S'mores Bars

Did you know that today was National S'mores Day?  Now that's a holiday I can get behind.  I only wish I'd known in time to plan for it.  While nothing beats a marshmallow slightly charred over a campfire sandwiched between graham crackers with a Hershey bar, these s'mores bars were a great alternative since the campfire wasn't going to happen today. 

These were so easy, and a hit when I took them to dinner with friends.  I did let them sit under the broiler a touch longer to get that slightly burnt flavor.

Happy S'mores Day!

S'mores Bars
from Gourmet

What's in them:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 cracker sheets)
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2 cups milk chocolate
3 cups mini-marshmallows

How to make them:

Preheat oven to   350°F.  In a bowl combine well the crumbs, the sugar, the salt, and the butter and, reserving 1 cup of the mixture, press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a flameproof 9x12x2" baking dish. Bake the crust for 12 minutes, or until it is golden, and let it cool in the dish on a rack.

In a glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir again until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Pour it over the crust spreading it evenly, and sprinkle the marshmallows over the chocolate, pressing them lightly, and then add the reserved crumb mixture. Broil the dessert under a preheated broiler about 2 inches from the heat for 30 seconds, or until the marshmallows are golden, let it cool completely, and cut it into squares.

Chocolate Cherry Birthday Cupcakes

We were in Florida over the holiday weekend to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday.  It was a great party with lots of friends and family, but we didn't want to overlook the fact that it was also the day before my dad's 60th birthday!  I asked what kind of cupcakes he would want, and he went with classic chocolate cake topped with cherry buttercream.  Happy Birthday, Dad!

This chocolate cake was surprisingly rich considering that there's not a lot of chocolate in it, and very moist.  The cherry buttercream was delicious- I couldn't find the tart cherry preserves called for in the original recipe, but regular sweet preserves worked fine, since the cake itself wasn't particularly sweet.  I halved both recipes for an even dozen cupcakes, with some frosting leftover.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes
cake from Wilton, cherry buttercream from Food Network

What's in them:

For the cupcakes:

2 c all-purpose flour, unsifted

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c butter, room temperature

2 c sugar

3 eggs (if halving, use 1 egg and 1 egg yolk)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso

1 1/2 c milk

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted

For the frosting:

4 - 4 1/2 c confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

3 to 4 Tbsp milk

2/3 c cherry preserves

cherry halves for garnishing

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking powder, soda and salt. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla and instant coffee; beat thoroughly. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating.

While cupcakes are baking, make the buttercream.   In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle or whisk attachment, mix together 4 cups of the powdered sugar and the butter on medium-low speed until well blended. Add the vanilla and milk and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Beat in the cherry preserves until well incorporated.  Add more powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency.  I left mine a little on the soft side so that I could gently spread with a spoon for a smooth finish. 

Frost cupcakes either by spreading or piping the buttercream onto them.  Top each with a cherry half.

Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel Drizzle

Look, I know.  The salted caramel trend has had its day.  But I love it.  Especially with chocolate.  Creamy caramel with that salty bite to it, covering bittersweet chocolate is one of my favorite indulgences.  I've been making these cookies for a while, and they always go fast when I take them to parties, picnics or into work.  Which is why I always hold some back for my personal stash.

These are rich cookies, so I usually make them on the small side, about 1/2-2/3 Tbsp. of dough per cookie.  They also keep well at room temp for about a week, but eventually the caramel starts to run off, so if you make them ahead, hold off on the caramel until you're just about ready to serve.

Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel Drizzle
adapted from the cookbook Salt, as seen on The Nest

What's in them:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
about 20 caramel candies
1-2 Tbsp. milk or cream
1 tsp. fleur de sel, sea salt, or kosher salt


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugars in a stand mixer on medium high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Continue to beat for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to slow and add the flour mixture. When that is well mixed, stir in the chopped chocolate.

Put the mixture in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to harden slightly. Scoop very scant tablespoons of the mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 7-9 minutes.  Move cookies to a cooling rack, and continue to bake cookies until dough is gone.

While cookies are cooling, unwrap caramels and put into a microwave-safe bowl.   Add milk or cream, and heat in microwave in 30-second intervals, until caramel is completely melted and smooth.  Stir in salt.

Place cookies back onto parchment-lined pans, and drizzle caramel over each cookie using a spoon, squeeze bottle or pastry bag.How to make them:

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter

Do you like nuts in your brownies?  I don't.  Not that I have anything against nuts, I just don't think they belong in brownies.  It's a texture thing- I feel like the crunch is out of place with the chewiness of a good brownie.

When I saw the cover recipe of this month's Bon Appetit, I thought "Mmmm, brownies.  Too bad they ruined them with nuts."  But then I read the recipe, and the words browned butter jumped out at me.  I knew I had to make these brownies no matter what their stance was on nut-inclusion.

Since I was making these for a weekly get together with friends and not for myself, I had originally planned to just make the recipe as written.  But I was out of walnuts, so it was going to have to be pecans.  And then I tasted the batter (I know you do this too- don't judge!).  It didn't need nuts.  Any nuttiness requirements were already filled by the browned butter, and have you ever seen anyone pass on a brownie simply because it didn't have nuts?  I know I haven't. 

To make up for the deletion, I did add some chocolate chips, mostly because I found part of a bag while hunting for the walnuts.  The final brownie was fantastic, and a hit with the friends I made them for- intensely chocolatey, dense and fudgy, but with a slightly salty, caramelly taste that balanced it nicely.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter

What's in them:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, chilled

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to make them:

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8x8x2" metal baking pan (I used a 11x7x1.5" with no problems) with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot).

Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes (uh, I didn't count- just go until it looks like brownie batter). Stir in chocolate chips. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

 

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into center comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes (the slightly larger pan only took 22 minutes). Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan and cut into desired size.  I cut approximately 2x2" squares, and really, they're so rich that they don't need to be bigger.