These were a hit this season! I wish I could tell you they weren't a failure turned into a hit, but that would be a lie.
I wanted baileys fudge. It wasn't baileys enough for me, so I added more and more and more of my husbands homemade baileys and the fudge wouldn't set. So I made shortbread cups to put it in and voila, got my coworkers drunk on dessert.
Tart Shells
1 cup softened butter (if salted, add no salt. If salted add a pinch or two of salt)
1 large whole egg
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 - 3 cups AP flour
Cream together butter and sugar
Add in yolks and whole egg, one at a time mixing well each time.
Allow to mix on medium to creamy/fluffy texture before adding flour.
Add in baking powder and then flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough cones together. Do not add too much flour or over mix it will make for a tough cookie.
Divide dough into 3 balls and wrap in plastic or into freezer bags.
Throw in the fridge/freezer/outside in -30 weather for about an hour or so to chill.
Take first ball out and break chunks off and roll into 1" balls. Make them bigger or smaller depending on the size of your tarts.
I use mini muffin tins, I'd love a set of fancy tartlet pans, but not really necessary. I don't have the room to store them or the money to spend o the damned things!
Place the balls into the tins and use a wooden tart press to hollow out a place to put the filling. I don't actually have a tart press thing (I thought I did, but apparently don't) so I actually used the wrong end of a little egg masher thing. It did the trick. It's not fancy and Martha would be appalled, but it worked.
You could also roll the dough out and cut circles with cookie cutters and place into the tins. Both work. The cookie cutter way will give you thinner tarts with more filling, the ball way make thicker, chunkier tarts with less filling.
If cookie cutter way, prick the bottoms so they don't puff up too much.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes -/+ depending on thickness until golden.
If you did the press way, put the press into the tart again to hollow it out. Do this quickly when the cookies are hot and haven't begun to set.
Let cool.
Baileys Fudge
1 can of eagle brand (or sweetened condensed milk)
3 1/2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup of baileys (you might need more to get desired consistency)
1-2 tbsps Jamesons. (if you're so inclined)
Put chocolate chips and eagle brand into a glass bowl.
Heat in microwave in 30 second spurts, stirring after each 30 seconds until melted and smooth. DO NOT OVER HEAT, you'll burn the chocolate chips and it will seize. That's gross.
Add in the baileys.
Layer a 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and pour half of the fudge into the dish.
Using either home made caramel sauce or in my version the Ghirardelli caramel sauce run about 6 or 7 thick lines through the fudge.
Layer the rest of the fudge on top.
Let set for 10-15 minutes until fudge begins to set up.
Once the tart shells are cooled, scoop fudge (it should still be warm and slightly runny) into the shells.
Top with chopped pecans and don't drive after eating one. They've got bite!
