Whiskey Macaroni and Cheese ~ Twist on the classic macaroni cheese by using whiskey fortified cheddar and made in a slow cooker.
Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Who doesn’t love macaroni and cheese made in a slow cooker?
Jan of 2015, I was reading my copy of Southern Living Magazine (yes, I live in the West, but this magazine is simply wonderful) when I happened upon a recipe that stopped me in my tracks. Uncle Jack’s Mac n cheese. I ripped that page right out and set it on my shelf. I saw this torn out page EVERY SINGLE DAY for over a year. It has always been on my mind to make. But as it goes in my profession, the list of things I want to make never gets shorter. 
This post is sponsored by Beehive Cheese. During a recent visit to their facility I received a goody bag of cheeses to enjoy and use, and all thoughts and opinions, glowing, gushing, or otherwise about their cheeses are 100% my own.
While touring Beehive Cheese (an article to come on that shortly), Briton, my tour guide and cheese maker sent me home with several types of cheese to sample. Who says no to cheese?
The recipe for the mac n cheese that I tore from the magazine and Beehive cheese seemed to a match made in heaven. And the whiskey fortified cheese seemed like the perfect twist. Enter this Whiskey Macaroni and Cheese.
I pretty much followed the original recipe and just made a few adjustments here and there, as I tend to do. This cheese made an excellent mac, but honestly, it was incredibly difficult to quit munching on it while waiting to mix it into the sauce. 
Ingredients
- 1 (16-oz.) package elbow macaroni
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk
- 2 tbsp whiskey (optional)
- 4 large eggs , lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup butter , melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp . onion powder
- 1/8 tsp . paprika
- 1/2 tsp . granulated garlic
- 12 oz . Beehive Fully Loaded (whiskey Fortified) Cheese
- 4 oz . Cheddar (yellow or any)
- Butter or vegetable cooking spray
Instructions
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Cook macaroni according to package directions.
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Grate the cheese, mix the two cheeses together BUT reserve 1 1/2 cup of Fully Loaded without the yellow cheddar.
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Stir together cream, next 9 ingredients (whiskey included, if using) until combined in a large bowl.
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Pour over cooked macaroni, mix well.
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Add in 2 1/2 cups cheese to the large bowl, stir until well combined, will be soupy.
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Spray the inside of the slow cooker (or use a slow cooker liner) with cooking spray.
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Pour macaroni mixture in a 6-qt. slow cooker.
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Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese over macaroni mixture.
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Cover and cook on HIGH 3 hours; reduce slow cooker to LOW, and cook 1 hour. ****SEE NOTES
Recipe Notes
Adjust the time according to your slow cooker. Mine cooked on high for only 1 1/2 hours, then on low the remanding time. br]16 oz. of macaroni is NOT 2 measuring cups. 2 measuring cups comes out to about 12 oz., use a kitchen scale to weigh out the macaroni if using a bulk package.
Recipe adapted from [Southern Living Magazine
When making this, know your slow cooker. I have the most whacked out slow cooker when it comes to the cooking temperatures. It has three settings, keep warm, low, and high. Those settings mean the following: keep warm = low, low = high, high = warp speed cooking. My sides got more done than I would have liked for photographic reasons, but those crispy sides were utterly delicious that I do not regret them.
28 Comments
Christie
May 2, 2016 at 5:44 amI’ve never heard of Beehive cheese. We love trying new cheese so I will be on the lookout.
Michelle De La Cerda
May 2, 2016 at 10:07 amThey are a local (in Utah) cheese company, but their product is sold nationally.
Catherine
May 2, 2016 at 5:50 amWhat a sight!! I have to make this…it looks absolutely fantastic..taking mac and cheese to a whole new level! xo, Catherine
Michelle De La Cerda
May 2, 2016 at 10:07 amThank you Catherine, I think you and your family will enjoy it.
Marye
May 2, 2016 at 6:34 amThis looks amazing! I absolutely must try it!
Michelle De La Cerda
May 2, 2016 at 10:04 amI think you’d love it.
Florian @ContentednessCooking
May 2, 2016 at 8:49 amLooks wonderful! Such a unique and interesting combination!
Lora @savoringitaly
May 2, 2016 at 10:12 amI totally do the same thing with magazines. I rip out a page or photograph and look at it on my phone and dream of making it…but you at least you finally did and it was worth the wait! How nice you visited the Beehive!
Jennifer A Stewart
May 2, 2016 at 11:47 amSign me up for any cheese, or mac and cheese made with Whiskey in it!!! Whole pan please!
roxana
May 2, 2016 at 12:52 pmI would never say no to cheese and I love that you can do this in the slow cooker! Brilliant!
Katie
July 18, 2019 at 10:45 pmJust made this tonight and it was wonderful. Had some whiskey cheese (in this case it was Kerrygold Irish Whiskey Cheddar) and some super mild gouda to use up. This was the perfect vehicle!
It was delicious and made a ton, the crispy sides were great! I haven’t seen a crust like that outside of the oven. Thank you for posting this! We oven braised some bratwurst that we had on hand with beer and sauerkraut to serve with it. The hardest part was waiting the 4 hours to eat it when my kitchen smelled of delicious aged cheddar and whiskey.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate
May 2, 2016 at 7:06 pmWell, first, whiskey fortified cheese?! Sounds fabulous! Next, what a fun presentation for your mac & cheese! Sounds like the recipe was worth the wait 🙂
Des @ Life's Ambrosia
May 2, 2016 at 9:14 pmI am always a sucker for a good mac n cheese but this, this takes it to a whole other level. Looks amazing!
Sabrina
May 3, 2016 at 12:18 amThis looks like a great grown-up mac and cheese! I love the more sophisticated flavors!
KC the Kitchen Chopper
May 3, 2016 at 7:56 amWhiskey fortified cheese is something I must take a look out for. Sounds super delish for party fare. It would be a fun conversation starter. Making mac n cheese in a slow cooker sounds like my kind of dish. YUM.
Debi at Life Currents
May 3, 2016 at 8:08 amThis looks delicious! What a fun addition to traditional mac & cheese. And, I love how this cooks up like a slice of pie! It looks fabulous!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
May 3, 2016 at 8:17 amYou know what? Those crispy sides are MINE, ALL MINE!
Nettie Moore
May 3, 2016 at 9:59 amWoah! I have never made mac and cheese in the slow cooker, looks wonderful! Nettie
Angela
May 3, 2016 at 11:34 amThis looks like the most amazing mac ever!!
Joanne/WineLady Cooks
May 3, 2016 at 2:16 pmWhat a great mac ‘n cheese, I love all the delicious flavors.
Sandi (@fearless_dining)
May 3, 2016 at 2:48 pmThis is a show stopper. A giant cheesy pie…I need this.
The Food Hunter
May 3, 2016 at 4:28 pmIt doesn’t get much better than this!
Debra A Attinella
May 3, 2016 at 6:15 pmI love mac and cheese and this recipe is definitely kicked up a notch!!
Katerina
May 4, 2016 at 4:13 amI didn’t know about this cheese! I love learning new cooking ingredients and this recipe is just perfect for me!
Linda Shapiro
May 4, 2016 at 7:45 amGrown-up mac ‘n cheese! Woohoo!
Lauren Hall
May 4, 2016 at 1:23 pmTwo of my favorite things – mac n cheese and whiskey!!
Elizabeth
May 4, 2016 at 11:11 pmI’m sold on the idea of whiskey fortified cheese – wowee, yum! Great sounding recipe too. I like how it’s served like a pie slice.
Maeva CookALife
May 5, 2016 at 8:12 amOh I’ve never seen this kind of recipe, sounds pretty cool ^_^