52 Recipes | S'mores Pie

An easy but decadent pie. We made ours for Pi Day (3/14) this year and it was a huge hit! Great for a a fun homemade dessert at home or to take to a get together or even to a dinner party.

Recipe:
I adapted my recipe from Gimme Some Oven's recipe

ingredients

• 2/3 c. heavy cream
• 2/3 c. milk
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chips or chopped
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 eggs, whisked
• pinch of salt
• graham cracker pie crust (store bought or premade)
• large marshmallows

directions

1. Preheat oven at 325*F
2. Whisk cream and milk together in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted and is smooth. Add in vanilla and salt. Remove from heat.
3. Slowly add in the whisked eggs and continue whisking until smooth.
4. Pour chocolate filling into a graham cracker crust. Bake for 30-40 mins or until the filling is set and jiggly.
5. Remove pie from oven. Add marshmallows on top of the pie until the surface is covered. Ours was in the shape of a pi symbol. 
6. Set oven to lowest broil setting. Then place in the center rack and lightly toast the marshmallows until they are just golden brown. Keep careful watch so they dont burn. 
7. Serve warm or chill for 2-3 hours. 

Adjustments:
I used a store bought graham cracker pie crust because that it what we had. Gimme Some Oven's recipe includes instructions for making your own crust if you wanted to do that. I also decreased the amount of milk and cream from the original recipe. We live at a higher elevation and fillings often rise quickly and have a higher potential for overflowing. Even with the reduction of wet ingredients we had a little overflow. Lastly, the original recipe listed a 20 min bake time. It took us 40mins and was still a little jiggly.

Results and Thoughts:
We really liked this pie. Outside of the lengthy cook time, it was a really easy bake with simple ingredients. It also is really easy to adapt for different chocolates based on our liking.

No Bake "Energy Bites"

If you ask people to think of a common "side effect" of pregnancy I am sure that answers relating to increased appetite would be the most popular. That wasn't the case for me. I was really apathetic towards food. I ate healthy and made sure I was getting enough for me and the baby but I wasn't particularly ravenous or craving crazy meals while pregnant. Now that the baby is here and I am nursing it is a completely different story.

The newborn stage is a rough stage, especially for a nursing mother. Not only is the baby dependent on you for all of his/her sustenance, you are getting up several times throughout the night and you are always "on call". For me, I was left feeling exhausted, hungry, and craving all the sweets! Add in a husband currently living four hours away and I was starting to feel a little crazy. 

This is where these little nuggets come into place. I can grab a few "bites" and sit down to nurse. I can satiate my sweet tooth and urge to snack all at once. I will admit this idea isn't novel or unique. Everyone has a recipe for energy/protein balls/bites. After a few hours of going through recipes, I couldn't find one that fit everything I wanted in an easy snack and utilized on hand ingredients so I came up with my own recipe. This one uses almond butter and unsalted butter, and leaves out the coconut. 

No Bake Almond Butter "Energy Bites"

ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats 
• 1/2 cup of almond butter (mine was a little "dry" since I used homemade so I did 1/3c almond butter and 1/4c unsalted butter. If you use store bought nut butter you don't need the unsalted butter)
• 1/4 c of mini chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp honey 
• 2 Tbsp flax seeds

directions

1. Thoroughly combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. 
2. Chill the mixture for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. 
3. Form the chilled "dough" into 1-inch balls. 
4. Store in an air tight container in the fridge. 

Brownie Crinkle Cookies | Christmas Cookie Recipe Swap

For me, a big part of the holidays is baking treats! I cannot remember a year where I did not bake some kind of Christmas goodies. Even while living in the dorms, I found a way to bake at least one batch of cookies! To jumpstart my holiday baking, I am participating in the Christmas Cookie Recipe Swap.

My partner is the fabulous Amy from Amy's Cooking Adventures. She sent over an easy and tasty recipe for Brownie Crinkle Cookies! Whereas most people love chocolate cookies (as can be seen in the collection below), I am more adventurous with my holiday cookies. Savory cookies are top in my book, but these were fabulous! So easy, and so delicious!

Brownie Crinkle Cookies

ingredients

• 1 family size box fudge brownie mix 
• 1 cup flour 
• 1 egg 
• ¼ cup canola oil 
• ¼ cup water 
• Powdered sugar

directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the brownie mix, flour, egg, oil and water. Mix until thoroughly combined, the batter will be quite stiff. If you’re having trouble incorporating all the dry ingredients, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. 
2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Place powdered sugar into small bowl. 
3. Use a 1 tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough. Gently roll the dough into a ball. Roll the dough balls through the powdered sugar and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. 
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are set. Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely.

Amy and I were not the only ones to swap recipes. Below you will find a whole linkup filled with great recipes! Also, don't forget to check out the hosts: Real Housemoms, {i love} My Disorganized Life and White Lights on Wednesday.

Black Forest "Resource Order" Cake!

What happens when your husband spends more time with a group of guys in potentially dangerous situations for 5-6 months than he spends with you during the same time frame? Well, you get oddly attached to those guys as well. Yesterday, one of Berke's friends from work had his last day of his season to head back to school. Winkler is on the sister engine to Berkeley's engine and is leaving before a lot of the other student seasonals. So early in fact that the only resource order his engine got was this past Tuesday and he had to stay on forest. The poor kid didn't get off forest at all! So we decided to give him his own Resource Order. I apologize in advance for the low quality photos but this was a last minute project that was finished at 11pm Friday night and I didn't get a chance to snap a few shots before Berkeley took off for work Saturday morning.

About the decorations:
For those not so in the know about fires, the decorations show fire (sugar sheets and edible food pens) creeping towards a tree stand (coconut, and sugar cones). "The Black" is the burnt land (oreos). In the bottom right corner is a list of the "recent incidents" and is modeled after the report our dispatch center posts. Again it is a sugar sheet and edible marker. Instead of using frosting, I put a layer of my standby chocolate ganache on the cake to act as a glue (recipe variations here and here).

To make the whole thing complete, the cake itself is a play on Black Forest Cake. However, I didn't make a beautiful multi-layered whipped cream, cherry, almond mixture from scratch. Maybe next time! Instead I went semi-homemade.

Mock Black Forest Cake
ingredients

• 1 box (15 oz) Devil's Food Cake mix
• 3/4 c water
• 1/2 c oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 (21 oz) can Cherry pie filling

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Prepare baking vessel with baking spray or butter/margarine. I used a 9X13in foil lasagna pan with a lid. 
2. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box by combining the mix, 3/4 c water, oil and eggs until just moistened. Then beat in a medium speed for 2 minutes. 
3. Gently fold in cherry pie filling until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into baking vessel. 
4. Bake as directed on the box. For a 9X13 it is at 350*F for 34-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out smooth. 
5. Let it cool before frosting or decorating!

Chocolate Ganache Bar on Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust: GYCO

Last week, I shared my recipe for Margarita Bars. From that experiment and that crust recipe, I started working on something more chocolatey and less boozey. These bars definitely have some kick though with the added espresso! They are kinda like a Mocha Bar.

Mocha Bars
ingredients
Crust

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 6 crackers
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. freshly ground espresso
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

   Ganache

• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp. freshly ground espresso

• sea salt

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F and an 8x8 inch cake pan by brushing it with melted butter and then lining it with a piece of parchment paper with a little bit of overhang.
2. Prepare the crust by pulsing crackers, oats, espresso, and cocoa powder in a food processor. In a separate bowl combine the cinnamon and sugar. Add the graham cracker mixture to the sugar and then add butter. Mix together by hand.
3. Press the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about 8 – 10 minutes until slightly browned. When the crust is done, let it cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. If you want to speed the cooling along, stash it in the fridge or even freezer for a short time.
4. Place 6 oz of chocolate in a medium size bowl. GENTLY heat the whipping cream and ground espresso to boiling. Strain out the grounds then add the boiling cream to the bowl with the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Then start stirring in one direction with a whisk until it combines and all the chocolate is melted. It will look smooth and shiny.
5. Smooth ganache over cooled crust and sprinkle with sea salt. Chill until hardened. The bars will lift out of the pan using the parchment. Cut into squares using a serrated knife and serve!

Tequila Lime Bars with Chocolate Ganache and Almond Graham Cracker Crust

With summer just around the corner, I am looking forward to all the awesome nights enjoying ice cold adult beverages at some of our favorite hang outs. We are still waiting to get Berkeley's official days off for the season, which will be the kick off to summer for us. Until we know, I wanted to share with you a fun summery recipe that I am submitting to the May Spiked! recipe challenge. 

This round of the Spiked! challenge we had to use TEQUILA! Umm, yes please!! I was so excited for this because we love tequila. We have done tequila infusing. We have made cocktails. We have used it for meat marinade. Despite all those things we have done, I have never baked with tequila.

When I think of tequila limes are also brought to mind. Instead of doing the expected Key Lime Pie, I decided to do a twist of a lemon bar/square. Just a lime square seemed a little boring, so I took inspiration from truffles from our favorite chocolatier, Chocoláte, and added a ganache layer. I have lovingly dubbed these bad boys Margarita Bars!

We are huge fans! The three layers have a wonderful balance. The ganache and the filling play so well together. The textures are balance but soft and the crust gives a nice crunch and support to the bar. While everything is well blended, the tequila flavors really shine and pack a punch, especially when your husband wants them for breakfast!

Margarita Bars!
ingredients:
   Crust

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan
• 2/3 cup toasted almonds
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, 5-6 crackers
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp grated lime zest
• 1 tsp cocoa powder

   Ganache

• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

    Filling

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 shot (1.5 to 2 oz) of silver tequila (or less to your liking, I wouldn't recommend more than 2 oz)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh lime juice

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F and an 8x8 inch cake pan by brushing it with melted butter and then lining it with a piece of parchment paper with a little bit of overhang.
2. Prepare the crust by pulsing crackers, almonds, and cocoa powder in a food processor. In a separate bowl combine the zest and sugar. Add the graham cracker mixture to the sugar and then add butter. Mix together by hand.
3. Press the crust mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about 8 – 12 minutes until slightly brown. When the crust is done, let it cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. If you want to speed the cooling along, stash it in the fridge or even freezer for a short time.
4. Place 4oz of chocolate in a medium size bowl. GENTLY heat the whipping cream to boiling. Add the boiling cream to the bowl with the chocolate and let it sit for a minute. Then start stirring in one direction with a whisk until it combines and all the chocolate is melted. It will look smooth and shiny.
5. While the crust and ganache are cooling, pour the condensed milk into medium bowl, add the egg yolks and whisk together. Pour tequila into a glass measuring cup then add lime juice until you have 1/2 cup of tequila and lime juice. Whisk into the egg and condensed milk mixture.
6. Once the ganache is cooled spread it on the cooled crust with a spatula or frosting spreader to make the layer of chocolate. Place the chocolate lined crust in the fridge or freezer to harden for 15 minutes.
7. Once cooled a second time, pour in the filling and bake for 25 minutes at 350. Take out of oven and cool on a wire rack, then place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour before serving. The bars will lift out of the pan using the parchment. 
8. Cut into squares using a serrated knife and serve! Berkeley enjoyed his for breakfast with a cup of espresso