
1/2 bottle champagne (I used a brut)
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water

For Assembly
1 pint of vanilla ice cream
pineapple, for garnish

Directions:
Pineapple Granita
Pour pineapple juice in a shallow baking dish. Place in the freezer and after one hour scrape the ice crystals forming on the side of the pan with a fork towards the center. Repeat every hour until flaky (think shaved ice consistency). Should take about 3 to 4 hours total–it’ll vary based on your freezer.

Champagne Granita
Pour 1/2 bottle of champagne in a shallow baking dish. In a small pot, heat water and sugar, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved. Add sugar-water mixture to the baking dish and combine with the champagne. Place in the freezer and after one hour scrape the ice crystals forming on the side of the pan with a fork towards the center. Repeat every hour until flaky (again, think shaved ice consistency). Should take about 4 to 5 hours total.

Assembling Dessert
Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a small glass and top with a heaping layer of the pineapple granita, followed by a heaping layer of champagne granita. Garnish with a pineapple wedge.

In sum, pineapple + champagne + shaved ice + ice cream =

TRUE LOVE.

Glazed. Bailey’s. Scones.

Enough said, right?

Probably, but I’ll still say a little bit more.

I don’t know if I’ve told you this, but I don’t really do breakfast. Like at all. It’s nothing against breakfast food either, because I do love me some breakfast burritos, hash browns, omelettes, oatmeal, and cinnamon rolls any other time. Usually not all at once though. It’s more the time of day, I think. I just don’t wake up hungry. If we are being honest, I wake up thinking: t-minus 10 minutes until the Keurig makes me my morning cup of coffee. That’s all I ~~want~~ need in the mornings for me to be good to go. But, sometimes, I like to switch things up. Add a little spice to my morning routine. Really start my day off with something more than just a cup of coffee.

Oh hello Bailey’s. How nice of you to stop by. Lets take a minute to talk about Bailey’s Irish Cream. Show of hands, please, as to who thinks it’s simply delicious? I see everyone is raising their hands, which means we all agree. Good. I knew we were friends for a reason.

I, myself, am a huge fan of Bailey’s. Bailey’s with milk? Fantastic. Bailey’s with coffee? Even better. Bailey’s baked into a scone and then dipped in your coffee? Possibly the best way ever to start your morning. Not even kidding.

Scones and I have a love-hate relationship going on. When they are too dense or too hard, I dislike them, but when they manage to reach that perfect balance between a hard exterior and moist/tender interior I love love love them. Are you wondering where these scones stand? These scones reached that perfect balance of a slightly crisped exterior with a soft, light, and flavorful interior. And, honestly, I’m surprised by that. This was my first time making scones, and I’ll admit, I was a little nervous. The recipe was so easy and quick to put together that I was fairly certain I was going to end up with rock-hard scones that tasted horrible. But, that wasn’t the case at all!

These scones are moist, lightly infused with Bailey’s, drizzled with a Bailey’s glaze (because, really, can you ever have enough?), and then sprinkled lightly with some cocoa powder. The Bailey’s flavor is very subtly, you won’t be getting drunk off these little guys, but there is enough there for you too taste it. I don’t know if it was beginners luck or if Bailey’s was just meant to be put into scones, but these little scones definitely spiced up my morning. In a good way. I vote you switch up your morning routine too. You won’t regret it.

Glazed Bailey’s Scones
Yields: 32 small scones

Ingredients:
Bailey’s Scones
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup + 1 ½ tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream, divided

Bailey’s Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
¼ cup Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Directions:
Bailey’s Scones
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until mixture forms coarse crumbs.
Using a spatula, stir in a cup of Bailey’s until just moistened.
Knead dough gently in the bowl until it is no longer sticky. Turn dough onto a parchment lined surface and divide in half. Using your hands, form the first half of dough into a rectangle that is about ¾-inch thick.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough rectangle into 8 even squares. Then cut the 8 squares in half to create 16 smaller triangles. Repeat with the other half of dough.
Place scones on prepared baking sheet, about 1-inch apart. Brush tops with extra Bailey’s and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
Bake for 7-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer scones to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the scones have cooled, started working on the glaze. In a medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar, Bailey’s, and butter until smooth.
Drizzle generously over the scones and then sprinkle the tops with cocoa powder.

*scone recipe adapted from Taste of Home

Pineapple Mimosa Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe adapted from Honestly Yum

Glazed Bailey’s Scones Yields: 32 small scones

Pineapple Mimosa Granita with Vanilla Ice Cream
Recipe adapted from Honestly Yum

Glazed Bailey’s Scones
Yields: 32 small scones