Fudgy S'mores Brownies

Marshmallow... chocolate.... graham cracker... what's not to love about s'mores?  They are the perfect combination for summer.

But sometimes you don't have a campfire, or other open flame to roast your mallows.

Or sometimes you do.... but then you accidentally drop a flaming marshmallow on your 15-year old niece's foot, and decide that maybe this whole s'more thing is a more dangerous business than you realized.

(Yes, that really happened - ask my father-in-law!)

Or.... maybe you just want something a little easier and less messy.  Who knows?

But if you fall into any of those categories, these brownies are for you.  I happen to be in the fudgy brownie camp (vs. the cakey brownie) and these definitely fit the bill.  The graham and marshmallow make them even more rich and delicious.

My father-in-law was here this weekend, helping Mr. Vittles hang drywall upstairs, so I wanted to make something nice.  I figured this way he could enjoy a s'more without the possibility of giving anyone a second-degree burn!

Fudgy S'mores Brownies

• 10 T. (1 1/4 sticks) butter
• 1 1/4 C. sugar
• 3/4 C. plus 2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 t. pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 C. marshmallows (use the mini ones, or cut large ones into smaller pieces with a clean pair of kitchen shears)
• 1/2 C. graham crackers, broken into small pieces

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and position rack to lower third of oven.  Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Lightly grease with cooking spray, and set aside.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave for one minute, then remove and stir.  Microwave an additional minute and a half, in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is melted and no lumps remain.  (Mixture will be grainy).  Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, and set the mixture aside until it cools slightly.

Then add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.  When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well-blended, add the flour and stir until no streaks remain.  Then beat vigorously for 40 strokes with the wooden spoon or a rubber spatula.  Stir in graham crackers and marshmallows, and spread evenly in the lined pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 22 to 27 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.  Lift up the ends of the parchment or foil liner, and transfer the brownies to a cutting board.  Cut into squares and serve.

Brownie Recipe adapted from Mels Kitchen Cafe (who adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted from Bittersweet)  

S'mores Bites

I was recently contacted by the publishers of the book Sweet Chic: Stylish Treats to Dress Up for Any Occasion by Rachel Thebault (who is the founder & head confectioner of Tribeca Treats in NYC) about doing a review for the blog.

Naturally, I agreed; who in their right mind would turn down a free copy of a fun new cookbook?

I have never been to Tribeca Treats, but by the looks of their website, it seems they have some pretty amazing desserts.  And the book is really cute in that it likens each of the treats to a piece of clothing or accessory that's considered a staple in every stylish woman's wardrobe.

For instance, scooped cookies like Chocolate Chip and Snickerdoodles are the basic white tee.  Brownies like Mint Swirl and Peanut Butter are considered the cashmere sweater.  Chocolate truffles are the leather jacket.

And when Devils Food Cake is paired with Caramel Buttercream... the Little Black Dress meets knee high boots.

To be honest, I'm not much on fashion, but I still thought that was a fun touch.

The only complaint I had was that not every recipe was accompanied by a photo.  I base a lot of my decisions on the way a finished product looks (hence my sick obsession with sites like foodgawker) so I'm thinking the book might benefit from a few more photos?

Nevertheless, the recipes themselves did not disappoint!

I've actually been wanting to make homemade graham crackers for a while now, and when I saw that this recipe had ingredients like whole wheat flour and wheat germ I was very intrigued.

And what better to pair with homemade graham crackers than some marshmallows and chocolate?

I also found a new pearl of wisdom amidst the 'basic techniques' chapter of the book.  I am pretty awful at tempering chocolate (no patience) so I'm interested in trying a shortcut the author shared - apparently, adding 1 T. canola oil per 2 C. chopped chocolate helps avoid the notorious "blooming" effect.

Hate when that happens.

And, umm... just FYI, graham crackers are considered 'the perfect-fit jeans' of your culinary wardrobe.

Which I found rather ironic, because I think I might have eaten so many of these addictive little morsels that I no longer fit into my real jeans.

Oh well.  I'm over it.

Now where are the rest of those s'mores bites?

S'mores Bites

Graham Cracker Dough

• 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 C. untoasted wheat germ
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1 stick (8 T.) butter
• 1/2 C. packed brown sugar
• 2 T. honey

Topping

• approximately 3/4 C. mini marshmallows
• 4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

In a small bowl, combine flours with wheat germ, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk to combine well.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter on high until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add brown sugar, crumbling it with your hands as you add it to remove any lumps, and mix on medium-high until smooth, about 1 minute.  Add honey and mix until well combined.  Scrape down sides & bottom of bowl with rubber spatula halfway through mixing to ensure even distribution.

Add about half the flour mixture and mix on low until just incorporated, about 30 seconds.  Repeat with remaining flour, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.  Cover & refrigerate dough one hour.

Once dough is chilled, preheat oven 350 degree and grease the cups of a mini-muffin tin.  Distribute dough evenly amongst cups using a heaping teaspoon and press dough into bottom of each cup.  Then poke 2 rows of holes in each dough round using the tines of a fork.

Bake in preheated oven 12-14 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until they are a dark golden brown color.  (Dough will puff up, maybe even above the top of the tin, but don't be alarmed - when you take it out it should deflate into a nice little cup to hold your marshmallows :))

Remove from oven and turn your oven's broiler on high.  Immediately fill each graham cup with 3-4 mini marshmallows.  Once all cups are filled, place pan under broiler until marshmallows puff and brown (since all broilers are different, I would not walk away from the oven - keep an eye on them!)

Remove pan and place on wire rack. Let sit 15 minutes, then remove cups from tin to cool completely.  Once cooled, microwave 3/4 of chopped chocolate in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until just melted & smooth.  Then add remaining 1/4 of chocolate and stir until completely melted.

Drizzle chocolate over tops of cups (or spoon over, as desired).  Place in refrigerator about 10 minutes to set, then return to room temperature and serve.  They are best eaten that day, but they will keep in an airtight container up 2-3 days (perhaps longer in the refrigerator).  Makes 24.

Recipe for Graham Cracker base slightly adapted from Sweet Chic

Note: While I did receive a copy of the book from the publisher, I did not receive any other compensation to write this post- the opinions are my own.

S'mores Blondies

So last night I went out with a couple of my girlfriends who I have known for almost 15 years.

Unfortunately between the craziness of life and the distance between us, it seems we don't get together nearly as often as we should.  But we had so much fun catching up over dinner & some cocktails, and as we were reminiscing about old times it started turning into griping about new times. 

Mainly, the fact that once you get to be around 30 years of age, your appearance really starts to change.

And... it can be a little disconcerting.

Some of it is the result of not realizing that when you're young & dumb, you will pay for it later.

Like baking in the sun all day without sunscreen.

Especially when you lived at the beach your whole life, and then went to college in Florida.

Stupid, stupid, STUPID.

Then again, other problems seem to crop up out of nowhere.

For instance, despite the beautiful weather outside, my friend observed that the three of us were all wearing cardigans - not because they're cute, but (as we all admitted) because showing the upper arm/back area has started to get downright dicey.

Not that any of us are overweight, it just seems like things that used to be tight are suddenly... er.... not-so-tight.

As my one friend put it, she woke up one day and noticed she had 'a couple of steaks' on either side of her back.

Now while that is definitely an exaggeration, I will say I know the feeling.

And the worst part is that it's only the beginning.

Ahh!

Something tells me these blondies probably aren't helping? 

Good thing Mr. Vittles spared me the calories & single-handedly ate the entire pan.

Smore's Blondies

• 1/2 C. Butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly
• 1 C. brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 + 1/3 C. all purpose flour
• 1/4 C. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1/4 t. baking powder
• 3 1-oz. semisweet chocolate squares, chopped (1/2 C.) or chocolate chunks
• 1 C. miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat together melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla extract, mix well.

Combine flours, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.  Beat butter & sugar mixture on low, and with mixer running, add dry ingredients slowly.  Mix just until no flour streaks remain.  Add chocolate and marshmallows and mix to distribute evenly.

Press into a greased 8 or 9 inch square baking dish (dough will be pretty stiff).  Bake 20-25 minutes, do not over bake (22 minutes was perfect for me).  The blondies should be very soft when you take them out.  Cool completely.

Recipe Adapted from Shove It In Your Face

Peanut Butter Fudge S'mores Bars

So I was thinking - now that Mr. Vittles and I have been married over a year, are we still considered newlyweds?

I may have to change the whole concept of my blog!

Vittles and Bits: An Old Married Lady's Adventures in Culinary Bliss.

Hmmm... Doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Well I know a year certainly doesn't constitute being an 'old married lady,' but I do have moments where I feel that way.  Marriage part aside, we've been a couple for a good while now, and anyone that's out of the puppy love phase knows how that can be.

One thing that I've noticed is, as time goes on is you stop being embarrassed around your significant other.  I can remember getting sick on our first vacation together 4 months into our relationship, but I refused to let Mr. V see that I wasn't feeling well - even when he was speed-walking through the airport because he thought we were going to miss our connecting flight, while I hobbled along in the far distance, fearing I'd toss my cookies at any moment.

That would never happen today. 

No, today things like this happen - I am in the shower and realize there is a cricket in between the shower curtain & the clear liner, so I yell for Mr. V to come get it.  He happens to grab the curtain right where the cricket is, causing it to drop down into the shower and hop onto my leg.  I freak out, and in my panic I push past him (all suds-up in my birthday suit) and take off down the hall.  When I try to make a hard left into our bedroom, my wet feet slip on the tile floor and I wipe out in the doorway - which startles our parrot into flying circles around the room.

Aside from some bruises from my fall, I was completely unhurt - and miraculously, that includes my ego.

I was not embarrassed in the least.

In fact, I had The Giggles for the next 15 minutes, imagining how chaotic that scene would have looked to any bystanders, and every time I looked at Mr. Vittles we would both crack up.

At moments like that, I wonder if Mr Vittles secretly thinks "How long is forever, again?"

But then I make things like homemade apple pies and peanut butter fudge s'mores and he probably thinks he's the luckiest husband in the world.

At least I like to believe that he thinks that.

Peanut Butter Fudge S'mores Bars

• 2 C. graham cracker crumbs (from about 11 whole graham crackers)
• 6 T. butter, cut in tablespoons
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 C. peanut butter
• 12 oz. semisweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 2 C. mini marshmallows
• 2 whole graham crackers, broken into small pieces

Line 9x13 pan with waxed paper or foil, letting edges overhang.  Grease with nonstick spray or butter.

Place butter in a medium heatproof bowl, and microwave in 15 second intervals until melted.  Add graham cracker crumbs and stir with a fork until moistened.  Empty bowl into prepared pan and spread crumbs out, pressing evenly into pan.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sweetened condensed milk with peanut butter and chocolate, stirring constantly until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla until combined. 

Pour over crumb base and quickly spread into an even layer.  Smooth out with a greased spatula, then sprinkle marshmallows evenly over crust.  Press gently into chocolate mixture.  Then stick graham cracker bits in gaps between marshmallows as desired, pressing gently to set.

Cover pan and refrigerate until fudge is firm, about 2 hours.  Lift edges of foil/waxed paper to remove and cut into bars.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats; original source Williams Sonoma