S'mores Candy

All the components of s'mores, graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows are combined in this sinfully delicious candy!

I have to admit, this month's Secret Recipe Club reveal really snuck up on me!  I was excited when I got my assignment and almost immediately headed over to check out Desi's site, Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl.  I've been reading Desi's blog for a long time, and a couple months ago she made one of my recipes for reveal day.  I love to read about the restaurants she goes to and her recipes are delicious!

I picked out a few recipes that caught my eye...and then forgot about it.  Oops!  Then I got an email on Friday reminding me that my reveal day was on Monday!  I knew it was the 21st, I just hadn't realized that it was so close.

Anyway, I looked back over my list of recipes I'd chosen from Desi's blog, and was drawn back to these Graham Cracker S'mores Candies.  We are camping this week, and so my mind is on packing and camp food.  You have to have s'mores when you're camping, so this snack was absolutely perfect.

These candies are so easy to make.  They were done in about 15 minutes.  I could hardly wait for them to cool down enough so I could try one!  The caramel mixture seeps into the graham cracker transforming it into a delicious toffee.  Then the marshmallows and chocolate melt and get all gooey.  The only change I made was to use chocolate chips instead of pieces of a chocolate bar, because my chocolate bars were packed for camping. This candy is perfection!

S'mores Candy

Ingredients:
12 graham crackers
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips

1.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the brown sugar and stir until the mixture comes to a boil, about 4-6 minutes.

2.  While the caramel is heating, line a baking sheet with foil.  Place graham crackers evenly on the foil, covering the bottom of the pan.

3.  Pour the caramel evenly over the crackers.

4.  Bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes, until bubbly.

5.  Remove from oven and top with marshmallows and then chocolate chips.

6.  Return to oven for 2-3 minutes, until marshmallows soften and puff up.

Cool completely and cut into squares.  Store in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers of candy.

Source: Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl

An InLinkz Link-up

Biscoff S'mores

Do you ever eat something that is oh, so good, you have to tell someone about it?

These s'mores definitely fit that description!

We are completely in love with Biscoff Spread at our house!  I introduced Mike to it last year, and now he will request a piece of toast or an apple with "that yummy peanut butter type stuff".  (Yeah, he can't remember the name!)  My mom also is hooked on it.  In fact, a couple weeks ago, I was with my parents and sliced up an apple to eat with some Biscoff Spread.  When I opened my mom's jar, it was empty!  Turns out, the glass jar was heavy so she assumed she had some left.  I was a little disappointed :)

Anyway, when Mike and I had our dinner over the fire a couple weeks ago, we decided it wouldn't be complete without roasting a couple marshmallows and making some s'mores.  We decided to put some Biscoff spread on the s'mores, and I'm so glad we did!  It certainly put these s'mores over the top!

I'm not sure you can consider this a recipe, more like an idea, but I've shared how we made ours below!

Biscoff S'mores

Makes 1 s'more

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker sheet
1/4 of a Hershey's chocolate bar
1 Tablespoon Biscoff Spread
1 marshmallow

1. Break the graham cracker in half and spread Biscoff on one half.

2. Roast the marshmallow and carefully place on top of the Biscoff.

3. Top the marshmallow with the chocolate and remaining half of the graham cracker. Smush together and enjoy!


If you've never had Biscoff Spread before, I'd encourage you to give it a try! The Biscoff Cookies are delicious too!

S'mores Fudge

The calendar says still summer, but the weather says fall around here! The air is cooler and has a crisp feeling. Football season is in full swing and the leaves on the trees are starting to change. Fall is here!

In our house, that means apple cider, sweatshirts, and bonfires.  In fact, just this weekend, Mike and I had our very first bonfire!  We didn't have any time to have one this summer, and we weren't quite sure if it was safe while I was pregnant.  Mike had a craving for a meal cooked over the fire, so once Summer went down for her nap, we headed outside to the fire!  I plan to share a couple recipes we made later this week.

If you're craving the tastes of summer and fall, look no further than this decadent S'mores Fudge!  The elements of the perfect s'more--graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate, come together in this dessert you can eat anytime.  No fire needed!

S'mores Fudge

Makes approximately 25 pieces

Ingredients:
Crust:
4 sheets graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
Chocolate Fudge Layer:
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
Marshmallow Layer
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

1.  Crush the graham crackers and mix in the sugar and melted butter.

2.  Pour crust into an 8"x8" pan that has been lined with aluminum foil (allow foil to overhang the edges of the pan).  Press the crust down to make an even layer.

3.  Bake the crust at 375 for 15 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.

4.  Melt the chocolate chips in a small pan over medium heat.

5.  Add half the can of sweetened condensed milk (just eyeball it, no need to measure) and the vanilla and stir until smooth.

6.  Pour the chocolate layer over the graham cracker crust.

7.  Melt the white chocolate chips in a small pan over medium heat.

8.  Add in the marshmallow fluff and remaining sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth.

9.  Pour the marshmallow layer over the chocolate layer.

10.  Refrigerate the fudge overnight.  Then, remove the fudge from the pan using the foil overhang.  Remove the foil and cut the fudge into even squares.

Store fudge in an airtight container in the fridge.

Source: Wine and Glue

S'mores Bars

Do you ever get started on making a recipe only to find out you're out a few key ingredients?  Yeah, that's happened to me a few times recently.  I blame pregnancy brain--I rarely run out of ingredients like flour and sugar, but last night I got started making some muffins and discovered I had less than a cup of sugar left!  Yikes!  Thankfully, I had a stash of vanilla sugar I was able to use, but still, who runs out of sugar?

Mike and I recently became part of a couple's small group at our church.  We've started meeting together every other week, and we take turns hosting.  The hosts provide the main dish and the other two couples bring a side or dessert.  Last time, I offered to bring a dessert.  I had a specific dessert in mind that I wanted to make, but of course, I didn't have one of the key ingredients--Nutter Butter Cookies.  (And that's a hard thing to substitute!)  So I went to plan B, only to go to the basement pantry and discover that I was out of yet another key ingredient!  Fail.

So I continued on to find a dessert that I knew I had everything in the house for.  This time I was successful!  They say the third time's the charm, and that certainly was the case with this dessert.  I had pinned these S'mores  Bars a while back and I'm so glad that I finally got around to making them.  They were the perfect combination of crunchy, sweet, and gooey!  Our small group loved these bars and I see them making their appearance at many events this summer!

S'mores Bars

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients:
3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup mini marshmallows, divided
1 regular sized Hershey chocolate bar

1.  Line an 8x8" pan with parchment paper.

2.  In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.  Place in the bottom of the prepared pan and press down to form a crust.

3.  In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and sugars until fluffy.

4.  Add in the egg and vanilla and mix.

5.  Add flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture and mix until combined.

6.  Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows until evenly distributed.

7.  Spoon the cookie dough on top of the graham cracker crust as evenly as possible.  (I found it was easier to use my fingers to flatten it out.

8.  Bake at 350 for 20-23 minutes, until the bars are set.

9.  About 5 minutes before the bars are done baking, sprinkle the marshmallows on top and return the bars to the oven to finish baking.

10.  Break the chocolate bar into pieces and place on top of the baked bars.  Let the bars cool completely before cutting.

Source: Chocolate, Chocolate, and More

S'mores Banana Bread Cake

Are you a camper?  Growing up, camping was something we looked forward to every summer.  My family would typically spend a week camping in either Canada or Kentucky.  We'd also spend a couple weekends at local campgrounds.  And, if we took a vacation, we usually camped out instead of staying in a hotel.  It was a big deal for us when we finally upgraded from a tent to a pop-up camper!

Mike's family also enjoyed camping.  However, their version of camping was quite a bit more upscale than what I was used to!  They had a large trailer and would typically just go to local campgrounds.  Regardless, camping is something that both Mike and I love to do.

Mike's cousins have started a tradition of camping at a family campground each summer.  Last year and the year before, we were able to borrow Mike's parents' trailer and spend the weekend with everyone.  We had such a good time and made so many memories.  Mike and I own a tent and would love to go camping with a group of friends, but that's going to have to wait until next year...

One of my favorite things about camping is making s'mores.  It's just not camping unless you build a big fire, roast marshmallows, and put together a s'more.  There's just something about the golden brown marshmallow melting a big piece of chocolate between two graham crackers that I just love!  While I like traditional campfire s'mores, I also enjoy making other treats into s'mores.  (Like S'mores Puppy Chow, Mess-less S'mores, S'mores Bark...oh, I love s'mores!)

This time I decided to put a s'mores twist on banana bread.  This bread recipe is from my mom and it's my absolute favorite banana bread recipe.  I added a good amount of chocolate chips to the batter.  Then, once the bread was done baking, I topped it with a generous amount of marshmallows and put it under the broiler to roast the marshmallows.  The result was out of this world!

S'mores Banana Bread Cake

Serves 16

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup mashed bananas (3-4 bananas)
1/3 cup water
1-2/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows

1.  In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, and eggs.

2.  Mix in the bananas and water.

3.  Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder and stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated.

4.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

5.  Pour the batter into a greased 8x8" cake pan.

6.  Bake at 350 for 65-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

7.  Spread mini marshmallows on top of the cake immediately after it comes out of the oven.

8.  Place under the broiler for approximately 2 minutes, until the marshmallows are toasted.  Be sure to keep an eye on them so they don't burn!

9.  Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing into it.

Cover and store at room temperature.

S'mores Puppy Chow

Did you know there's a holiday for just about everything now?  That's right, there's a Nutella day, a Blueberry Cheesecake day, an Eat a Peach day, and a Cotton Candy day. And of course, we can't forget National S'mores Day.  Which just happens to be today, August 10! 

I made this puppy chow when Mike and I went camping with his cousins a few weeks ago.  A few other people had munchies out so I went to the trailer to grab ours.  Mike asked why I was bringing out a snack so close (2 hours) to dinner time?  I said I was hungry and others might want some too.  I was right and I saw quite a few people munching on this s'mores puppy chow right up 'til dinner time.  I also heard comments like, "this is so good!" and "what's in here?" and "what makes this so yummy?"  My secret?  It's made with love.  Just kidding! (Kind of...)

I followed my basic recipe for puppy chow, but I added in broken pieces of graham crackers and mini marshmallows.  This version was certainly a hit and Mike and I scraped the bottom of the bowl clean.  The sugary pieces at the bottom are the best!

S'mores Puppy Chow
Makes 18-20 1/2 cup servings

You will need:
9 cups Chex cereal
2 sleeves of graham crackers, broken into pieces
2 cups mini dehydrated marshmallows
2 cups (maybe more) powdered sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Measure cereal into a large bowl (preferably with a cover).  Add graham crackers and marshmallows and set aside.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter.  Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for another 30 seconds, until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla.

3. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal mixture and stir to coat thoroughly.

4. Pour about 1 cup of powdered sugar on top of coated cereal. Put the cover on the bowl and shake to coat. Add as much powdered sugar as you need to cover the cereal.

Store in an airtight container.

Here are a few more of my favorite s'mores recipes!

S'mores Bark

S'mores Bars

S'mores Thumbprints with Marshmallow Frosting

S'mores Popcorn

S'mores on a Stick

Mess-less S'mores

S'mores Bark

It's no secret that I love s'mores.  A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for S'mores Bars that used dehydrated marshmallows.  Since then, I have been brainstorming other ways to use the tiny marshmallows.  We had some friends coming over for dinner, and I wanted a quick snack that we could munch on while playing games that night.  Then it hit me, why not take the idea of my Marbled Chocolate Treats and sprinkle marshmallows on top?  So that's what I did and every last piece was devoured!

S'mores Bark

Makes one 8x8" pan (served 4)

You will need:

5 graham crackers
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dehydrated marshmallows

1.  Line the bottom of your 8x8" pan with graham crackers.  You may need to break them in order to fully line your pan.

2.  Melt the chocolate chips and spread them evenly over the graham crackers.

3.  Sprinkle the dehydrated marshmallows on the melted chocolate and press gently so they stick.

4.  Let the bark sit until the chocolate has hardened (about 10 minutes).  Cut or break into pieces.

S'mores Bars

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I love s'mores!  I love the combination of melted chocolate, gooey marshmallows and crispy graham crackers.  I enjoy coming up with new ways to enjoy s'mores and this is one of my new favorite ways.

I recently purchased chocolate Cheerios, probably because they were on sale.  I don't eat a lot of cereal for breakfast, but I often eat it as a snack.  One day I was looking at the box of Cheerios in the pantry and thinking about what I could do with them.  I also noticed my huge bag of dehydrated marshmallows (like the ones you get in hot chocolate mixes).  I picked up the bag in Shipshewana when I was shopping there a few months ago.  I put those two ingredients together and came up with these bars. 

I brought these to youth group for my girls, who raved over them.  Then I put one in Mike's lunch and he came home that day and said he really liked "those bars" in his lunch.  This is definitely a recipe I'll make over and over again!

S'mores Bars

Makes a 9x13" pan, about 24 servings

You will need:
40 regular sized marshmallows
2 Tablespoons margarine
6 cups Chocolate Cheerios cereal
1 cup dehydrated marshmallows*
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


1.  Place marshmallows and margarine in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high in 30 second increments until the marshmallows are melted and the mixture can be stirred together.

2.  Add Cheerios to melted marshmallow mixture and stir together until completely coated.

3.  Mix in dehydrated marshmallows and chocolate chips.

4.  Press into a 9x13" pan  and let the bars cool for 1 hour before cutting.

Source: my original recipe, inspired by Kellogg's

*I purchased my marshmallows at a bulk food store.  They are also available online, or I've recently heard that Kraft has started selling them.  If you can't find them, you can leave them out.

S'mores Thumbprints with Marshmallow Frosting

In December, my mom's friend hosted a Cookie Exchange.  She invited my Mom, Grandma, Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law, and myself to join in the fun.  We were each asked to bring 3 dozen cookies to share.  I spent a long time choosing out the "perfect" recipe for the evening, but I definitely picked a hit!  We enjoyed an evening of delicious appetizers, fun games, good company, and yummy cookies!  Everyone had a great night, and I have a feeling this could become a yearly tradition.

My MIL has repeatedly asked "when are you going to post your S'mores cookies on your blog?", so here they are!  They are fun to make and taste delicious.  I hope you'll enjoy these cookies as much as we did.

S'mores Thumbprints

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

You will need:
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 batch marshmallow frosting (recipe below)
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  Set aside.

2.  In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together butter and sugars until fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).

3.  Add in the egg yolk and vanilla and beat for another 1-2 minutes, until combined.

4.  Stir in the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together.  Stir in chocolate chips.

5.  Roll cookie dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.  Press your thumb into the center of each dough ball to create an indentation.

6.  Bake cookies at 375 for 8-10 minutes.  Remove and cool cookies completely.

7.  Scoop frosting into an icing bag fitted with a large tip and fill in the indentation of the cookie with frosting.  (If you don't have an icing bag, you can snip an end off a Ziploc bag  to create one, or just use a spoon to scoop the frosting into the cookies.)

8.  Top cookies with a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs.  Store in an airtight container.

Source:  How Sweet Eats

I loved this marshmallow frosting.  It took a few attempts to get it "just right".  The first recipe I tried tasted like I was eating straight butter so I had to compensate by increasing the amount of marshmallow fluff.  I think I've perfected the recipe now though, and I know it will be appearing in more recipes in the future.  I added in a few tablespoons of Toasted Marshmallow syrup to increase the marshmallow flavor, but if you don't have any available, the frosting tastes great without it.  I purchased mine at our favorite coffee shop.

Marshmallow Frosting

You will need:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
2 Tablespoons toasted marshmallow syrup (optional)
3 cups powdered sugar

1.  Beat butter in the bowl of your stand mixer until creamy.

2.  Add in marshmallow fluff and beat for 2 minutes.

3.  Add in vanilla extract and marshmallow syrup and mix until incorporated.

4.  Add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated.  Then beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.

S'mores Popcorn

One of my absolute snacks is s'mores.  There's something so irresistible about the golden brown marshmallow melting a piece of chocolate on a graham cracker.  However, I'm not always around a campfire to roast marshmallows, so I have to turn to other ways to enjoy s'mores.

Another one of my favorite snacks is popcorn.  When I was growing up, Friday nights were always popcorn nights at our house.  My dad would pop a huge bowl of popcorn, pour melted butter over it, and sprinkle it with salt.  Then we'd settle down to watch a movie and munch on popcorn.

I decided to combine two of my favorite snacks into one: S'mores Popcorn.  I found it absolutely delicious and irresistible and I hope you will too!

S'mores Popcorn

Makes 10-12 servings

You will need:

6 quarts popped popcorn (3/4 cup kernels)
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup water
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup margarine
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons vanilla
12 graham crackers
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips

1.  In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, water, corn syrup, margarine, and salt.  Stir constantly until brown sugar dissolves.

2.  Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature, and boil the sugar mixture until it reaches 270 degrees.  Stir occasionally.

3.  While sugar mixture is boiling, break 12 graham crackers into bite-sized pieces.  Put in a large bowl with the popcorn and marshmallows.

4.  When sugar mixture has reached 270 degrees, stir in vanilla.

5.  Pour over popcorn, graham crackers, and marshmallows.  Stir until everything  is coated in the caramel.

6.  Pour caramel covered popcorn mixture onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

7.  Allow caramel to harden and then break into pieces.  Store in an airtight container.

National S'mores Day!

Did you know that today is National S'mores Day?  I didn't until this morning or I would have made a new recipe just to celebrate today!  I'm surprised that I didn't know about this before since S'mores are one of my very favorite things to eat and re-create.  In fact, I have an entire section of my "to-make" list dedicated to new s'mores creations.  But since I don't have anything new to share today, I encourage you to check out the couple recipes that I do have:

Mess-less S'mores

S'mores on a Stick

Keep checking back because I have S'more ideas (bad joke--sorry!) and by National S'mores Day 2012 I hope my list is a lot longer!

S'mores on a Stick

One of my favorite snacks, especially in the summer time, is s'mores!  I love the combination of the gooey marshmallow, sweet chocolate, and crunchy graham crackers.  I also like to make recipes that incorporate s'mores in a different form, like my Mess-less S'mores.  I thought I'd take it a step further and make S'mores on a stick.  I am glad I did! These tasted just like a s'more and they're really fun to eat!

You will need:
Marshmallows (I used almond flavoring in mine)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
4 graham crackers, broken into small pieces
Lollipop sticks

1.  Cut marshmallows into 1 inch squares if they're not already cut.  You could easily use storebought marshmallows in this recipe.

2.  Poke a lollipop stick into the center of each marshmallow--be careful not to poke it all the way through.

3.  Dip marshmallows into melted chocolate.

4.  Sprinkle with broken up graham crackers. 

5.  Place each stick in a cup or in a piece of styrofoam until the chocolate is set.  Store in an airtight container. 

Mess-less S'mores

Oh, these are just so good!  They would make the perfect treat for Valentine's Day!

I love to make homemade marshmallows, I don't know if I'll ever use store-bought again.  Homemade marshmallows are so fluffy, sticky, vanilla-infused, and delicious!  Another thing I love is s'mores.  They just scream campfire, summer, warmth...  All things I really miss during a cold (and long) Michigan winter. 

I just received a package of vanilla beans in the mail and I knew I had to make marshmallows again!  I wanted to do something different though.  I thought about just dipping them in chocolate, but then I thought, why not s'mores?  This is what I came up with.  I brought them to my small group and they went over real well.  I know I'll be making these time and time again!

You know, I really don't think the name I chose for this snack really describes how incredible these are. If you have any name suggestions, please feel free to share them!

You will need:

1 pan of homemade marshmallows (click here for my recipe)
1 package graham crackers
1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate)
1/4 block of parafin wax (or baking wax),  could be optional, but I like the way it helps the chocolate dry and the shine it gives the chocolate

1.  Break graham crackers into 4 pieces.

2.  Using crackers as a guide, cut marshmallows into pieces the same length and width of the crackers.  (I found that I could get the length of 3 crackers from the short side of the marshmallows, and about 8 crackers wide.  I hope that makes sense!)

3.  Melt wax in a microwave safe bowl.  It took about 3-1/2 minutes for my wax to melt completely.

4.  Stir chocolate chips into wax.  They should begin to melt, but you can put the chocolate chips in the microwave in 20 second increments until the chips are melted and smooth.

5.  Assemble the s'mores by placing a marshmallow on top of a graham cracker and then topping with another graham cracker. 

6.  Dip the s'more into the melted chocolate and coat completely.  Remove s'more with a fork and place on waxed paper.

Oh so good!  I just couldn't resist!!!