A couple of weeks ago I made Autumn Pumpkin muffins. The original recipe said it made two regular size loaves. So I decided to make half the batter into muffins and the rest I put into a loaf pan. I ended up freezing the loaf which came in handy this week when I needed a quick dessert to take to my book club. It came out of the freeze as wonderful as the day I made it. I'm always a little sceptical about freezing baked goods. Sometimes they just aren't the same, but no worries with this bread!
Although the pumpkin bread is great on it's own, I thought I'd make it even better by making a cream cheese spread to go with it. After all I was taking it to book club, which is all about food and wine...ohh and the book, right it's about the book. I mean were not just a group of gals that like to eat, drink, and gossip. We read too!!
The pumpkin bread is packed with spices and nuts so I thought maple syrup would be the perfect compliment. I grabbed a few spices, the maple syrup, and brown sugar and threw it into some soften cream cheese. I tasted the mixture and it was really good but needed just a little something else. I put a bit of vanilla in and as I was putting the vanilla away I spied my bottle of bourbon. I thought "Why not!" I mean maple and bourbon, that just sounds awesome. Oh and yes I keep a small bottle (well a fifth) of bourbon in with my spices and flavorings. Hubs calls it my secret stash. I guess I use it a lot...well we do live in the South. I've really come to appreciate the flavor that bourbon can add to a dish. Bourbon is aged in barrels that have been charred. The bourbon picks up a smokey flavor from the barrels that is wonderful in everything from pork dishes to pecan pie. However, despite what Hubs thinks, I don't drink it straight from the bottle! Not yet anyway;)
Maple Bourbon Cream Cheese Spread
6 ounces cream cheese at room temp.
3 TBS brown sugar
2 TBS maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
11/2 tsp Bourbon
Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
This spread is great on bagels too!!
