Oven S'mores

Last night, I had one of those undeniable cravings for a s'more. But as parents of young children who don't leave the house past 8 pm, and who don't have access to a campfire, I went back into my blog archives for this spectacular recipe for oven s'mores.

It is SO easy. . . are you ready for this?

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Put a layer of chocolate chips on the bottom of a small, or mini cast iron skillet.

Break large marshmallows in half, and place them on top of the chocolate chips.

Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until the marshmallows are a good shade of brown.

Then dip the graham crackers into the deliciousness!

The marshmallows are perfectly toasted, and they are SO good! And the best part? You can make these s'mores any day of the year ;)

Remember, tomorrow is Astleigh's and my "Every Girl Link-Up"! We are sharing our STEALS, DEALS, and UNEXPECTED FINDS, and we can't wait to read about the sales that you've found! I am going to be posting on some current deals I've found across the internet as well as thrift stores. 

See you tomorrow!

Brown Butter Donuts with Chocolate Glaze

I brought out my new donut pan again last Friday, in honor of National Donut Day. This time, I wanted a yellow donut with chocolate frosting (my favorite kind). I'm not sure how I've gone so many years without knowing about the tastiness of brown butter. It is so amazingly flavorful, nutty, and rich! These donuts will definitely hit your sweet spot, and once again, they're baked and made from scratch, so they're practically guilt-free! ;)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (You'll only use 2T)
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1  1/2 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
3-4 Tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkles

Directions:

Move a rack up to the top third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the donut pan.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking salt, salt, and sugar.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter until it begins to brown and smell nutty. Remove it from the heat, and transfer it to a small bowl to cool. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla. Take 2 Tablespoons out of the browned butter and mix it in, too.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix them just until all of the flour is incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the pan (fill each hole about 2/3 full), and smooth out each donut.

 

Put in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or when a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool them for 5 minutes, and then invert them onto a wire rack.

For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt.

Add 2 Tablespoons of milk plus 1 teaspoon vanilla. The glaze should be thick, yet pourable. Add a tablespoon or two of milk until you get the right viscosity. (In these photos, I let the glaze get a little too runny.)

When they are cool, dip each donut into the chocolate glaze. Add sprinkles, and let the glaze harden a bit before serving.

This recipe makes 6 regular-size donuts, or 12 mini donuts!

These guys were excited, can you tell!? :)

Recipe adapted from here.

Chocolate Baked Donuts With Chocolate Glaze

If you've followed me for a while, you know I've had a bit of an obsession with pretty, brightly-colored donuts. While I still intend to keep buying them on occasion, I thought it would be fun to try my hand at the homemade version! I happened upon a mini donut pan at TJ Maxx last week, which was providential! These little donuts are baked and not fried, which makes my sensitive stomach happy! I love that they are made from scratch, and I can pronounce all of the ingredients that I'm feeding my sons :) Not to mention, they are delicious!! I would say they're a mix of a soft, chocolate cupcake and a donut. Browned butter really enriches the flavor, and I'll admit a lot of batter was consumed in the baking process. I'm really excited about future baking endeavors with my new donut pan!

This recipe makes around 16 mini donuts (a pan with 12 holes), or 8-10 full-size donuts.

 

INGREDIENTS (Donut Batter):

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup packed, light brown sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 egg

4 Tablespoons butter, melted and slightly browned on the stove

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

(Chocolate Glaze):

1  1/4 cup powdered sugar

3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3-4 Tablespoons whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

sprinkles

My little helper assisted me in measuring and mixing the dry ingredients!

DIRECTIONS:

Move up one of the oven racks to the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat the donut pan with nonstick spray. 

Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and brown sugar in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well-combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and make sure it is mixed well.

 

Spoon the batter into the donut pan so that each hole is about 2/3 full. Smooth the batter in each hole.

Bake the donuts for around 11 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into one of the donuts comes out clean. Once out of the oven, let the donuts sit for five minutes, and then carefully invert them onto a wire rack to cool. If there is batter left, bake another batch!

 

When the donuts have cooled, start preparing the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add in the vanilla extract and 2 of the Tablespoons of whole milk. If needed add another Tablespoon or two of milk gradually. The glaze should be thick, but pourable.

Dip each donut into the glaze. Once back on the wire rack, add sprinkles. 

Enjoy for breakfast, dessert after a meal, or both!! :)

Adapted slightly from this recipe.

See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites!

The Momofuku Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookie Recipe

One of my traveling dreams has been to visit New York City. As a Chicago girl, I’ve always wanted to compare the two cities. We see New York as the backdrop of so many of our favorite movies and TV shows that I think it would be exciting to see in real life! Steve and I have been all along the east coast—within an hour from NYC, but just haven’t made the plans to go into the city!

So I hear there is a famous dessert shop in New York City called Momofuku Milk Bar. And when I stumbled upon their cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie recipe, the photo was so incredible, I had to try it for it myself!

Lately, I’ve been on a quest to find the best chocolate chip cookie recipes, and in February, I posted about a cornflake cookie. I still had the box of cereal in my pantry, so I decided to give this cookie a go. There are quite a few differences in the recipes. The Momofuku one is definitely high-maintenance. It calls for very specific mixing times, and it requires chilling the dough before baking. The cornflakes are basically made into a dessert before you even add them to the cookie dough! But man, oh man. . . the cookies end up HUGE, and unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. There’s quite an array of flavors and textures—salty, crunchy, buttery, sweet, chocolatey, gooey. It’s an experience!

Ingredients:

For the Cornflake Mix:
5 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup milk powder (I used Carnation brand which came in a small bag)
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
9 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the cookie dough:
2 sticks butter, at room temp
1  1/4 cups sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1  1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1  1/4 cups mini marshmallows
and 3 cups of the above Cornflake Mix

DIRECTIONS:

Cornflake Mix

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a large bowl, crush up the cornflakes with your hands so they are 1/4 of their original size. Mix in the milk powder, sugar, and salt. Pour in the 9 T of melted butter, and toss to coat.

On a tray lined with parchment paper, spread the cornflakes and bake them for 20 minutes.

Cool them completely before using them in the recipe. Store the extra mix in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies

Cream together the two sticks of butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg and vanilla extract. Continue mixing for 7-8 minutes.



On low speed, add in the dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix just until the dough comes together (in a little less than a minute).

Add in the 3 cups of Cornflake Mix, chocolate chips, and marshmallows and mix just until incorporated—30 to 45 seconds.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. With an ice cream scoop, place 1/3 cup of dough at a time onto the cookie sheet. Pat the tops of the dough domes flat. Wrap the pan(s) tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour (or up to 1 week). Room temperature cookies will not hold their shape in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a parchment-lined cookie sheet, arrange chilled disks 4 inches apart. (I fit 6 per tray.)

Bake 13-18 minutes, until cookies are browned on the edges and beginning to turn brown in the centers. Cookies will puff, crackle, and spread.

Cool cookies completely on the pan before moving them. Keep in an airtight container for up to five days, or freeze :)

The marshmallows seemed to drift out to the sides and get crusty, so the next time I make these, I may reserve the marshmallows for the end, and stuff them in the center of the dough so that they don’t get lost in the cookie.

The Momofuku Milk Bar website has many other recipes as well (from their cookbook). I might have to try the “Compost Cookies” soon—which include pretzels, potato chips, coffee grounds, butterscotch, graham, and chocolate chips! I just heard that Target started carrying Momofuku cookie mixes!

When they get to be a little too crunchy, just pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds, and they’ll taste like they’re warm out of the oven again!

Enjoy!

Individual Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes (fairly often), I get a craving for chocolate chip cookies, but I know that it’s dangerous to make a whole batch. They’ll sit on my counter and call my name all day long!

Over two years ago, I pinned these individual deep-dish chocolate chip cookies from my friend Erica’s blog—and I finally got around to making them! The recipe makes two cookies, each in a 7 ounce ramekin. Once you get the ingredients mixed—you just pop them in the microwave for a minute each—and they are warm and ready to eat!  With this recipe, I can satisfy the cookie craving without completely overdoing it. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top would take this dessert to the next level, I’m sure :)

Ingredients:

1.5 Tablespoons butter, melted
1.5 Tablespoons white sugar
1.5 Tablespoons brown sugar
few drops of vanilla
1.5 egg yolks
1/3 cup flour
3 Tablespoons chocolate chips.

Directions:

Mix the ingredients together and divide into two ramekins. Put in the microwave for 60 seconds each, and enjoy!

Lucky Charms Popcorn Balls

Top of the morning to you!

On Friday, I bought a big box of Lucky Charms to make this recipe right in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Of course after all of the healthy organic kids’ cereals I’ve bought for Nolan (that he rarely wants to eat), he is crazy in love with Lucky Charms. I think he’s had five bowls of it within the past two days! These popcorn balls are super easy to make, and they’re so bright and colorful! I think they may be a new St. Patrick’s Day tradition :)

Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
5 ounces marshmallows
3 cups air-popped popcorn
1 cup Lucky Charms marshmallows

Yield: 8 popcorn balls (Double the recipe if you want more.)


Directions:

Pop a bowl of air-popped popcorn, and set aside three cups.



In a large saucepan, melt the butter and marshmallows together over low heat. (I used large marshmallows, and that worked fine, but you may want the mini ones for an easier melt.)



When all is melted together, remove from the heat. Next, carefully mix in the popcorn.



When the popcorn is fully melted, add in the Lucky Charms marshmallows. Don’t overmix or the color will start to bleed.



Move the mixture to a sheet of parchment paper, and start forming into balls once it is cool enough to handle.



Store the popcorn balls in an airtight container.

Candy Pretzel Bites

This is my easiest dessert recipe yet! I even debated writing a post about it, because it’s so simple. But I figured—even though I had seen these at many parties—this was my first time making them, so it might be YOUR first time attempting them as well :)

They are super delicious (as are anything that combines chocolate and pretzels)! You can choose to use Hershey Kisses or Rolos as variations of this recipe—but Candy Melts are super easy to work with. Plus, you can choose any color Candy Melt you want for a themed party or holiday. And then you can choose the color of M&M as well to make them all uniform!



Ingredients:

1 bag Candy Melts
Square pretzels
M&Ms

(I didn’t count how many candy pretzel bites I made with one bag of Candy Melts, but they covered two baking trays, so it was a lot!)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Place a Candy Melt on every pretzel. Put them in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the Candy Melt is glossy and soft.

Then top with an M&M!

See? So easy!

 

And. . . They could look like eggs, right?? As in, Green Eggs and Ham :)




Here’s the Instagram photo I posted of our Day 4 of Seuss week with candy pretzel bites and rhyming words from the book :)

Happy Monday!

Flourless Fudge Cookies

Yesterday I had a few spare minutes while Ephraim was napping and I decided to make a quick cookie recipe. They were some of the easiest cookies I’ve made because there are so few ingredients (no flour, no baking soda, no butter). The recipe calls for a whole tablespoon of vanilla extract, but I didn’t realize I was low on vanilla until I had already started the baking process! Because it was a dry batter, I knew I was going to need all the liquid I could get, so I substituted almond extract. My cookies ended up with a strong almond flavor—which is pretty delicious—though vanilla may have been preferred. The cookies have a smooth outer crust, and a fudgy brownie texture inside. You’ll love them!

Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl until well-combined.

Mix in the egg whites and vanilla extract until all of the dry ingredients are moistened.

Stir in mini chocolate chips.



Drop by tablespoons onto parchment-paper-lined baking sheets. Leave enough space for them to spread.



Bake 8-10 minutes until they are glossy, slightly cracked, and not a darker color in the middle.

Allow them to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet.

Based on this recipe from IHeartEating.com (which claims they are only 68 calories each!)

See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites!