Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon

My mom has always loved eclairs, but I never liked the filling. While the texture was beautiful, the flavor was usually flat. So, I created this recipe, using caramel flavoring to create a beautiful, complex filling that pairs wonderfully with the pastry and chocolate.

By using the Caramel Bakery Emulsion, you don’t have to sacrifice the texture of your creme pat filling like you would by folding in caramel. Instead, you get the traditional texture with all the fun flavor!

If you want to try this out yourself (and don’t worry, the choux pastry is easy as pie!), click the to check out the recipe!

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Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so we have to squeeze in one last pumpkin recipe. These pumpkin cupcakes are paired with brown butter frosting, which is the real star of the show.

I might have spread this on everything in sight because it’s that good. If you want to make this one for yourself, check out the recipe linked in bio.

The only way to make buttercream better is to make it with brown butter. Pair it with a rich, moist pumpkin cupcake, and you have the perfect fall treat. These pumpkin cupcakes with brown butter frosting cannot be missed! Ingredients You'll Need for Pumpkin Cupcakes Pumpkin Puree: Your pumpkin is the star of the show. Make sure to get the plain puree and not pumpkin pie filling!...

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting - Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon These pumpkin cupcakes with brown butter frosting are full of classic fall pumpkin flavors and topped with a nutty brown butter frosting.

For Thanksgiving, we always do a late lunch/early dinner. Outside of the meal, everything you eat is on your own (but stay out of the kitchen, we’re baking here!).

So my mom has always loved making little plates for munching. My favorite platter has always been the bread one.

Super moist and full of flavor, this is my all time favorite pumpkin bread recipe! Check out the link in my bio to see how I make it!

Tis the season for pie! And not all pie crusts are created equal.

I used to struggle with pie crusts, but this recipe is fail proof. No major equipment needed, this is an old school (read: no food processor) recipe. Grab your pastry blender (or two forks!), and you’ll be ready to bake!

Check out the recipe, linked in bio!
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Shake Off the End of Summer with a Samoa Cookie Milkshake!! - https://mailchi.mp/03382658401a/shake-off-the-end-of-summer-with-a-samoa-cookie-milkshake-1022616

I know rhubarb season is over in the South (and most of the US), but if you have some frozen chunks you want to use up, I highly recommend my rhubarb chess pie. The rhubarb helps to balance out the super sweet chess pie for a delicious end of summer treat!!

Recipe is up on my blog 🥧

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Y'all, these plum crumble bars are the perfect bar cookie for an on-the-go dessert. It has a buttery shortbread base, topped with homemade plum jam, and sprinkled with a streusel crumble. Eating just one won't be enough!

Plum Crumble Bars - Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon These delicious and easy plum crumble bars have buttery shortbread crust topped with homemade plum jam and dusted with a streusel topping.

Y'all, check out my new recipe: Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Sauce

Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Sauce - Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon A moist warm cake full of seasonal spice, topped with a dollop of sweetened whip cream, and drenched in a bright and flavorful lemon sauce.

🎶I get my 🍑🍑🍑 down in G̶e̶o̶r̶g̶i̶a̶ Alabama. 🎶

Did y’all think I was only going to do one peach recipe this summer? No darling. Not a chance.

This ice cream uses white peaches to make a twist on traditional cobbler. Oh, and the trick to get that topping flavor? Pound cake.

Weirdly, I don’t have a pound cake recipe on my blog. With so many out there, I never thought it would be worth adding. But, would y’all want to see a pound cake recipe? Or has that already been oversaturated?

Let me know in the comments below. And if y’all decide to make this ice cream, make sure to tag me in it! You can check out the recipe linked in my bio.

With ♥️ and 🧈—Kristi

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Every time I turn on the radio, I feel like I hear that Justin Bieber song about peaches down in Georgia. Needless to say, I got peaches on the mind. Which is how we ended up on peach cobbler ice cream. Peach cobbler is one of those desserts that I just adore. Even a bad peach cobbler isn't even that bad since you're still getting to eat peach cobbler....

Peach Cobbler Ice Cream - Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon This peach cobbler ice cream is made in a stand mixer with only a few ingredients for the base. Then, it has peach sauce and pound cake folded in!

A few years ago, my grandmother was going through her things when she came across her mother's old 8" cast iron skillet. Rusted and coated in a thick lay of gradoo. Not really much of a cook at this point, Grandma gifted it to my dad. He was so excited he told me the next time we talked, and he swore the first thing he'd make in it was his grandma's lacy cornbread....

Great Grandma's Lacy Cornbread - Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon Passed down from my great grandmother, this recipe for lacy cornbread has a soft center and crispy (lacy) edges area. perfect pair.

I discovered the wonder of two ingredient dough a few years ago. While a lot of people find the appeal in that it’s low fat, I really love the simplicity of two-ingredient dough. I usually always have flour and greek yogurt on hand, so I always am able to make this dough. The simplistic, slightly chewy base allows for a lot of versatility. I’ve used it to make bagels, flat bread, and pizza. A lot of recipes you find are for more savory options for the two ingredient dough, but I wanted a healthier take on sweet rolls. While I love a good cinnamon roll, they’re full of butter and sugar, and they are not exactly a perfect fit for a daily breakfast. These two ingredient dough blueberry sweet rolls, however, don’t use butter, use very little sugar, and the frosting is optional.

While these are not as light and fluffy as traditional, yeast-bread cinnamon rolls, these are still fantastic. I highly recommend eating them warm with a large cup of coffee (or tea). Not too sweet, these are truly a delicious start to your day.

If you want to make them yourself, you can check out the recipe below!

Hope y’all enjoy it!

Love and butter—Kristi

With all the changes coming to Instagram, you'll probably see us a lot more active on Pinterest. We share all of our recipes over there, some extra content, and with each pin, we've started including the ingredients! That way, you'll know what ingredients you need before even opening the recipe up.

If you want to check it out, follow the link below for our most recent pin (and recipe!) for Oreo Cheesecake Brownies.

Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon sent you a Pin! Discover even more ideas for you

A twist on traditional white chocolate fudge, drunken turtle fudge adds bourbon flavoring into the base before folding in pecans and swirling in caramel.

White Chocolate Fudge with Bourbon, Caramel, and Pecans - Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon A twist on traditional white chocolate fudge, drunken turtle fudge adds bourbon flavoring into the base before folding in pecans and swirling in caramel.

Y'all, it's peach season in Alabama. One of my favorite things about living near Birmingham is the access to Chilton County peaches. Grown only about twenty minutes down the road, these peaches are so fresh. Check out my recipe for White Peach Cobbler to celebrate summer (aka peach season!).

https://beignetsbutterandbourbon.com/2021/07/08/white-peach-cobbler/

This blueberry bourbon galette takes a fun twist on a traditional blueberry galette with the addition of a rich, caramel based bourbon!

Blueberry Galette with Bourbon - Beignets, Butter, and Bourbon This blueberry bourbon galette takes a fun twist on a traditional blueberry galette with the addition of a rich, caramel based bourbon!

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman enduring an Alabama summer, must be in want of ice cream.”— If Jane Austen was Southern

And ice cram she will have! Once the temperature reaches 80, I seem to need ice cream everyday to get by.

My soul was not meant for hot weather, but it was meant for eating ice cream.

This recipe is one of my new favorites. It’s sweet and creamy while being light and refreshing. The bright notes of citrus combine with the herby floral flavor of lavender for a refreshing summer treat sure to satisfy!

If you want to check it out, head to the link in bio!

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Update: we have internet! Apparently falling plaster and leaking pipes are bad for internet modems. Who knew??

And since I’m reconnected to the inter webs, my post that was supposed to go up Tuesday is now up on the blog!

I made this beautiful dark chocolate cake with roasted strawberry buttercream. The roasted strawberries are inspired by roasted strawberry pie. I was so surprised with how much flavor is concentrated in them when you roast them. In my opinion, it’s a more well-rounded flavor than just using freeze-dried strawberries for the buttercream. When paired with the chocolate cake, it’s the perfect combo.

Not only will you get the recipe, but you’ll get a really sappy post about my mom (including my absolute favorite photo of her and my grandpa where they just exude joy).

Oh, and as proof of where I got my sap from, check my story to see the comment my mom made on my post. Update: she did cry. Don’t be alarmed, it’s her schtick. She cried when I got my learner’s permit, too. So, we just roll with it. So blessed to have you in my life mom, and I’m forever grateful to you for teaching me that food is way to love someone.

Love you more, mom. Always.

If you want to check out this recipe (or just see how adorable I was as a baby), click the link in my bio!

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How’re y’all doing? Things are a bit…chaotic…here.

Let’s see, we have the upstairs bathroom being remodeled to be more accessible for my grandma.

Then, the downstairs floor is finally being laid after our AC broke a month ago and flooded the finished basement.

Oh, and somewhere in all this construction, our modem got damaged, and we don’t have internet or television (and we won’t until tomorrow). Mind you, we just got our internet back after our modem went out last week after lightning hit our yard, causing a power surge.

So, while I have a really lovely cake recipe I wanted to share today on the blog, I guess I will be holding off until Thursday! That back catalog of recipes just keeps growing by the minute lol.

I’ll give you a hint, the recipe involves the saucy strawberry jam on this toast.

We had some strawberries from on the verge of going bad, so I made this to help use them up faster. Just take 6 cups chopped strawberries and 1 cup of sugar and cook until it’s more of a liquid than a solid. Continue to simmer until is passes the finger test (you put a dollop on a plate and if you can run your finger through it and the divot that is created remains, it’s ready to be turned off).

The final step is to try and not eat it by the spoonful so you can use it for other things than satisfying your strawberry jam craving.

But, now I have a whole quart of it left. What are some things I can do with it beyond toast?? Let me know below!

&j

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients.” —Julia Child

I know Julia Child was the French chef, but I feel like this really encompasses American cooking as a whole, especially Southern cooking.  My mom taught me to cook with cabinet bingo—open the cabinet/fridge, see what we have, figure out how to turn it into a meal.  The only time I ever really saw my mom use a recipe was when it came to desserts, and even then, she never measured precisely and always added what she felt like.  

We always tried to use fresh ingredients when possible, though.  When we lived in Mississippi, that meant vegetables grown in my dad’s obnoxiously large garden (it was bigger than our house).  In Alabama, it means what we grab at Wayne’s (on 31 in Pelham) or from Finley (in downtown Birmingham).  [And, Clanton 🍑 🍑 🍑 !]

I’m excited for the warmer months because of the fresh fruit and vegetables.  I despise the heat in Alabama in the summer, but at least the produce is pretty.  

Where is your go to place for fresh ingredients?  (Especially if you’re in the Alabama area!)

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I’m the queen of productive procrastination. I have been trying to write my dissertation chapter for so long, and I will always find something more important to do. At the time, it always feels more relevant: the cat needs to go to the vet, the dog needs to go out, I need to do this thing for my job. Yes, all these things are necessary and have obvious time restraints that my writing does not have, but I could also not clean out my closet for another day if it meant writing. And yet, those winter clothes really should be put into storage ASAP. They’re just taking up unnecessary space. (See…justification!)

I find myself doing this with a lot of tasks, an avoidance for self-preservation. If I don’t do it, I don’t have to deal with the anxiety and frustration I feel associated with starting said task. Yet, those feelings only intensify the longer I put it off. It’s a viscous cycle.

So, after I post this, my goal for the evening is to go and spend a good solid hour writing today. Even if I only get one sentence on the page, that’s okay. That’s one more sentence than I had yesterday.

And because I fully belief in rewards for tasks you are not looking forward to, my reward will be watching Married at First Sight. I love trashy reality tv about dating and relationships (and yet, I’ve never been able to get into the Bachelor…). What do you like to reward yourself with? Are you also obsessed with trashy tv? (Please say yes, and then drop your so-bad-their-good recommendations below!)

And, if you want to give this cake a try, you can find it on website! It’s linked in my bio, just search “Clementine upside down cake” in the search bar at the bottom of the page.

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There is something delightfully comforting about a good pie.  One of my personal favorites is the chess pie, partially because it’s rooted in everything I love about cooking: versatility.  Its base recipe is made to be shifted and changed to accommodate what you have at the moment.

In this version, I added rhubarb, rum extract, and nutmeg for a delightful twist on a Southern classic.

Chess pies are traditionally sweet, so the base pairs beautifully with the tartness of the rhubarb. Plus, the spice from the nutmeg and rum help to add a wonderful warmth that really balances the flavors.

I also love this pie cause you can throw it together so fast, and you will always end up with a fantastic end result.

If you want to try it for yourself, check out the link in my bio. (Also, I promise this is my last rhubarb recipe for a while. I ran out! This will finally be a safe space for rhubarb haters again.)

Y’all! I made it to the next round of the Greatest Baker. Thank you to everyone who has voted for and who continues to do so!

If you want to keep voting for me, my link is

Greatestbaker.com/2021/Kristi-Fleetwood

I really appreciate all your support on this, and the extra love you’ve been showing my recent posts. Y’all are amazing. I hope you have a lovely Friday ☺️

Is Kristi Fleetwood the Greatest Baker? You decide! Winning this competition would allow my blog to become a full time job. Plus, I would love the experience of working with a magazine.

Y’all. Two words: Rhubarb. Cake.

Specifically, this is a German Rhubarb Cake that was kind enough to share. She even shared the original version in her grandmother’s handwriting. (She also made the knitted towels in the first photo 🧶).

To read the story behind the cake and to see the original (and translated) recipe, check out the link in my bio.

You won’t regret this! It’s not too sweet, but the flavors are so beautiful. I normally give the majority of my bakes away, but this was a cake my family refused to let go of. It’s that good. (I particularly love it with a warm cup of tea or coffee).

Needless to say, I’m kind of obsessed with rhubarb right now. What’s your favorite recipes to make with it?

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Last year, I saw everyone living their best-rhubarb life, and I had some serious FOMO. But, it wasn’t my fault! The South clearly had decided to protest rhubarb by the time everyone else was eating it, and I couldn’t find it anywhere.

This year, I decided to be pro-active. I stalked the fruit aisles of my local grocery stores just waiting to pounce on the first rhubarb stalk I saw.

And…um…I bought a lot of rhubarb. The grocery store lady clearly thought I lost my mind. She had to bring out a big bucket from the back just to let me get what I wanted. (Although, in all fairness to me, they had just gotten the rhubarb in that day and hadn’t even put it out yet). But, girl, did I get what I wanted…Let me tell you.

I have three rhubarb recipes coming to the blog in the near future. One of which is a guest post from that is to die for. It might just be one of my all time favorite cake recipes I’ve ever tried.

But, the first one up is this lovely little recipe. These rhubarb ribbon curls are so easy to make, and they are so damn tasty. They are better than any fruit leather, and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I ate almost all of them myself. I think I allowed my family one ribbon each. I did not share well with others on this day. Guess that means I just need to go back to stalking my local grocery store for these little red beauties ;)

Link in bio if you want to try them for yourself (and you should definitely try them)!

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Made a twist on roasted strawberry pie. This roasted strawberry and rhubarb pie was divine. Roasting it ahead of time took a lot of the moisture out of the fruit while giving it a beautiful rich color and flavor. 10/10 recommend.

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Hey everyone! So, I decided to enter The Greatest Baker competition! It's a competition run by Bake From Scratch (the baking magazine) for a chance at a feature in their magazine and a cash prize. I would love to devote more time to this blog, and the exposure this competition would bring would really help in that goal.

The competition is all run on votes! Currently, they are narrowing it down from thousands of competitors to the Top 15. If you want to take a second and vote for me (you can vote once a day), I would so appreciate it!

Follow this link for my profile where I share some of my favorite photos and some thoughts on baking!

https://greatestbaker.com/2021/kristi-fleetwood

I had the pleasure of developing and photographing some recipes for for a Bridgerton inspired tea party recipe round-up. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite photos over the next few days for you to try out at your next high-tea.

First up is my favorite recipe of the bunch: blood orange biscotti.

Confession, I hate juicing fruit. I’ll do it, but I always make such a mess. Luckily, Blood Orange Oil has a natural flavoring that doesn’t come off artifact in the recipe. It tastes as if you juiced the fruit yourself!

Paired with the tart cranberries and the earthiness of cocoa nibs, and you have a beautiful biscotti that is made for dipping in tea (of coffee!). [[Especially if you dip them in white chocolate first]]

Check out the recipe (and the rest of the tea party inspired recipes) linked in my bio!

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I was driving down the road the other day, and I saw one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen:

A drive through Girl Scout cookie booth.

The ingenuity. The perseverance of cookie sales in a pandemic. Those girls got my heart.

Now, normally, I’m a Samoa cookie kind of girl, but I can also kill an entire sleeve of Thin Mints. One of my favorite things about GSC season (forget Spring, let’s go by when we can buy these delightful treats) is all the products that are flavored like the cookies.

When asked me to photograph their Layered Mint Square recipe, I was overjoyed. Cause at the end of the day, these are really just Thin Mints turned into delightful bars. A fudge-graham cracker crust, a layer of mint cream (flavored using their Peppermint oil), and a layer of chocolate—these things are heaven in a bar. Everyone loves them.

And for added fun, top with a little salt, and these are next level good. Check out the recipe linked in my bio.

And, most importantly……What Girl Scout Cookie inspired treats are you making up this year?

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Now that I live in Alabama, I’ve been trying to find and support more local businesses. I came across the pottery of and fell in love. I mean, her bowls are the stuff my dreams are made of.

I was lucky enough to get a guest spot on their blog where I got to share my barley salad recipe, a loose interpretation of an Italian summer version. It’s full of beautiful vegetables, perfect for the transition between winter and spring.

If you want to make it for yourself, check out my for the recipe. While there, check out Susan’s pottery as well. The site is having a restock at 9am CST Friday, and there is so much on their to love. (Read: My next paycheck will see me torn between the Maison Tart Dish and a pair of those gorgeous Swan Earrings…)

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I know I said 2021 was going to be the year of sweet bread, but I’ve been craving salty food lately. Which is weird, cause I have a ridiculous sweet tooth.

But, instead of sweet bread, I made this buttery, cheese, carb-lovers dream bread. This pull apart bread is assembled with individual discs folded in half and stuffed with butter, cheese, and rosemary. A little fun surprise with every piece you pull off.

And to make it even better, I used Original Brown Butter. They were nice enough to send me a jar to try out, and it’s so damn good. I love brown butter, but I don’t always love MAKING brown butter. Having this jar already filled with brown butter just waiting to be used made it so much easier, and it’s full of rich flavor that made this delicious bread even better. I’ll definitely be going back for another jar.

If you want to try out this recipe for yourself, check out the

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Have we talked about my Diet Coke problem? No...well, um. I drink it like Lorelei and Rory drink coffee (except, I sometimes have a cup of coffee, too. So, the caffeine consumption is off the charts.)

I’ve been trying to cut back on soda and branch into the seltzer water craze everyone is on. But...I hate most of them?

I like cause they use actual fruit to flavor their water, and it tastes like it. I mean, I still like to add a little extra pizzaz (seen here by adding blood orange slices to their grapefruit flavor....so, so good).

What’s your go to sparkling water flavor? What am I missing out on??

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recipe for granola, packed with healthy fat and a chunk of protein, might be one of my favorite granola recipes.

Using orange oil, it creates a bright treat great as a bar on the go. I ended up crumbling it up and using it in yogurt parfaits with fresh fruit. Sooooo good.

While I’m normally not a date kind of girl, I love them in this when paired with the salty fat of the nuts and the citrus of the oil.

What do you like in your granola?

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Movement photography was always up in the air with natural light. The number of grainy photos I have because I tried to shoot on a day that was just a hair too cloudy is numerous. It’s been nice to play with artificial lighting and learn about how to capture that movement.

While I still don’t 100% love this photo, I will say this is way better than versions of this I did with natural lighting.

Plus, the raspberry powder might be my favorite part of these cookies 😍. If you want to try them yourself, check out the blog ❤️

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It’s February 2nd, so I guess that means it’s all hearts and love and shades of red for the next two weeks? Just kidding, but here is my obligatory heart shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day.

These brown butter sugar cookies are so easy to make, and they are such a crowd pleaser. I think my dad ended up eating half of them by himself, and he isn’t one to lie about liking my baking to make me feel better. He WILL let me know if he doesn’t like something I make. So, when I say these are Dad approved, you know they’re good.

The hardest part about these cookies are the brown butter, but I break down how to do this on the blog, and it’s super simple. Once you let it cool, this recipe can be whipped up and rolled out in no time. You’re only a little ways away from some of the best sugar cookies you’ve ever had.

What’re your plans for Valentine’s Day? My mom suggested we go old school and get those small Valentine’s kids give each other in elementary school to tape to everyone’s door the morning of. I think we’d be the only ones who would get any joy out of it, but that’s never stopped us before.

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