Category Archives: no-bake

s’more popcorn

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smore popcorn 9860

Summer has arrived in Arizona, with our highs consistently in the upper 90s and 100s I know that no-burn days a right around the corner.  No burn days are these horrible things that were invented to prevent humans  from enjoying delicious s’mores.  They SAY it’s for air quality, but I’m pretty sure they just hate happiness.

And s’mores.

So every summer these terrible days stand between me and a delicious s’more… and trust me, you DO NOT want to be between me and my dessert.  That is not a safe place for anyone to be.

So what can I do?  Plan ahead.

A good contingency plan can be the difference between life and death, people.  LIFE AND DEATH.

So how will I feed my s’more addiction when I can’t roast marshmallows?  HOW!?

BF came to the rescue on this one, when he sent me this post from Buzzfeed.  I was not surprised to see that I had all of the necessary ingredients on hand.

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Thus I discovered what is one of the easiest and most delicious snacks of all time.  The only thing that would have made it better is if I had Golden Grahams in the pantry.  I think they would’ve actually worked better than just the crushed graham crackers, but then maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to make this again.

I used  this “simply salted” popcorn which has just a hint of salt, leaving it like a blank canvas on which to paint my flavor brush.  Sure popping popcorn isn’t rocket science, but when it means one less pan to clean, how can I resist?

I can’t.

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S’more Popcorn

Makes about 10 cups s’more popcorn

Printable Recipe

  • 1 3-oz. bag microwave popcorn, popped (or 10 cups popped popcorn)
  • 4 Tbsp. butter
  • One 10-oz. bag mini marshmallows, divided
  • 1 sleeve graham crackers (9 crackers) or a generous sprinkling of Golden Grahams cereal
  • ½ cup mini chocolate chips
  • Salt to taste

1. Pop popcorn according to package directions – 2 minutes and 25 seconds is the magic time in case you were wondering.  At least for our microwave it seems to be.  You could also pop popcorn on the stovetop if you wanna be all old-fashioned-like.  Spread popcorn on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with crumbled graham crackers.

2. Heat butter, half of the chocolate chips, and half of the marshmallows in the microwave until the butter is melted, stir to combine.

3. Drizzle marshmallow mixture evenly over the popcorn and toss to combine.

4. Once the popcorn is well-coated with the marshmallow mixture, add the unmelted marshmallows and chocolate chips and toss everything together.  Sprinkle with additional salt to taste.

5. Let cool completely then transfer to a paper bag for storage (in the unlikely event that you have any left)

 

[ Adapted from BuzzFeed ]

no bake cookies

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//Flashback attack….

Once upon a time ago, neighbors talked to each other. They helped each other out with yardwork or simple home repairs, they watched each others’ kids, and would invite each other over for dinner. New families would be welcomed to the neighborhood with a plate of cookies, and if you ran out of sugar you could simply run next door for a whole cup of it…

Does anyone remember these days? Did they really exist? Yes, well back then… or as they say, “BACK IN MY DAY” (because apparently I’m 100) there were these things called “block parties.”

Block parties were huge potlucks where the entire neighborhood would gather with various dishes and recipes in tow, and somehow these magical bite-size treats were always there. Probably because they are so incredibly simple to make.

I don’t know if block parties exist anymore… and I’m not saying neighborly love is a thing of the past, but I don’t even know my neighbors names… and I’m fairly certain that if I took a new neighbor a plate of cookies they would look at me like I was a crazy person. I’m not sure if it’s just something that has changed over time or just a regional thing (maybe the heat makes Arizona people less friendly than their mid-western counterparts?).

However, if you want to be brave and bridge that gap between your home and your neighbor’s, these cookies should do the trick. There is no oven required, which makes this a relatively kid-friendly recipe. I don’t recommend leaving your children in the kitchen unattended, but I managed to make these a number of times in my youth without burning the house down. In fact, the hardest part about making these cookies is waiting for them to set before you try to eat them.

Note: If it’s too humid or too warm, these cookies won’t set properly, which means you might find yourself attempting to scoop spoonfulls of peanut buttery, chocolatey goop into your mouth (and probably making a mess in the process). You could just put them in the fridge to set… but who has time for that?

No-Bake Cookies

[ Printable Recipe ]

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 cups quick-cooking oats

1. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Whisk or stir in sugar, milk, and cocoa powder.

2. Increase heat and bring to a rolling boil, let boil for 1 minute 30 seconds.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and oats.

4. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets. (*see note)

5. Wait very patiently while they cool and harden. Store in an airtight container 3 days at room temperature or a week in the fridge. (They probably would keep for longer, but I’ve never had them last long enough to find out).

*These will set into whatever shape you drop them in. If you want them to be pretty, go ahead and make a perfect circle. Sometimes it’s fun to make little shapes out of them (heart-shaped cookies, anyone?), but they are equally delicious as an amorphous blob as they are in a perfect circle.

*If it’s too humid or too warm, these cookies won’t set properly, which means you might find yourself scooping spoonfulls of peanut buttery, chocolatey goop into your mouth (and running down your arms, probably a smear or two on your face). Or, if you can just put them in the fridge to set… but who has time for that?

no-bake s'more bars

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Today is the last day to celebrate National S’more Month!!! So hurry up and make these quick and easy S’more Bars!!

You can make these babies in the microwave, which means you don’t have to endure any extra heat – no stove, no oven, no fire, no outside. Just sweet, delicious s’more goodness in the comfort of your air-conditioned home.

For these bars I used a recipe that melted the chocolate with the marshmallow, but I think my usual recipe of s’more bars that mixes chocolate chips in at the end is actually better.

Also, these are SUPER STICKY!!! REALLY, REALLY STICKY. I suspect the corn syrup is to blame… the recipe I usually make is just the good ol’ Rice Krispy Treat recipe with Golden Grahams in place of Rice Krispies and add the extra mini mallows and chocolate chips at the end…

Luckily, these are so easy to make that you can make them both ways and judge for yourself.

No-Bake S’more Bars

[ Printable Recipe ]

  • 8 cups (1 box) Golden Grahams cereal
  • 6 cups (1 bag)  miniature marshmallows, reserve 1 cup
  • 1½ cups chocolate chips*
  • ¼ cup light corn syrup
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
  1. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper or plastic wrap; set aside.
  2. Place the cereal in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine 5 cups of marshmallows, chocolate*, light corn syrup and butter. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
  4. Pour the melted mixture over the cereal and, using a buttered spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir until all of the cereal is coated. Stir in the additional cup of marshmallows (and chocolate, if you didn’t melt it with the marshmallows)
  5. Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking pan. Butter your hands and press the mixture evenly into the pan, pushing it down into a flat, even layer. Cool for at least 1 hour at room temperature (refrigerate to speed up this process).

**READ THE TIPS BELOW**

*You can either melt the chocolate with the 5 cups of marshmallows, or stir it in with the last 1 cup. Make sure you use a REALLY BIG BOWL and REALLY STRONG ARMS for stirring. It’s REALLY HARD!!!

*Cover with parchment paper and smoosh down to help you spread them more easily.

*These can also be made on the stovetop, just like you would make regular rice krispy treats, melt it all over low heat, and then stir in cereal and mix-ins, and pour into pan and spread. 

*These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, but good luck with that.

[ Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker ]

OG No Bake S’more Bars

  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 10 oz large marshmallows
  • 4 1/2 C Golden Grahams
  • 1 – 2 C mini mallows
  • 1 C mini chocolate chips

1. Melt butter & marshmallows together. Once melted, add cereal. Once the cereal is mostly coated, add the mini mallows and chocolate chips.

2. Spread into greased pan. Sprinkle with additional mallows/chips, if desired. I think it’s fun to drizzle a little criss-cross of melted chocolate over the top, too. If I’m feeling motivated.

3. Once cooled, cut into squares and store in an air-tight container.

*Tip: Cover with parchment paper and smoosh down to help you spread them more easily.

[ Adapted from the Rice Krispies box ]

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strawberry buttermilk ice cream + bombesticks

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Apparently Jeni Britton Bauer and I are soul mates, because I was churning Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream on Friday when they posted on their Facebook that the very same flavor was debuting for the season in their ice cream shops. Then Sunday, just two days after I made my very own bombe sticks, they posted about them on their page! Clearly, we are meant to be, and obviously you guys need to get on it and make these STAT.

Since I don’t have an ice cream cone maker, I had to use store-bought ice cream cones. Everything else, though, was made from scratch. Who knew that all you needed to do to make magic shell coating was mix some coconut oil with chocolate? If you’re not a fan of coconut, look for refined coconut oil which has none of the coconut flavor. It also magically turns your chocolate into an amazing magic chocolate shell sauce. Liquid when it’s warm and solid once it’s cold.

I’m not gonna lie, these are a bit of work, so don’t feel guilty if you decide to use store-bought ice cream. If you’re feeling extra motivated, though, scroll down for Jeni’s strawberry buttermilk ice cream recipe. I just wanted to surprise the Boyfriend with one of his favorite flavors from our local ice cream shop, and there happened to be a similar recipe in Jeni’s book. You can also try one of my other ice cream recipes: green tea, peanut butter, or chocolate.

Chocolate Bombesticks

[ Printable Recipe ]

Chocolate Bombe Shells

  • 12 ounces chocolate (I used dark), chopped
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil

Optional:

  • Sugar
  • 8 standard sugar ice cream cones
  • 2 pints ice cream, softened
  • 1/2 cup garnish, such as Rice Krispies, chopped nuts, crushed pretzels, or cornflakes

Preparation

  • Combine dark or white chocolate and coconut oil in a medium metal bowl; set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until completely melted and smooth. **Or you can melt it in 30 second intervals at 50% power in the microwave, but be very careful not to burn it!
  • Let cool slightly (if it’s too hot, it’ll melt your ice cream), 10–15 minutes.

Assembly

  • To hold cones upright, fill 8 medium glasses halfway with sugar and set aside. OR – I used a long plastic container and covered it with a couple sheets of foil, poking holes for where I would put my ice cream cones. This doesn’t work as well as I’d like, but it gets the job done.
  • Working with 1 cone at a time, spoon chocolate mixture inside cone and swirl to coat. Pour excess back into bowl, then dip top 1/2 inch of cone into chocolate, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Set cone upright in prepared glass (or other rigged container) and chill in refrigerator until chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes. Repeat with remaining cones.
  • Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Pack some ice cream into cones, then top each with a small scoop of ice cream. Lay cones on prepared sheet and freeze until hard, about 1 hour.
  • Rewarm bombe shell. Working with 1 cone at a time, dip ice cream into bombe shell, rolling to coat. Quickly sprinkle on desired garnish. Freeze until hard, about 10 minutes. Wrap each cone in foil and return to freezer until ready to use.

Book says this can be made 1 week ahead, but I suspect they will last longer

Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Ice Cream

[ Printable Recipe ]

Roasted Strawberries :

  • 1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced ½ inch thick
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice

Ice Cream Base :

  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/8 teaspooon fine sea salt
  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • ¼ cup buttermilk

For the strawberries:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Combine strawberries and sugar in glass or ceramic baking dish and mix well. Roast just until soft, 8 – 10 minutes. Let cool slightly

Puree strawberries in food processor with lemon juice. Measure ½ cup of pureed berries and refrigerate the rest for another use (like to pour on top of pancakes later)

For ice cream base:

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with cornstarch in a small bowl to make a slurry. Whisk cream cheese and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Fill a separate large bowl with ice water.

Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan; bring to a rolling boil of medium-high heat. Boil for 4 minutes, then remove from heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring mixture back to a boil over medium high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Add reserved ½ cup strawberry puree and the buttermilk; blend well. Pour mixture into a 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge sealed bag in ice water and chill in fridge until cold – about 30 minutes.

Churn ice cream base in canister until thick and creamy – about 20 minutes. Pack ice cream into storage container ( a large, square Ziploc container is the perfect size ), top with parchment and seal with lid. Place in coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

matcha ice cream

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For Christmas I got my bestie a cuisinart ice cream maker. After spending almost six months paralyzed with fear, and trying to decide which ice cream would be “the” ice cream worthy of christening the ice cream maker. After months of reassurance and debate, I am happy to announce that she has finally taken it out of the package.

The winner? Green tea ice cream, using the vanilla bean ice cream recipe from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams as a base. She was kind enough to snap a few pictures with her iphone when she finished (hence the pics for this wonderful post). I’ve made a couple of recipes from this book myself, all with great success.

Jeni’s has long been our favorite ice cream in Columbus, and has recently gone viral nationwide. Check your local grocer to see if they sell it near you. You absolutely MUST try it. MUST. If you have the pleasure of dining at an actual Jeni’s, it may look something like this:

This weekend, after spending the week in triple digits, I plan to cool off with some ice cream sandwiches (filled with Jeni’s ice cream, of course). Those classic cookies plus Jeni’s ice cream are sure to take the edge off of the heat this weekend.

“Matcha-Made In Heaven”  Ice Cream (c/o “BFF” aka: The Great Sarah Chang)

*Sarah Chang is a very motivated individual who wanted to use the same non-homogenized milk that Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams uses. I have always made mine with homogenized milk, but have included the directions on how to make the ice cream with non-homogenized milk as well

[ Printable Recipe ]

  • 2 cups whole milk* (500 ml)
  • 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (11 g) cornstarch
  • 1 ½ ounces (3 Tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 ¼ cups (313 ml) heavy cream
  • 2/3 cups (133 g) sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons light corn syrup (30 ml)
  • 4 packets rishi matcha
  • ⅛ tsp kosher salt

1. Fill a large bowl with ice water.  In a small bowl, mix 2 Tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch.  

2. In another large bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until smooth.

3. Combine the remaining milk with heavy cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a large saucepan.  Bring milk mixture to a boil.  Cook over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, 4 minutes (must be exact for correct consistency). Remove from heat, add green tea packets  and let steep for 5  minutes.

4. Return milk mixture to sauce and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.  Return to a boil and cook over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened (you should be able to draw a line in the mixture on a spoon), about 1 minute.  Remove from heat.

5. Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese and whisk until smooth.  *If you are using nonhomogenized milk and cream pour the heated mixture into a food processor and process for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a gallon bag and seal tightly.  Set baggie in the ice water bath (I added a few spoonfuls of salt to the water bath to lower the temperature…SCIENCE!), cover with some ice, and let stand, until cold, about 20 minutes or longer.

6. Once chilled*, pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  

Pack the ice cream into a plastic container.  Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream (to prevent ice crystals) and close with an airtight lid.  Freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

*If you are using nonhomogenized milk you will need to pour into a food processor twice:

1. After mixing the heated milk mixture with the cream cheese, CAREFULLY pour the heated mixture into a food processor and process for 2 minutes.

2. After chilling the mixture in the ice bath, CAREFULLY pour the chilled mixture (you can do this easily by cutting off one corner) into a food processor and process again for 2 minutes.

[ Adapted from: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home ]

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