While your hubby may be focusing on the NCAA Brackets – we’re gonna take part in the Betty Brackets! We’ll be featuring a new fave recipe from Betty Crocker’s 16 Recipe Betty Bracket Program daily…and you don’t even have to be a basketball fan to thoroughly enjoy this bracket !
They say that beer is becoming the new wine. With the growing trend of beer as a cooking ingredient, combined with the rise of the craft beer industry, the variety of foods and beers available to consumers has never been more diverse and flavorful.
Combining these trends, along with the impending March Madness (NCAA basketball tournament), is the second annual “Betty Bracket” program presented by Betty Crocker and sports-loving actor and popular TV personality Mario Lopez.
The Betty Brackets program creates the ultimate recipe tip-off between eight savory “Beer Meets Bar Food” recipes and eight sweet “Beer Meets Bakery” recipes. Each of the recipes features beer as an ingredient to provide a unique flavor and to help deliver the perfect assist to any viewing party. During three rounds of voting, you cancast your vote online to determine the nation’s top party food.
The sweet and savory brackets are made up of four smaller brackets – “Cheesetastic”, “Meaty Eats”, “Chocolate!”, and “Sweet Treats” – and include ideas like Beer Queso Nachos and Black and Tan Beer Pops, which plays upon the current craze for frozen pops. Also featuring four new chocolate stout recipes that capitalize on the festive flavor of Guinness and other stout beers.
Some interesting tips about cooking with beer:
Beer has a tenderizing effect and is a perfect matchup for meat-based recipes
Beer helps keep baked good moist and fresh, while adding a little extra puff
The beer flavors will be enhanced in those recipes with a longer cooking time
Craft beers are ideal as a cooking ingredient due to the quality and variety of flavors available
And of course, we’ve selected the Beer Meets Bakery Bracket to get started, featuring Betty’s Chocolate Bracket and the Sweet Treats Bracket to share with you…hmmm…wonder why ?
I love this recipe because it has minimal ingredient requirements and is time and budget friendly !
BEER & PRETZEL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES – Rich chocolate stout frosting and crunchy pretzels take this chocolate chip cookie to a whole new sweet and salty level. .
PREP TIME:
45 min
SERVINGS:
24
INGREDIENTS:
Cookies
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 tablespoons stout beer
2 cups mini-pretzel twists, coarsely crushed
Frosting
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter
5 oz semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons stout beer
Topping
24 mini-pretzel twists
STEP 1:
Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, 1/2 cup butter, the egg and 2 tablespoons beer until soft dough forms. Stir in crushed pretzels.
STEP 2:
On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely before frosting.
STEP 3:
Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons butter to just boiling over medium heat. Remove from heat and add chocolate; stir with whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons beer. Pour into bowl; cover and refrigerate about 1 to 2 hours or until spreading consistency.
STEP 4:
Spread about 2 teaspoons frosting on each cookie; top each with 1 pretzel twist, pressing in gently. Store loosely covered.
As usual with the recipes in the Betty Brackets, all I can say is ….Yum !! And don’t forget to get Coupons for your ingredients in our COUPON DATABASE
Will you be testing this one out ?
Make sure to check out the entire Betty Brackets program at Betty Crocker online!
See more Free Recipes along with more of our Betty Brackets recipe series HERE
©Betty Crocker 2012 – Betty Crocker provided all recipes and images for the purpose of publishing to readers at frugalfabulousfinds.com.
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