Butter "Scotch" Brownies

May 9 is yet another esoteric Food Holiday: Butterscotch Brownie Day! Butterscotch Brownies, as good as they are, do not include chocolate, so it's not really a holiday I usually celebrate. So I've changed it up a bit, while still keeping with the spirit of the day. Here's my take on Butterscotch Brownie Day: Butter "Scotch" Brownies. Add Scotch to the batter, and you're good to go.  

I've posted bourbon brownies, and I've posted recipes for St. Patrick's Day Irish Whiskey brownies, so it's only natural to make these brownies with Scotch for Butterscotch Brownie Day. Hey, there's butter in the recipe! 

The following recipe is adapted from DrinkoftheWeek's recipe for Whiskey Brownies. So get out your kilt and do a highland fling!

This recipe, of course, can be made without the Scotch — but why would you want to do that?

BUTTER 'SCOTCH' BROWNIES!

Ingredients
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 tbs. water
2 eggs
6 ounces dark fair-trade 65-70% chocolate, chopped
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla
1/2 cup Scotch (yeah, it's pretty boozy!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9-inch pan. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in bowl and set aside. In saucepan, combine sugar, butter and water. Cook on low heat until boiling gently. Stir in chopped chocolate and vanilla. Then beat in eggs, one at a time. Now add flour mixture and stir well. (If you want to include half cup of nuts, fold in now.) Pour mix into pan and bake for 30 minutes.
The recipe at DrinkoftheWeek has an excellent chocolate icing, but for today's holiday, I thought I'd go go all the way with the "Scotch" Brownie theme, so here's a recipe for a Scotch infused icing. 

Scotch infused Icing
 
Ingredients
1-1/2 ounces unsweetened or very dark chocolate1/4 cup sweet butter
2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp half-and-half
1 Tbsp good Scotch
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract

Directions 

In top of double boiler (or saucepan on top of saucepan with simmering water), melt chocolate with butter. Combine rest of ingredients in bowl and with electric mixer, beat in melted chocolate and butter. Beat until smooth. Mixture will be runny, but stiffens as it cools. Frost cooled brownies.

How's that for Butter "Scotch" Brownies?