#handcraftededibles ~ Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur

In an effort to make all of her holiday gifts this year, Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla invited some of her favorite foodie bloggers to share recipes for hand-crafted edibles. Over the course of the next twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes from libations (this week's theme) to cookie platters. Hope you'll follow along for inspiration.

libation (noun li·ba·tion \lī-ˈbā-shən\) - beverage; especially a drink containing alcohol.

This is kind of the best thing ever... seriously. I am not a whiskey fan, but I do love me some Irish Coffee so when I heard this week's theme was libations I did some looking around for something that would allow me to enjoy one. When I stumbled across this homemade Irish Cream Liqueur recipe I knew I had found "the one".

I have never had such a tasty drink - there are so many ways you could enjoy this, but poured over a few ice cubes is a great way to start. The liqueur is so creamy, a touch of chocolate, a kiss of coffee, and just the right amount of warm heat from the excellent Irish whiskey.

This drink reminded me of a grown up cold hot chocolate - I'm sure it would make a terrific addition to cocoa or of course a mug of coffee. These could make some very special gifts to hand out this Christmas, and the very best thing is it only takes about 10 minutes to whip up a batch!

Cheers to these gals and their lovely libations!

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla posts her recipe Nocino (Green Walnut Liqueur)
• Amy's Cooking Adventures writes about her Lemon Infused Vodka
• Nichole at Cookaholic Wife whips up some homemade Amaretto
• Rebekah of Making Miracles inspires you to make Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur

Next week, check back for our handcrafted spice blends. Or check out our #handcraftededibles pinterest board.

Homemade Irish Cream Liqueur from Practically Functional

Ingredients
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tsp instant coffee granules
1 - 1 1/2 cups Irish whiskey (we used Powers Irish Whiskey)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Whisk together the cocoa powder, coffee granules, and about a tablespoon of cream until the powder and granules are completely dissolved and mixed in.
2. Slowly stir in the remaining cream whisking until evenly mixed (use a spatula to scrape the bottom of your bowl to make sure all of the cocoa powder and coffee granules are blended in).
3. Add the whiskey (use 1 cup if you plan to enjoy directly, add up to 1 1/2 cups if you plan to blend the mixture with other beverages such as coffee), vanilla, and condensed milk and whisk until completely combined.
4. Pour the mixture into mason jars (or other airtight containers) and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
5. When you're ready to serve, pour over ice in a glass or add to hot chocolate or coffee.