Grand Mariner Fudge Bites

Grand Marnier and Chocolate come together to make these yummy, yummy, yummy, holiday treats! Welcome to day three of my 12 days of Christmas Confections! Monday was Peanut Florentine Bars, yesterday was Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes and today is all about Fudge! Yum!

For a special gift, I love to give bar cookies either wrapped individually or in the pan in which I baked them. A few other fun ideas are to gift them in a pretty cookie tin, oversized coffee cups, take-out containers or simply wrapped in cellophane. Just use your imagination and remember, your family and friends will love their treats, no matter how they’re packaged!

Today we are talking about one of my favorite holiday confections. These are so blissful: Grand Manier Fudge Bites. These rich, chocolatey treats are very rich and a little bite-seized square goes a long way.

First, gather and measure all of your ingredients.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. You know this is yummy because there are 1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter involved. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth then add the brown sugar and continue whisking until it’s blended. Isn’t this yummy looking?

Lip-smacking good!

Next, add in the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just blended. Here’s where I get a little frustrated with my photography skills – all of my  egg pictures were blurry. You’ll just have to take me at my word that they are in there….along with the Grand Marnier followed by the flour mixture. Just whisk it in batches until it’s all blended together. Next, scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until the center comes out with a few moist clumps sticking to the toothpick, about 30 minutes ( don’t over bake or it won’t be fudgy).

While the bars cool, make the ganache (my favorite thing in the entire world is ganache and if your a fan to, be sure to check out my Mexican Chocolate Ganache Cakes).  This ganache is a little thicker then the ones I normally use on cakes. To finish, top the bars with ganache and enjoy! Happy Holiday Baking!

Grand Mariner Fudge Bites

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter; more for the pan
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbs. Grand Marnier
• For the Glaze:
• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 6 tbs. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Lightly grease the sides of a 9 x 13 baking pan.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
5. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth then add the brown sugar and continue whisking until it’s blended.
6. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking until just blended.
7. Add the Grand Mariner with the last egg.
8. Add the flour mixture to the mixture, whisking in batches until it’s all blended together.
9. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
10. Bake until the center comes out with a few moist clumps sticking to the toothpick, about 30 minutes ( don’t over bake).
11. Transfer the pan to a rack and let it cool completely.

Make the Glaze:

1. In a medium bowl, melt the chocolate and butter in a microwave, whisking until smooth.
2. Pour the glaze onto the center of the cooled, uncut bars.
3. Spread the glaze evenly to cover completely.
4. Let the glaze set for an hour in the fridge before cutting into bite-seized bars.