Valentine's Day Sweet & Salty Popcorn

Its almost that time of year!! Valentine's Day is right around the corner I am scrambling to post a few fun ideas.  Here is a quick and easy recipe for anyone.  Its great for kids and men!  The classic salty and sweet combination here taste great.  How could you go wrong with honey roasted peanuts, 2 types of M&Ms, 2 types of chocolate, and marshmallows all mixed in with popcorn!?  Whats great about this recipe is you can change it up for any holiday or special occasion.  Enjoy!

Sweet & Salty Popcorn - Adapted from Theyummylife.com

Yield: Lots!

Ingredients:
8 Cups Popcorn (I use light butter)
1 Cup Honey Roasted Peanuts
1/2 Cup M&Ms Regular

1/2 Cup M&Ms Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Milk or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 Cup White Chocolate

1/2 Cup Mini Marshmallows
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil, divided
1 Teaspoon Salt
Decorating Sprinkles (red coarse sugar, pink nonpareils, or similar)

Directions:

1. Spread popcorn on a large baking sheet that has been lined with parchment or waxed paper.
2. Sprinkle peanuts and M&Ms evenly over top. 
3. Combine chocolate chips with 1/2 tablespoon oil and melt in microwave. With spoon, drizzle evenly over popcorn mixture. 
4. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Add food coloring and 1/2 tablespoon oil to white chips, melt, and drizzle over popcorn mixture. 
5. Sprinkle with decorating red sugar and pink nonpareils. After melted drizzles harden, break into pieces and store in airtight container or sealed plastic bags.
6. Enjoy!!

*Modify food coloring and M&M colors for any occasion: colors of sports teams or schools, green for St. Patrick's Day, red/blue for 4th of July, black/orange for Halloween, red/green for Christmas, etc. Food coloring can be omitted entirely--use plain white melted chocolate and rely on M&Ms and sprinkles to add color to the mix.

S'mores Cookie Bars

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!! I hope everyone had a great party with lots of delicious food and treats!  I made these to bring to a friends super bowl party, and they were a huge hit!! How could you go wrong with all the S'mores ingredients packed into a cookie!?  Whats amazing is the graham cracker stays crispy on the bottom, and then if you cook the cookie part just right then it stays gooey, and you can really taste the marshmallow.   This is an All-American treat for an All-America day!! Enjoy!!!

S'mores Cookie Bars - Adapted from Lovintheoven.com

Yield: 32 Squares

Ingredients:
11 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
½ Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2 ½ Cups Flour
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 Cup Mini Marshmallows
3 Regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
1-2 Packages Graham Crackers, broken into squares

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. I used one 11x17 pan and one 9x13 pan but you can really use any sized pans you want.
2. Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching).
3. Cream together the butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla.
4. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. 
6. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour.
7. Place rounded tablespoons of dough on graham crackers.
8. Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. 
9. Bake for and additional 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. 
10. Make sure cookies are completely cool before cutting, otherwise you'll end up with a doughy mess!
11. Enjoy!!

S'mores Brownies

S'mores, S'mores, S'mores!  This is the last s'mores recipe I will be posting for a while.  I don't like wasting ingredients and I had extra marshmallows and graham crackers that would have gone stale.  I pieced this recipe together from two baking blogs.  I liked the idea of putting a layer of graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow in the middle of brownies, but I wanted to make brownies form scratch.  This brownie recipe is amazing, with or without the s'mores ingredients in the middle!  Now just to clarify, the marshmallows in the middle melt away, but the gooey texture and flavor is still there.  If you want the marshmallows to still be there then I would find another recipe where they go on top at the end of baking.  Adding marshmallows to any brownie recipe makes them super gooey and delicious!!  This is another fun summer treat and I know everyone will love it! 

S'mores Brownies - Idea adapted from Picky Palate and brownie recipe adapted from My Baking Addiction
Yield: 25 small squares or 16 bigger squares
Ingredients:
2/3 Cup Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon - optional
1/4 Cup Semisweet or Bittersweet Chocolate - I used chocolate chips
10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
3 Eggs
9 Fudge Covered Graham Cracker Squares or you can use regular graham crackers (enough to make a solid layer)
1-2 Cups Frozen Mini Marshmallows - or enough to make a solid layer - I didn't measure...
1-2 Cups chocolate chips - optional - I would recommend if you don't use chocolate covered graham crackers...
PAM for the pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Prepare an 8x8 baking pan by putting down a layer of foil or parchment paper, then spraying it with PAM.  Make sure there is enough extra on the sides to pull up the brownies when they come out of the oven.
2. Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder in a small bowl, set aside. 
3. Melt the chocolates, cinnamon, and butter in a medium bowl or pot over a pan of simmering water.  Once everything is melted and smooth, remove from heat and whisk in the sugar and vanilla.  Whisk in one egg at a time, making sure that the egg is fully incorporated before add the next.  Continue to whisk until smooth.  
4. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until incorporated.
5. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan, or enough to cover the bottom.  Then lay down a layer of fudge covered graham crackers, or plain graham crackers.  Then make a layer of chocolate chips, and a layer marshmallows.   Pour on the rest of the brownie batter, making sure to pour it around evenly.  
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out somewhat clean.  The marshmallows will bubble up and make it hard to tell if its done, but don't over bake it!!  
7. Cool the brownies in the pan for about 10 minutes.  Use the handles of the extra foil or parchment paper to pull up the brownies and take them out of the pan.  I would recommend letting them cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into squares, they will be super gooey and messy if you don't let them cool long enough.  
8. Enjoy with a glass of milk!!

S'mores Cupcakes

Yesterday I posted the s'mores cookies and so today I wanted post s'mores cupcakes.   I made these over a year ago before I had my blog.  The pictures are pretty terrible, but its the recipe that is important.  These are from Bakerella, and they are amazing.  The cupcake has three parts, half chocolate, and half graham cracker, then there is a marshmallow in the middle!  Now the first time I made these, the marshmallow came up and melted everywhere while baking and it was a huge mess!  So the second time I made these I used mini marshmallows and it was better.  I would also recommend freezing them, I think that would help with the melting problem.  The mini marshmallows are easier for decorating the top as well.   Anyway, if you love s'mores, you will love these.  The cookies are easier, but the cupcakes are so yummy.  I hope you enjoy these!

I forgot the topping on some of them...

S'mores Cupcakes - Adapted from Bakerella
Yield: About 20 cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 Cup Cocoa
3/4 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 Cup Milk
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 Cup Oil
Mini Marshmallows, frozen ones for inside the cupcakes, and room temperature ones for topping


Graham Cracker Crumb Topping Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 Cup Butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda together with a wire whisk.  Separate the mixture in half into two bowls.
3. Stir cocoa into one bowl and the graham cracker crumbs into the other.
4. Add 1/2 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 cup oil to the cocoa mixture and beat on medium until combined.
5. Repeat adding the same ingredients to the graham cracker crumb flour mixture.
6. Prepare the graham cracker crumb topping.  Add the brown sugar and crumbs in a small bowl and pour on the melted butter. Stir until combined.
7. Pour a little graham cracker cake batter into the bottom of your baking cups and then sprinkle the topping mixture lightly on the surface.
8. Place a 2 frozen mini marshmallows and then cover the marshmallow with the chocolate cake batter until it is about 3/4 full.
9. Sprinkle with more topping mixture. Bake cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Place a cookie sheet underneath when you bake just in case. I had a little bit ooze over into the oven. Oops.
10. This recipe will make at least 18 cupcakes. I had a some batter from each left over so you can probably get more like 20-22.

Chocolate Ganache Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate - I used chocolate chips

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1/2 Cup Butter, unsalted

Directions:

1. When the cupcakes are cool start the ganache.
2. Heat the butter and cream on the stove. Heat until just before it boils. Remove and pour over chocolate. Stir until completely melted and smooth.
3. Pour over cupcakes and add more marshmallows if you desire.
4. Enjoy!

S'mores Cookies

Who doesn't love s'mores!?  This cookie combines all the aspects of a campfire favorite and its amazingly delicious.  My boyfriend has changed his mind and now he says this is his favorite cookie.   This cookie has the perfect texture; it is gooey from the melted marshmallow, but crunchy from the graham cracker, and chocolaty from the chocolate chips.  Its the ultimate summer cookie!  I have made S'more cupcakes before but these are way easier and just as delicious.  You freeze the marshmallow so they don't completely ooze all over the place, but they just ooze inside the cookie! 


I found this recipe on saturday at Sweets for Saturday on the blog sweet-as-sugar-cookies.  I knew I had to make it as soon as possible, and I am glad I did.  Dont wait on baking these!!

S'mores Cookies - Adapted from Crazy For Crust
Yield: More then 3 Dozen - I made 40 cookies
Ingredients:
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar - preferably light brown sugar
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
3 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Cups Chopped Fudge-Covered Grahams (keebler or store brand) I used more like 2 cups worth
80 or more FROZEN Mini Marshmallows - depends on how many cookies you make

Directions:

1.    Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Pour into an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. While still hot, add both sugars and mix on low until combined. Let sit to cool for a few minutes. I put the bowl in the refridgerate for about 5 minutes.

2.    While butter mixture is cooling, combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside.

3.    Turn mixer (with butter mixture bowl attached) on low. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing completely.  Mix in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Add chocolate chips and chopped fudge-covered grahams and stir to combine.

4.    Chill for 30 minutes to one hour, until cooled.

5.    Preheat oven to 350°. Form cookies using  a 2-tablespoon (medium) cookie scoop, make a large indentation in the center and add two frozen mini marshmallows. Wrap dough around marshmallows and seal to combine. Bake for 10-12 minutes (depending on size). My cookies baked in 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pans to cool completely.

6.   Enjoy!!