Solitary - {Chocolate and Almond Marshmallow Sandwich Cookies with Hot Chocolate}

Resting crookedly on its hinges, I provide a gentle lift to the bedroom door to ensure a silent close for a sleeping roommate. A fleece blanket drapes itself gently over my shoulders as I stand in the living area, it's knots and loose scraps my only companions at this early hour. Between the cabinetry and counters, a simple back and forth results in a bowl of Cheerios, which I carefully carry

S'mores Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup ground graham crackers (about 2 crackers pulverized in the blender)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 1/2 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2-3 graham crackers, broken up (for sprinkling)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper*. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, ground graham crackers, salt, and baking powder. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and combine thoroughly. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the sweetened butter and mix until a very thick dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips and distributing them evenly. Form cookies by dropping 1 teaspoon of dough on the sheet two inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes then top each cookie with marshmallows and broken graham crackers. Press the graham crackers and marshmallow in a bit so they don't fall off. Bake an additional 2 minutes. Carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.


*Please line with parchment paper or a silipat. The marshmallow will run and make the cookies stick to the pan if you do not.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

My thoughts:

I was trying to think of a new, summery brownie or cookie recipe and was coming up empty until I remembered one of summer's quintessential desserts, s'mores. I actually have graham flour but it tastes less like graham crackers than you'd think so I ground up some graham crackers and used that in place of some regular flour to give it extra graham cracker-y flavor. I was a little nervous about trying that but it worked really well. Everyone who had one remarked on how much they tasted like s'mores, I think that is because the extra ground up cookies, the ones on tops are really just for decoration.

To be absolutely traditional I guess I could have cut up candy bars but I do think that for the most part, chips work best in cookies, they hold their shape better. That was important since I knew I was topping them with marshmallow and graham crackers, I didn't want chocolate oozing out as well. Anyway, enough talking, you need to make these cookies! Delicious and fun.

Vanilla Bean Marshmallows

Ingredients:
1/2 oz unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 vanilla bean

confectioners' sugar for dredging


Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Allow to seep for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the beans. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a vigorous boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed for 1 minute. Add the salt, vanilla and vanilla bean scrapings and beat for 12 minutes. Oil your hands and a spatula and scrape into a 9 x 13 inch pan lined with oiled plastic wrap or sprayed with cooking spray and spread evenly. After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, take another piece of oiled plastic wrap and press firmly on the top, oil side down, to smooth the marshmallow. Allow to rest 3 hours. Invert the pan into plate full of confectioners� sugar and dredge the marshmallow through. Remove and cut into pieces with kitchen sheers or a knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar. Store in an air tight container.


*1/2 oz. gelatin is equal to 2 packets Knox unflavored gelatin

My thoughts:

These are super vanilla flavored marshmallows- no "plain" vanilla here! There are flecks of vanilla beans throughout the marshmallow and a true vanilla flavor. For even more vanilla flavor, use vanilla infused confectioners sugar (easily made by storing a vanilla bean in with the confectioners sugar) or the super fine vanilla bean infused vanilla sugar I've found at Ikea.

I loved them in hot chocolate but I dream of using them in homemade nibby toffee Rice Krispie treats. Or in s'mores or fondue. They would also make a great party favor or hostess gift.

Homemade Sno-balls

Ingredients:

for the coconut:
5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
food dye

for the cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups hot buttermilk
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
pinch salt


for the marshmallow:
1/4 oz. unflavored powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/8 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

for the cream filling:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
2 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
for the coconut:
This step can be done the day before you want to assemble and serve the cupcakes.
Place the coconut and a few drops of dye into a resealable plastic bag. Shake to evenly distribute the dye, adding more as needed to reach the desired color. Pour the coconut into a large bowl.

for the cake:
This step can be done the day before you want to assemble and serve the cupcakes.
Preheat oven to 350. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, vinegar cocoa, and instant espresso until smooth.

In large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth. Alternate the chocolate mixture and the dry ingredients until well blended. Fill each well of the cupcake pan(s) 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.


for the marshmallow:
In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water. Allow to seep for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/8 cup water. Bring to a vigorous boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed for 1 minute. Add the salt and vanilla and beat for 12 minutes. Quickly spread on three sides of the cupcakes (bottom/indented side up) and form to make a dome. Roll in coconut. Brush any coconut off the bottom. Place, plain side down on a try and allow the coconut to set up before filling.



for the cream filling:
In a small pan, mix flour with milk and boil until thick. Cool. Beat until fluffy and add other ingredients one at a time, beating well after each addition. Refrigerate 1 hour. The cream should be cold and rather stiff when you pipe it into the cake, the act of piping will soften it a bit so do not be tempted to let it warm up before filling. By this time, the marshmallow on the cupcakes should be firm enough that it is safe to fill them. Pipe cream into the center of the bottom of each cupcake.

Yield: about 10 cupcakes (depending on pan size)

Note: I used this dessert shell pan I found. It has a little indentation on the top. I just filled that tiny dent with marshmallow. It made perfect sized (and round!) cakes. If you don't have the pan, I would make regular cupcakes and coat the bottoms and sides liberally with marshmallow, leaving the "top" free of marshmallow and sort of shape it (after the coconut) into a dome manually.

My thoughts:

Today's my 30th birthday! I wanted to make something special after last year's success with homemade Chocodiles so I returned to the snack cake world and created a homemade Hostess Sno-ball! If you are not familiar, a sno-ball is a coconut and marshmallow-covered, cream filled chocolate cupcake. Traditionally they are white (like a snowball) but around holidays they have colored coconut.

For this recipe I wanted to keep the character of the packaged cake but of course, homemade is tastier! I created a dark chocolate sort of devil's food cake recipe because the original cakes are actually rather rich tasting for a commercial cupcake. My husband made the cakes last night so today there was less to do. The marshmallow on these cupcakes isn't just fluffy marshmallow-y frosting, it is actual marshmallow just like it is on the packaged cakes. That's why it is important to quickly roll them in the coconut and then have to wait for them to set up before you pipe in the creamy filling. Honestly they were very easy to make, there is just a number of steps (and again, making the cakes the day before is a great idea-no waiting for the cakes to cool enough to spread on the marshmallow on the assembly day) but they are all simple. It is rather messy but luckily marshmallow is just sugar so it washes right away.

They are so tasty! The cake is moist and the perfect texture and flavor. Best snack cake ever!

Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:
1/4 oz. unflavored powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/8 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla paste


Directions:

In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water. Allow to seep for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/8 cup water. Bring to a vigorous boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed for 1 minute. Add the salt and vanilla and beat for 12 minutes. Quickly spread on one dozen cooled cupcakes. Allow to set (about 15 minutes) then brown with a small torch, or in the broiler. Be careful!

Spring this recipe!

My thoughts:

This is a really marshmallow-y icing. In fact, it basically sets up into an actual marshmallow after a day or so, which you need if you are going to toast it, although it is just as tasty untoasted. If you want a lighter more traditional marshmallow frosting, try this fluffy white icing, just don't try and toast it. However, I don't want this recipe's extreme marshmallowness to put you off, it makes a great frosting, just know that the longer it sits the more set up it becomes.

Cocoa Nibs & Toffee Bits Rice Krispies Treats

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
45 large marshmallows (about 11 oz)
6 cups crisped rice cereal (AKA Rice Krispies)
1/2 cup toffee bits
1/4 cup cocoa nibs*

Directions:
Coat 13x9x2 inch pan with cooking spray. Melt butter over low heat in a large, tall pot. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Removed from heat and stir in cereal, toffee bits and nibs. Use a greased spoon or spatula the cereal into the pan. Use the back of the spoon to press it firmly into the pan in an even layer. Cool, cut into squares and eat.


* I used the extremely delicious Askinosie single origin roasted cocoa nibs.

My thoughts:

Some might ask why one would want to tamper with a classic like Rice Krispie treats. I ask: why not? Unlike some of overblown "adult" variations* out there, this version doesn't detract from the original, it enhances it with with grown-up worthy add-ins. Toffee adds a lovely caramel flavor and the nibs lend a touch of chocolate and crunch while the bars are still as chewy as we've come to expect. The nibs also keep the bars from being tooth-numbingly sweet, even after addition of the toffee, a nice touch for a grown-up palate.


*I don't think anyone liked those Caramelized Brown Butter Rice Krispies Treats that made the rounds a while back.

Matcha Marshmallows

Ingredients:
1/2 oz. unflavored powdered gelatin*
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup**
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon matcha powder
Confectioners' sugar for dredging

Directions:

In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Allow to seep for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a vigorous boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed for 1 minute. Add the salt and matcha and beat for 12 minutes. Oil your hands and a spatula and scrape into a 11" x 7" pan*** lined with oiled plastic wrap or sprayed with cooking spray and spread evenly. After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, take another piece of oiled plastic wrap and press firmly on the top, oil side down, to smooth the marshmallow. Allow to rest 3 hours. Invert the pan into plate full of confectioners� sugar and dredge the marshmallow through. Remove and cut into pieces with kitchen sheers or a knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar. Store in an air tight container.

Note: Instead of dredging in plain confectioners' sugar, dredge in a 20/80 mixture of matcha and confectioners' sugar.

*1/2 oz. gelatin is equal to 2 packets Knox unflavored gelatin

**I like to use corn syrup made without high-fructose syrup. Oddly, I find it most frequently at Asian markets. Also make sure that the corn syrup does not have vanilla added.

***Depending on how thick you want your marshmallows, you might want to keep a second, smaller pan (like a loaf pan) handy for overflow.

My thoughts:

Okay, I already thought marshmallow making was magic-you can't beat molten sugar turning in to a fluffy treat in just a few minutes for pure cooking alchemy- but these matcha marshmallows are a revelation. They have a wonderful green tea flavor without being overwhelming or medicinal. I didn't add food dye so they are just the faintest of green, but if you wanted a more verdant green, a couple of drops of food dye would do the trick. They are great to eat out of hand, melted on cupcakes (instead of icing!) in dark chocolate s'mores and in hot chocolate.

Matcha is now readily available from many online merchants including Amazon .

Cocoa Dusted Marshmallows

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

confectioners' sugar for dredging
unsweetened cocoa for dredging

Directions:

In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Allow to seep for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a vigorous boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed for 1 minute. Add the salt and beat for 11 minutes. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Oil your hands and a spatula and scrape into a 9 x 13 inch pan sprayed with oil and spread evenly. After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth it with the back of your oiled spatula. Allow to rest 3 hours. Invert the pan into plate full of cocoa and confectioners� sugar (in equal portions) and dredge the marshmallow through. Remove and cut into pieces with kitchen sheers, a knife or use a small cookie cutter to cut them into shapes. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar/cocoa so all four sides are coated in the sugar/cocoa mixture*. Store in an air tight container.

*you could also toss the cut marshmallows in a Ziploc bag full of cocoa and confectioners' sugar to coat.

My thoughts:

There seems to have been a spate of marshmallow making around the world. Seeing these pretty creations inspired me to revisit the easy recipe (no egg whites! no candy thermometers!) for peppermint marshmallows I created last year. I made a few modifications and made a batch of vanilla marshmallows dredged in cocoa and sugar. They have a smooth vanilla flavor and a hint of chocolate in each bite. I still think making marshmallows is as close to magic as you can get in the kitchen: one minute you have a bowl of molten sugar then suddenly it is fluffy marshmallow. Amazing!

Cheerios Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

Ingredients:
5 cups Cheerios dry cereal
4 cups marshmallows*
1 tablespoon butter
3 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Grease or spray a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large pot, melt butter and marshmallows together, stirring** near continuously. When the marshmallows are almost totally melted, add the chips. Stir once or twice, then stir in the cereal, one cup at a time. Once thoroughly mixed, pour into the prepared pan and flatten slightly with the back of a spatula or spoon. Allow to cool, then cut into bars.




*mini marshmallows melt faster, but the big ones work just as well.
**spray a spatula or spoon with cooking spray to avoid a sticky mess.

My thoughts:

These are a good alternative to Rice Krispy Treats. Slightly hardier, but just as good. And if the Cheerios ads are to be believed, heart-healthy. The tiny bit of chocolate adds a bit of flavor, but could be easily left out if you are a cereal bar purist.

Pink Peppermint Popcorn Bars

Ingredients:
7 cups plain, popped popcorn*
3 cups mini marsmallows**
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract**

red food coloring
cooking spray

Directions:

Spray a small saucepan with cooking spray. Melt mini marshmallows, few drops of food coloring and peppermint extract over low heat, stirring occasionally with a greased spatula. Pour all of the popcorn in a very large bowl. Once the marshmallows are melted, pour over the popcorn and stir (using the greased spatula) until throughly mixed. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan and flatten as needed. Allow to cool and cut into bars.



*pick through for the unpopped "old maids" or you may lose a tooth.
** or you could use peppermint marshmallows

My thoughts:

I had heard about pink popcorn bars on a nostalgic candy website and was intrigued. I couldn't find too many details about what they were other than pink and made of popcorn. I think they are basically pink candy coated popcorn bars but I could be wrong. Anyway, tonight is Gilmore Girls night and you know how I like to make a treat. So I thought about what I would want in a pink popcorn bar and knew it would be marshmallow. And what goes better with pink marshmallow than peppermint? I can't imagine. Did I mention that they are fat free?

Cobblestone Blondies

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup mini* semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup toffee chips
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar, sugar and butter. Add the eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy. Add the flour, 2/3 of the chocolate chips**, 1/2 of the marshmallows, all of the toffee bits and the baking powder until thoroughly combined. Pour into a prepared pan and bake 20 minutes or until just set. Sprinkle evenly with remaining marshmallows and chips, return to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted (not through a marshmallow!) comes out clean.



*Mini chips melt faster, but regular chips would work too.
**If you are using regular sized chips, you might want to add the chips after the flour so they don't get broken up.

My thoughts:

Following in the great tradition of sweets on Gilmore night, I made these blondies. I called them "cobblestone" blondies because if they were chocolate and had nuts, they'd be "rocky road" brownies. Get it? Cobblestones, rocky road? Okay, maybe it isn't that great of a name but I couldn't think of a better, more descriptive name and I wanted to get them done before the show. They came out really yummy and don't taste as over the top sweet as you might think from the ingredients list. They also have a really unique fluffy yet chewy texture.

Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour one 8 inch square pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, milk and melted butter thoroughly. Pour onto bottom of prepared pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, then coconut. Top with marshmallows. Bake 15 minutes or until marshmallows are golden brown*. Let cool slightly, slice and serve.


*The bottom layer will be rather moist and crumbs will stick to a toothpick if one is inserted into the center of the pan. Do not worry, cookies are completely cooked. The absence of an egg means you can have a very moist, almost "raw" texture without risk of food poisoning.

My thoughts:

I had some leftover coconut from recent baking adventures, a tiny bag of chocolate chips and 1/2 a bag of marshmallows on hand so I decided to combine them all into a sort of �ber bar cookie. The base is brownie-like but not too sweet. The marshmallow adds a touch of gooeyness without being overpowering. All in all, it's a surprisingly more subtle and adult dessert than its list of ingredients would suggest.

Marshmallow Popcorn Balls with Chocolate Chips

Marshmallow Popcorn Balls with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz popped popcorn*
5 oz mini marshmallows (Campfire Brand is by far the best)
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Pour the popcorn in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and marshmallows, stirring occasionally**. Pour immediately over the popcorn and using a spatula, fold the popcorn over and over to combine lightly. Sprinkle in the chips, continue to fold until the popcorn is thoroughly coated. Mix carefully as not to break up the popcorn. When coated, use your finger tips to form ball shapes. Place on waxed paper and allow to cool, about 40 minutes.


*I think air popped popcorn works best, but any plain popped popped corn would work.
**A silicon spatula sprayed with cooking oil works great.


My thoughts:
A retro, low fat treat. Every Tuesday we watch Gilmore Girls (the only show we regularly watch on television) and we normally make some thing special for dinner. Tonight: homemade chicken pot pie and marshmallow popcorn balls!

Peppermint Marshmallows

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Confectioners' sugar for dredging

Directions:

In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Allow to seep for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a vigorous boil and boil for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed for 1 minute. Add the salt and beat for 11 minutes. Add peppermint and beat for 1 minute. Oil your hands and a spatula and scrape into a 9 x 9 pan lined with oiled plastic wrap and spread evenly. After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, take another piece of oiled plastic wrap and press firmly on the top, oil side down, to smooth the marshmallow. Allow to rest 3 hours. Invert the pan into plate full of confectioners� sugar and dredge the marshmallow through. Remove and cut into pieces with kitchen sheers or a knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar. Store in an air tight container.

My thoughts:

Who knew making marshmallow was so easy? It was really sticky though, I had to spray my hands more than once in order to get it out of the mixing bowl and spread out.

Dark Chocolate S'mores

Dark Chocolate S'mores


Ingredients:
1 dark chocolate candy bar or 5 minatures
3-4 marshmallows
2 graham crackers

Directions:
On a cookie sheet, place the candy bar on top of one graham cracker. Top with marshmallows and second graham cracker. Bake in 350 degree over for about 5 minutes or until marshmallows are melted and slightly browned. Transfer to a plate (careful! molten marshmallows will burn you) and eat carefully.

Cocoa Rice Krispies Treats

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons butter

40 marshmallows (I like campfire brand but for some reason they are hard to find. I hate Jet Puffed)

6 cups cereal (cocoa rice krispies or plain)



Directions:

Coat 13x9x2 inch pan with cooking spray. Melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Removed from heat and stir in cereal. I like to use a cooking spray-coated metal spoon to scoop the cereal out and press into the pan. Cool and eat.







Note:

I used Halloween Cocoa Rice Krispies. They had Lucky Charms-esque marshmallow bats and ghosts in them, which was cute, but I thought they might have a weird texture in the treats so I picked them all out (almost 3/4 of a cup worth!) and sprinkled just a few on top.

Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 2/3 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups mini-marshmallows

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoons vanilla



Directions:

Combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in marshmallows, chocolate, and vanilla. Beat for about 1 minute, or until marshmallows melt and mixture is thoroughly combined. Pour into an 8x8-inch square buttered pan and cool. Cut fudge into squares and store in an air tight container.