I want S'more!

One lazy afternoon a few weeks ago I came across an easy recipe for S'mores cookie bars on Baking Bites and have been waiting for a good opportunity to make these for a group. Since I got back from Austin on Saturday night and had a not so productive day on Sunday, I needed a quick dessert to make for a girls dinner on Monday night. The cookie dough was super simple and assembling the chocolate and marshmallow fluff was done in a snap. The toughest part about this one was my lack of equipment (i.e. I don't have a food processor or rolling pin) so I had to crush the graham cracker crumbs with the outside of my 'adjust-a-cup' measuring cup. That still only took about 30 seconds, so I think I will be making this one anytime I need a quick, gooey treat. This will probably be the first of many pictures that is less than appealing due to my remembering I need to document my creations after the roomies and I have already dug in. We only do this to make sure they are not poison before bringing them to a gathering......

S’Mores Cookie Bars

-1/2 cup butter, room temperature

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-1/2 cup sugar

-1 large egg

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

-3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs*

-1 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp salt

-2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)

-1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick.Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff.Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together).Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned.Cool completely before cutting into bars

Makes 16 cookie bars.
*Note: 3/4 cup crumbs is approx 7 full-sized graham cracker sheets

travel treats

I am heading out to minneapolis tomorrow to visit my best friend carrie so I wanted to make a little treat that she would enjoy to say 'thanks for the hospitality'. Not only will I have a fabulous time staying with her, but she is being so kind as to let me borrow her car for a morning, and if like me, you have not had a car for the past 5 years, you know what a great offer that is!

carrie has always impressed me with her spot-on drawing of a wiener dog, so in honor of that, I have made a batch of puppy chow. sometimes it's the simplest treats that we forget about that can be the best surprises. Hands down this was a complete success. I even managed to keep all the powdered sugar in check so clean up was a breeze. Oh, and in an effort to save some benjamins I went for the jewel brand crisped rice cereal and it seemed to stay extra crispy, so my mouth and my wallet are pleased.

I did my best to re-create the wiener dog masterpiece on the label. if i'm lucky maybe she will grace me with an original drawing I can scan in to share.

Puppy Chow Recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Peanut Butter

1/4 cup Butter

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

9 cups Crispix cereal (any flavor)

1-1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions:
1. Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Stir well.
3. Place the 9 cups of Crispix cereal in a very large bowl.
4. Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good covering.
5. Coat with powdered sugar, sprinkling evenly over the cereal and tossing as you sprinkle to cover each piece well.

6. I also tossed in some chocolate covered espresso beans at the end for a little extra crunch.