Lucky (Recipe) Linkup - Homemade Bailey's Irish Cream

Hello March!  I'm so excited to be linking up today with some of my favorite bloggers for a good old fashioned St. Patrick's Day recipe swap!  The same bloggers from the Christmas gift exchange and the Valentine's Day card swap are participating, but this time we want YOU in on the action too!  If you have a favorite St. Patrick's Day recipe you'd like to share, I hope you'll consider linking up with us.  You have one week from today to get your recipes up on your blog.  Then you'll be paired with another blogger and get to try her favorite recipe.  It's a great way to meet some new bloggers, gain exposure for your blog, create Pinterest-worthy recipes and get to eat awesome food, of course!  All the details for the linkup are below.  

But first, I want to share my favorite St. Patrick's Day recipe with you.  I don't think any St. Patty's Day is complete with some Bailey's Irish Cream.  Whether you're having it on the rocks, in your coffee or using it to create some fancy dessert, there's no denying that Bailey's is amazing.  However, I bet you had no idea that it was insanely easy to make at home.  I'm talking only 7 ingredients and less than 5 minutes start to finish. No cooking, no dirtying tons of dishes, no problem.  After this, you will never buy Bailey's again!  It's so easy and makes perfect gifts. Who wouldn't want to receive this?  

Ingredients:

1 cup light cream (I used heavy whipping cream, which made it even richer) 

14 ounces sweetened condensed milk 

1 2/3 cup Irish whiskey (I used Jameson's) 

1 teaspoon instant coffee 

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and set on high speed for 30 seconds.

2. That's it!  You're done.  You have homemade Bailey's.  I told you it was easy!

Just to make sure that our homemade DIY Bailey's was as good as the original stuff, I made my husband (a true Irishman) do a taste test.  He could tell based on the look which one was homemade, since I'd just whipped it up in the blender and it still had lots of air bubbles in it, but I bet those will settle quickly and they'll look identical.  He said that the homemade stuff was slightly stronger (I might have had a bit of a heavy hand when pouring in the booze) and a tiny bit thicker.  I used heavy whipping cream, as opposed to the light whipping cream that the recipe called for, so I think that's probably what made the difference.  If you're putting this is coffee (like I do), I actually think that thicker is better.  If you want to make it thinner, try the light whipping cream or cut some of it with milk.  Otherwise, the flavor was spot on.  He was impressed.  

The homemade Irish cream will stay good in your refrigerator for up to two months.  Since it'll be much longer than that before I can drink booze again, I decided to package it up and give it as gifts to our neighbors.  I put the Irish cream in these cute little Mason jars with handles and tied a ribbon around the top.  Perfect!  I though about printing a label or attaching a recipe for Irish coffee, but I haven't got around to that yet.  

Speaking of Irish coffee...I also whipped up a non-alcoholic preggo-friendly batch that left out the whiskey and used instant decaf coffee so I could enjoy it as well.  It was even thicker without the Jameson in it, so I added a half cup of skim milk to dilute it.  And it was EXCELLENT!  My morning coffee just got upgraded.

So that's it!  Easy peasy, right?  I'm not sure I'll ever buy Bailey's again.  Gift-wise I know it's going to be a bit hit.  Or keep it for yourself and use it for so many things: Bailey's cheesecake, Chocolate stout cupcakes with Bailey's icing, Bailey's flavored ice cream, Bailey's brownies, Bailey's pound cake, Bailey's hot fudge cupcakes (just in case you want to make one of these for the recipe swap). 

Ok, so here are all the details for the Lucky (recipe) Linkup.  I really hope you'll join us!  

1. Post your favorite St. Patrick's Day recipe on your blog anytime between now and Monday, March 10th.  It can be anything from green cupcakes to Irish drinks to corned beef and cabbage.  
2. Come back here (or to any of the host blogger's sites) and link your recipe post to this one using the LinkyTools below.  
3. All participants will then be paired with another participating blogger and you will make her favorite recipe from her blog post (and hopefully meet a new blogger and make a friend in the process).  
4. Everyone will have one week to make the swapped recipe.  Feel free to make any edits to the recipe you want to fit your dietary needs/restrictions.  Perhaps you are dairy free, don't use food coloring, or have trouble finding an ingredient at your local market - no problem!  Make any edits you want to make it your own.
5. Share the recipe and photos of your new dish from the swap on your blog on Monday, March 17th (St. Patrick's Day).  Your recipe will get exposure on another blog and your hosts (us!) will be pinning our favorite recipes to a St. Patrick's Day recipe Pinterest board.    

I really hope you'll join us!  

Cheers!

Host bloggers:

Erinn at Strawberry Swing and Other Things

Natasha at Schue Love 

Julie at The Girl in the Red Shoes 

Natalie at Nat Your Average Girl

Emily at Dear Owen 

Veronika at Veronika's Blushing 

Erin at Hello Erin

Colleen at Meet the Sullivans

Vanessa at Sunflower State of Mind

Megan at Hello Newlywed Life

Natasha at Hello Happiness

Sara at Running from the Law