Champagne Shot

It’s been three weeks since I last updated the blog.  I took a little bit of a holiday break.  So, now we’re a week into the New Year.  Relative to an entire year, we’re still pretty close to the New Year’s holiday, so I don’t feel it’s too late to post my Champagne Shotible.

For the glass, I wanted to use something light and airy.  I chose to use angel food cake.  I used a box mix to bake them and then cored each, which I must say was no easy task given the angel food cake's spongey texture.

For the filling, I made a Champagne butter cream frosting.  First I simmered two cups of Champagne until it reduced down to a quarter of a cup making a sort of Champagne syrup.  I allowed that to cool.  Meanwhile I blended confectioners’ sugar and butter for the filling base.  Once the syrup was cooled, I mixed it into the base.  I then added a tablespoon of regular Champagne.

For the topping, I used some fun little round white sprinkles reminiscent of the tiny bubbles in a glass of Champagne.

Eggnog Shot

Last weekend, Derek’s mom threw her annual Christmas party.  She’d been a fan of Shotibles since I started working on this project, and she wanted to have some at her party.  The Candy Cane Shotibles were a clear choice, but she wanted variety, so she asked for another holiday classic; Eggnog.

I used a box spice cake mix for the glasses.  For the filling, I made a butter cream frosting.  For the flavor, I incorporated actual eggnog and rum.  I then topped it off with nutmeg.

Gingerbread Shot

When I was in the 3^rd grade, we made individual gingerbread houses in class.  I remember being disappointed because instead of using actual gingerbread, we used graham crackers.  It’s sort of ironic that 25 years later I ended up using graham crackers as an ingredient in the Gingerbread Shotibles.

I made a test batch of the glasses a few weeks ago using spiced wafers and butter, similar to several of the other no bake crusts I’ve done before.  While they were enjoyable, the flavor was a bit overpowering, and the taste of filling was lost.  Melanie suggested that I cut it with something else.  So, I went back to my tried and true graham cracker crust.  I combined the two.  The result was exactly what I was looking for.

For the filling, I made a cream cheese frosting flavored with a ginger snap liqueur.  According to Jeff, this glass and filling are the best flavor combination yet.

Of special note, the gingerbread house in the background was constructed and decorated by Jeff.  Pay particular attention to the adorable snow covered shingle roof made with cereal and powdered sugar.