Tag-Archive for ◊ marshmallow ◊

24 Jul 2010 S’mores Bars II

You know I am crying my eyes out about our canceled family and friends camping trip, right? My daughter, Abby, thought these might cheer me up. They did! The are ooey-gooey-sticky-messy-yummy, just like the real thing–and she used the extra thick chocolate option, so they were extra chocolatey, too.

Abby found a picture on Foodgawker that linked to RealMomKitchen which mentioned a new product, a HUGE marshmallow to fit into a s’more (most of us toast two marshmallows to fit into one s’more, right?) who got it from Cooking with My Kid who has a step-by-step picture tutorial for the s’mores bars. With me pointing you to all these good sites on the web it won’t be long before you don’t need me any longer..,.sniff, sniff… [sigh] As my eternally pessimistic ex-husband always used to say, in a comforting voice no less, “Life is hard. Then you die”… ROFLMAO 😀

S’Mores Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (Abby used the really big extra thick ones…)
1 large egg
1 7 oz jar (1/2 cups) marshmallow creme/fluff
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 7  full-sized graham crackers, processed or pounded until fine)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Use an electric mixer to cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Set aside. Meanwhile,whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.Place chocolate bars over dough–2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and laying them together). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Be sure to cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 16 squares. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Thanks for stopping by my kitchen today.  I always enjoy your company 🙂
15 Feb 2010 S’mores Bars I

I have been looking for a recipe for S’mores Bars since they started showing up in bakery cases a few years ago.  I guess the idea of moving S’mores from the campfire to a bar started with the boxed granola bar.  The mass product manufacturers didn’t get it right though. Eating a boxed S’more granola bar is like eating textured, scented cardboard. S’mores Bars in bakery cases don’t fare too well either.  The usual recipe seems to be overly sweet chocolate brownies with marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs on the top.  But I have the right recipe now!  The bottom is 2 parts graham crackers to one part chocolate.  Perfect ratio, right?  The graham crackers and chocolate are held together with sweetened goodness and there are sticky, gooey, melted marshmallows on top.  The right flavor. The right texture.  The right stickiness. I wasn’t a girl scout for 17 years for nothing!

The inspiration for this recipe came from the Taste of Home “Cookies: 623 Irresistible Delights!“.  Page 217 has a Graham Cracker Brownie recipe attributed to Cathy Guffey from PA.  I just added the marshmallows and gave the bars a more appropriate name.

I am thinking I need to double this recipe next time and make it in an 13 x 11 inch pan.

S’mores Bars

2 cups crushed graham crackers (1 cellophane wrapped package)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8×8 inch baking pan. Crush the graham crackers by whacking them in the package. I use a meat mallet, but the back of a soup ladle, measuring cup, or small pan will also work–don’t make really fine crumbs, though.  Leave some big pieces.  Put the (large)crumbs in a mixing bowl, add the chocolate chips, baking powder and salt and combine.  Stir in the sweetened condensed milk.  Spread mixture into an 8×8 inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Take out of oven and sprinkle miniature marshmallows over the top.

Return pan to oven for 4-5 minutes to melt marshmallows.  Remove pan from oven and quickly spread melting marshmallows smoothly over the top with an offset spatula.

Let bars cool completely. Now comes the hard part, cutting the bars.  I find it a bit easier to use a warmed knife for each cut…but it is still a sticky job, which makes them true S’mores Bars!.  Cut into 16 bars.

How many girl scouts, former and current, stopped by my kitchen today?  Do you think you’ll try these?

27 Jan 2010 Vanilla & Peppermint Marshmallows
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Today I was transported back to my childhood when it was just fun to play in the kitchen. The mess was fun. The creation was fun. If the product was edible, it was magic! I made magic today (along with a big mess). I made marshmallows! It wasn’t hard, just different. And the product, magic! NOW I know why marshmallows are put on top of a cup of hot chocolate. REAL marshmallows transform hot chocolate into a creamy cup of heaven. Dump the processed imitators, what are they doing on a cup of hot chocolate anyway?

You will need a heavy duty stand mixer and a candy thermometer to make this recipe successfully. Also not that marshmallows need to cure overnight before using. You’re going to love these! Honest. Have fun in your kitchen today. Make magic!

The original recipe was based on one from Ina Garten, but was modified using the input from many other food blogs. This is the exact recipe and exact method I used.

Vanilla or Mint Marshmallows

3 pkgs. unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided use
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 T. vanilla OR peppermint extract (I assume any other extract would be OK too…lemon, raspberry?!)
red or green food coloring (optional, but good to use if you are making mint marshmallows…use yellow for lemon marshmallows, etc)
Lots of powdered sugar (a pound box or so…this does NOT get beaten into the marshmallows…it keeps the marshmallows from sticking to the pan, and then from sticking to each other)

Cover the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan with a layer of powdered sugar. You should not be able to see the bottom of the pan. Using your fingers, also dust the side of the pan with the powdered sugar. Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Let this sit, at least 15 minutes, while until the next step is completed. Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring gently. Take the spoon away from the pan, raise the heat to high and boil, without stirring, until syrup reaches 244 degrees (soft ball stage). Remove syrup from heat. Be careful. Put the mixer on low speed (gelatin is still in the bowl), and slowly pour the sugar syrup over the gelatin. When the mix is cool enough and thick enough not to splatter, turn the speed up to high and whip on the highest speed for 15 minutes. Add the chosen extract, beat well to combine. Add the food coloring, if using, and beat just to swirl. Here comes the hard part. With a sturdy spatula or spoon that has been dredged in powdered sugar, scoop all the marshmallow batter into the prepared pan. Wet your hands. With wet hands, press and smooth the batter to fill the pan. Smooth the top of the batter with your wet hands, and then pour a generous layer of powdered sugar over the marshmallow batter. Allow batter to dry and cure, sitting on the counter, uncovered, overnight. Run a spatula along the sides of the pan. Remove the marshmallow slab to a cutting board. Dip knife in powdered sugar in the bottom of the pan. Cut marshmallows into squares of desired size, recoating knife with powdered sugar as needed. Roll each cut side of marshmallow in the powdered sugar. Store marshmallows covered at room temperature. Marshmallows for plain eating are good for at least a week. Marshmallows for hot chocolate last far longer (since a bit of drying out is hardly noticeable).

Thanks for being a fan,
Polly