Day 106 - S'mores Bars

Yesterday and today have been spent largely in front of the computer.  I'm not kidding.  I spent from 10am-5pm yesterday glued to the laptop and today, I have been mostly in front of the PC when I'm not doing some housework or baking for today.  The reason, this absolutely awesome webcast through CreativeLive.  It has been a 3 day course in Seattle on food photography given by Penny De Los Santos.  She is an INCREDIBLE photographer and has such an incredible talent!  She has photographed for National Geographic and currently works for Saveur magazine.  She has also started a blog called Appetite. 

Yesterday she went over principles and some basics and today she showed how she does set-ups in the studio with a food stylist.  It was SO cool!  Seeing it live on the internet was definitely the next best thing to being there.  AND Shauna Ahern from The Gluten Free Girl was there today, so we were able to see her take part in it, too.
Sitting through this course has definitely made me see food in a different way and has really motivated me to improve my pictures.  Penny says food is sexy.  And it is!
I'm excited to see how I can incorporate all that she's been teaching.  First, I really need to read the manual that came with the camera. Haha. That would help!  I've been using my daughter's Nikon D40 and don't have my own, but now I WANT one!  Birthday's coming...oh, honey...
Yes, a REALLY nice camera AND an iPad.

Since my daughter is now home for the summer from college, I figured I'd dedicate today's recipe to her.  She's been e-mailing all these recipes that she wants me to make this summer while she's home.  We're definitely going to gain some weight if we do everything that she sent me!  Needless to say, she's very glad to be home helping out with this project and will be very well fed.

I was inspired to do this recipe when I saw a post on Dana's Food For Thought.  I have really been enjoying her website.  She is an inspiration as she's very creative and loves to enter her creations in contests.  She has also talked about taking some various food classes which has peaked my interest.  But what really got me was her picture in S'mores post of the jar of Marshmallow Fluff.  She had never tried it and was actually quite opposed to purchasing it for the recipe, but after tasting the bars she was won over.
I haven't shared this with her, but being from Rhode Island, that Fluff is a staple in our household even since we've moved out to Arizona.  My husband and I even grew up with it!  I buy the tubs by the case from where else, the Marshmallow Fluff website, of course.
We really only use it for Fluffernutters - a peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich.  Dana, maybe you'll even try one of those one day.


S'mores Bars

1¼ cups Graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup flour
4 1.55 oz. Hershey bars
24 marshmallows

Butter an 8 X 8" baking dish.
Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl.  Add melted butter and mix thoroughly.  Pack ½ of mixture into the bottom of the dish.

Add egg and flour to remaining crumb mixture and mix until well combined.
Outline inside perimeter of baking dish on a piece of parchment paper.  Put parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Place egg, flour, crumb mixture on parchment paper and cover with another piece of parchment.  Roll out dough until it just reaches the area of the outline.

Put both the baking dish and cookie sheet in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.

Place marshmallows on a greased cookie sheet and place under low broiler for 5 minutes.  Be sure to check on them frequently!  After 5 minutes, turn all marshmallows over to broil the other side for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven.

I just wanted to eat ALL of these before I used them!

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Remove both the baking dish and cookie sheet from the refrigerator. 
Arrange the chocolate bars on top of the set crumbs in the baking dish, so that it is completely covered.  Place the marshmallows on top of the chocolate in two layers.

Take the cracker dough that is on the parchment paper and invert it on to the marshmallows.  Remove parchment and press the dough down.
Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Ok, just so you know I am baking a different recipe every day (or at least attempting to when I'm not sick with a headache or when Blogger is down) andt they may not always be recipes that I would encourage you to copy.  I am going to have those days when things don't turn out as I would like them to.  I started this blog as a way to preserve our family recipes, share them along with other recipes I find in my cookbooks, from friends and on the internet.  There are some days I like to try to make someone else's recipes one of my own, but it may not work.
This, I think, was one of those days.
Don't get me wrong, it was really good and all ('cause when is something with chocolate NOT good?), but the elements just didn't come together.  I didn't want to copy Dana's S'mores, but now I'm thinking that was probably the way to go.
Everything I make I rate on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and the S'mores Bars earn 2½ rolling pins.  They were yummy as the combination usually is, but there were some technical flaws.  I should have put the flour and egg in the whole mixture of cracker crumbs instead of just half.  So, not doing that, the bottom layer was extremely crumbly.
Also, the marshmallows were very stringy.  They were much stringier (is that a word?) than I thought they'd be.  You know, like when you're eating fried mozzarella and you take a bite, go to swallow and some of it goes down, but the other half is still stuck in your mouth?  Yeah, it's kind of like choking or gagging.
You KNOW what I'm talking about!
On that note - haha, happy baking!

IT'S THE 100th DAY WITH A GIVEAWAY!!!!!

HAPPY 100TH DAY EVERYONE!!!

And can I tell you that I've posted this early by accident?! 

See, I wanted to be prepared since we are celebrating Mother's Day on Saturday instead of Sunday (so we can "beat the crowds").  I pre-typed everything or mostly everything I wanted to write and instead of hitting save, I hit PUBLISH.  Whoops!  Maybe it was an "unintentional accident".

It's late (or early morning), and I'm tired.

I don't know how to "unpost it", so I'll just leave it up and finish it after I have baked today's recipe.

So, you get to check out TWO posts!

Well, the 100th day should be memorable, don't you think, and I've begun by making it so!

ANYWAY...

How exciting!! 

I feel like we should be having a virtual party. 

So let's do that!  Everyone grab a drink and make yourselves comfortable. 

Help yourself to the baked goodies over on the table. 

Sit, relax and get to know your neighbors!

Alright, I know it's not a real party, but I can dream I have you all sitting here in my small little computer room, can't I?

First of all, (clinking on a glass to get everyone's attention amid the wonderful chatter) before I get started, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for reading.  I have really enjoyed doing this. 

I love to bake and I love to write. 

AND, I love to eat what I bake.

But what I love more, is you.  Yes, you.  And I am talking directly to YOU.

Thank you for being here and taking the time today or the other day, or every day to make the effort to click onto my blog.

It means so very much.

I also love the comments I've been receiving.  It really warms my heart when you all take the time to leave me a message.  It lets me know that you are really out there.

Have I told you that I love you?

I do.

SO, in celebration of YOU, I am doing a giveaway!!

Because it is a baking blog, it has to do with baking, of course!

The Rules

If you would like to enter, leave a comment on this post telling me what your all-time favorite cookie is and why by Wednesday 5/11 at 12 a.m. PST to be entered into a drawing to win.

One person will be chosen randomly using Random.org. 

I will contact the winner to obtain your shipping address and please know that it will be used for that purpose ONLY.  Also,  I will only be shipping the book to addresses in the United States and Canada.

You can obtain up to 2 additional entries by:

1) sharing this with your friends and likings us on Facebook,

2) if you have a blog, blog about the link to my 100th day celebration.

3) share it on StumbleUpon

I'm not a Twitterer, so unfortunately that won't do. Sorry.

Then come back here and leave a comment(s) telling me what you did!

Oh yeah...the prize!

The reason I asked you for your favorite cookie IS... I am giving away Martha Stewart's Cookies Book!!!

I fell in LOVE with this book when I saw it in the store and had you in mind when I read through it, too!!!  352 pages of yummy goodness all from Martha herself.  In the beginning there are WONDERFUL pictures of EVERY cookie in the book according to it's group: soft & chewy, crisp and crunchy, etc.  She talks about the tools every cookie maker should have, and also about packaging and decorating.

I ALMOST kept this gem for myself.

But I don't need two :-)

Also, I am going to send along a set of those wonderful measuring spoons that I picked up at ABC Cake Decorating Supply.  They are so CUTE and no baker's kitchen would be complete without them!

 

NOW, onto the recipe!  Yes, it will be from Martha Stewart's Cookies, p. 195 ;author, the editors of Martha Stewart Living; publisher, Clarkson Potter/Publisher, a division of Random House, Inc.; ISBN 978-0-30739434-5. 

I asked my daughter to pick which recipe would be appropriate for today and I think she nailed it.  I'm sure you'll agree.

Surprise Cookies - makes 2½ dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon coarse salt

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

½ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

About 15 large marshmallows, halved crosswise

Frosting

3 cups confectioners' sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup plus 1½ teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.

Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla.

Mix in flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, until combined.

Using a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 8 to 10 minutes.

Immediately press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie.

Bake until marshmallow begins to melt, 2 minutes more.

Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

Frosting: 

Put confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl.

Melt butter with cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

Add butter mixture to the confectioners' sugar.

Whisk in the milk and the vanilla.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of each cookie to cover marshmallow.

Let stand until set, about 10 minutes.

Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 days.

I was going to bake 100 cookies, but after reading the recipe, that's just not going to happen, especially since they need to cool on the sheets.  THAT would take forever!!

Well, the cookies have been baked and frosted.  I must say that they were very delicious and very rich!  After the cookies came out of the oven with the marshmallows on top, I took my hand torch and toasted the tops.  Now, this is not something you want to be doing of you are going to be serving these cookies to guests.

I found that I was holding the torch too close to the marshmallow at times and ignited a few of them. 

Hence, to extinguish the small flame, I blew onto the cookie.

I'm not a germaphobe, and these cookies are only going to be served to the immediate family, but you may want to take precautionary measures if you go for the toasting.

I REALLY just wanted the flavor of the toasted marshmallow on those cookies.  And it was yummy!

I rate my baked goods on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best and these cookies earned 3½ rolling pins. 

I really LOVE this Martha Stewart Cookies book and I think the WINNER of the giveaway will, too!

Thank you, thank you for being a part of today's celebration!  I couldn't have done it without you!

By the way, have I told you that I love you?

Happy baking!

Day 49 - Fudgy Peppermint White Chip Marshmallow Brownies

          I went to the Body World exhibit today with my daughters and found it very fascinating.  I've always been amazed by the human body and the intricacies of it.  If I didn't become so light-headed from hearing of people's pain and the sight of blood, I might have had a career in the medical field.  Then again, I always wanted to be dressed for work in a really nice suit and have a huge corporate corner office in Manhattan, too.  Anyway, while going through the sections of the exhibit, there were quotes on display, and this one really resonated with me:

 "We don't see things as they are.  We see things as we are."

The Talmud

With so much of our upbringing and outside influences clouding our views, it becomes impossible to see the truth in things.  Consequently, we each have our own beliefs as to what is or isn't true.  People experiencing the same situation will each come away with a different version of what happened and their own point of view.  Just something to think about as you're washing dishes today.

     Well, I have to tell you, those fudgy peppermint white chip marshmallow brownies were truly chocolaty.   And yes, these are a mouthful to say and a mouthful to eat.  I adapted the recipe from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 849; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X.  I saw the recipe for Fudgy Saucepan Brownies and decided that I needed to give them some ompf!

     Fudgy Peppermint White Chip Marshmallow Brownies

     3/4 cup butter or margarine
     4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
     1 teaspoon peppermint extract
     2 cups sugar
     4 eggs
     1½ cups unsifted flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1½ teaspoons vanilla
     1 cup white chocolate chip morsels
     1 cup miniature marshmallows

     Preheat oven to 375ºF.  Grease a 9" X 9" X 2" pan.
     Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over lowest heat.  Add peppermint extract.

  Pour mixture into mixing bowl.  Mix in remaining ingredients in order listed, beating well after each addition.

  Pour batter into pan and bake for 40 minutes. 

Cool pan of brownies to room temperature and cut into 16 squares.

      My rating system is on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the absolute BEST!  The family and I decided that these should receive a 3 rolling pin rating.  I must tell you that I have to disagree with my husband and son who said they were dry.  I find that very bizarre because mine was not dry at all.  I have absolutely no idea why they thought that.  I was thinking these couldn't be any more moist.  Can't you see in the picture how moist they are?  Weird!  I was really glad that I added the mint.  It was subtle, but tasty.  The marshmallows...well, they were another story.  They disappeared.  The kids asked me a few times, "Where are the marshmallows?".  They must've melted and made the brownies chewier and sweeter.  You have my permission to leave them out because I don't really think using them made much of a difference anyway.  I really liked the brownies and there are a few still left, but tomorrow I will show restraint and not nibble their edges or be sucking up the crumbs.
     Happy baking!