What could say Valentine’s Day more than a cupcake that combines the most classic flavors of that day?  Chocolate, strawberries, and champagne.  Yum!  I was recently asked by the wonderful Carrie at Class Foundry to come up with something special for Valentine’s day.  Initially, I racked my brain trying to think of what cocktail I could turn into a cupcake.  I looked up tons of pink, fruity cocktails, but nothing seemed quite right.  I decided to just keep it classic and go with champagne.  Add chocolate and strawberries, and you get the perfect cupcake to make for this holiday.  

So, I created these chocolate champagne cupcakes with sweet strawberry jam filling and topped with my favorite champagne cream cheese frosting. They will be a great gift to give that special someone or to enjoy with friends and family♥

One of my new year's resolutions was to try something new every month.  At least one little thing.  It could be anything from eating a new kind of food, to hiking in a park I've never been to before, or even baking something I never had before.  As January was starting to come to a close, I realized I hadn't yet done my new thing for the month.  Combine that with my desire to bake something boozy, and that is how I ended up making these Baileys Profiteroles.  

I remember being little and having store bought cream puffs (or profiteroles if you prefer the fancier name) at a tea party at my gran's house.  They were so good!  Light and fluffy and sweet.  Soon my eyes were opened up to eclairs and other fancy french pastries.  As a baker, I have always been intimidated by these delectable treats.  However, these are actually fairly easy to make.  It's a simple dough that is easily filled with cream and then delightfully dipped in melted chocolate.  Being the Tipsy Muffin, I had to find a way to also make these fancy puffs a bit tipsy, and adding Baileys to the cream was the perfect way to do that.  I've been sharing these with my friends and family and they have been a big hit!  I hope you enjoy them just as much as I have!

[ INGREDIENTS ]

Pate a Choux
1 cup water
6 tablespoons butter 
1 ¼  cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs 

Baileys Whipped Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Baileys Irish Cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Chocolate topping
1 ½ cup dark chocolate chips (I prefer Guittard Extra Dark)


[ DIRECTIONS] 

Pate a Choux

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line 2 baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring water and butter to a boil.
4. Remove from heat and whisk in flour.
5. Return to heat and continue whisking until the dough pulls away from the pot and begins to form a ball.
6. Place dough in the bowl of an electric mixer and let cool for at least 5 minutes. 
7. Using the paddle attachment, beat in eggs one at a time until glossy and smooth.
8. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large star or round tip.
9. Pipe the dough into balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter.
10. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees and then reduce temperature to 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and quickly prick with a skewer to release the steam.
12. Cool completely,

Baileys Whipped Cream

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fixed with the whisk attachment, combing cream, Baileys, and sugar.
2. Whisk at increasing speed until stiff peaks are formed.  Be careful to not over whip the cream.

Put it all together

1. After the pate a choux has cooled, cut a small slit in each one.
2. Transfer the Baileys whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip.
3. Pipe the cream into each puff.
4. For the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
5. Dip each profiterole into the chocolate.
6. Keep cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Note:  An alternative to this is to make the profiteroles, but instead of dipping them in chocolate keep them plain.  Then serve with a warm chocolate sauce like this one:

[ INGREDIENTS ]
Chocolate Sauce
1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer Guittard extra dark)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter

[ DIRECTIONS]
Chocolate Sauce

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth.