Friday, June 1, 2012

s'mores bars

I know I don't really have any original recipes up yet, but they are coming.


In the meantime, here is one recipe that I've made more times than I can count. Every time I go to a party and make something, this is one thing that I know will always disappear (and they go even faster when they are still melty and warm!). 


S'mores Bars
(here is the recipe)


They are beyond easy, and the site I got it from gives lots of pictures to explain each step.


Having said that, I did change some of the ingredient amounts to better fit what I need.  
(tl;dr I double the recipe and change some of the ingredients)


1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature 
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups white flour
16 graham crackers (crushed about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 to 3 cups chocolate chips (this number is subject to change)
16 oz jar of marshmallow fluff (you will only use about half of the jar)


Grease a 9x11 inch lasagna dish. Generally a glass pan is the best ... plus it has the added benefit of letting you see how the layers look as they cook!


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  


Crush the graham crackers into crumbs and set aside.


Cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until light and smooth. Mix in the vanilla, and beat in the eggs one at a time. 


Slowly add the salt, baking powder, and graham crackers to the butter and sugar mixture. Once mostly combined, mix in the flour until combined.


Divide the graham cracker mixture in half and press into the greased pan. Spread marshmallow fluff over the graham cracker mixture. At this point, you can add as much fluff as you want -- it's really personal preference. I tend to put about 8 oz into my bars (half the 16 oz jar), though it's never exact. 


Pour the chocolate chips over the fluff just enough to cover most of the surface. Everything doesn't have to be covered, but it should be enough to have a solid layer of chocolate in the bars. I never measure how much I put in, but I would guess it to be around two or three cups. The original recipe uses chocolate bars, which are easier to work with, but I never have enough bars on hand. They tend to disappear in my house.


Cover the chocolate chips with the rest of the graham cracker mixture. Try to cover as much as possible, but if there are holes, don't worry about it.




 The side view should look something like this -- but don't worry if it doesn't! The beauty of these bars are that no matter what they look like, they will be eaten!

 These magical, magical bars from the top (before baking).




Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the chocolate should be melted when you remove them from the oven. Allow them to cool (if you can) and cut. They should make around 40 bars, but don't count on it. If anything, it makes one very large, very delicious midnight snack. 


Also, it is possible to mix and match the chocolate chips -- so try dark chocolate, white chocolate, and whatever strikes your fancy. Though it might be too delicious to handle, just warning you ;)


Top me with ice cream and you have literally found the most delicious thing in the world. 

Thursday, May 31, 2012

cookies and cream peanut butter

So I haven't posted in a while. But never you fear, I have been busy baking and adventuring with the little amount of free time I have before school and work and other fun stuff starts.


I feel as though this is appropriate for my very first post here -- something that I haven't made before, but has become an instant favorite. 




Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter
(you can get the recipe here)


I realize that you all probably guessed what the recipe was from the title. Oh well, #noregrets.


But this recipe was really easy, and really really tasty (especially when still a little bit warm). In total, I think it took me less than ten minutes. 


I did end up making a few changes to the base recipe .... but they are simple and didn't change the taste at all. Rather than using white chocolate chips, I used vanilla almond bark. This just made it slightly easier because it melted really nicely and I didn't have any white chocolate chips on hand. 


...I keep wanting to write "ships." To be clear, I wasn't using boating vessels to make this. My terrible sense of humor cracks me up.


Seriously though, so much delicious-ness packed into little mason jars. I would totally recommend making this... but make sure you have lots of friends around. Otherwise you'll end up possibly finishing the whole jar by yourself. 


So go out, make some hungry friends and enjoy!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

and so it begins...

So I'm not quite sure how to begin this.

I guess I'll jump right in, head first and flailing...


My name is Katie and I'm a self-proclaimed "baking bitch" (an oh-so-lovely term coined by my darling friends). I'm currently in the midst of my first semester back from college and I literally have no idea what to do for the next three and a half months.


That is, until I decided that I finally had the time to start this journal of my adventures as an amateur baker. I knew that I would already be baking/cooking all the time, so I decided on a public journal that would not only force me to bake with some regularity, but also to experiment and try totally new recipes. 


All of that being said, be prepared (if you decide to follow me on my misguided adventures) for mishaps, mistakes, and general chaos as I attempt to make things that are pretty and taste good.


....but mostly just taste good. Prettiness generally goes out the window when I experiment.


Which is something I want to work on. Though I'm not making any promises.


I suppose I should write an "about me" but I'll save that for later. I know, this one post has you all on the edges of your respective seats and you just need me to tell you about my exciting life.


But you'll just have to wait.