With the third installment of our Jeni’s Spinalong Series, Mrs. Table and I chose a nice, broad theme. Our original plan was a “back to school” theme, during which we discovered that we were creating quite literally the same. exact. ice cream. So, we decided to think bigger and broader with this month’s theme and went for a simple: “Welcome to Fall” theme, or -more accurately – our feels about fall. The recipe requirement? Gravel. Continue reading
Did we all enjoy our break from whipped cream and sugar?
I hope so, because it’s over.
So, so, so over.
Because who can say no to s’mores? Not this girl.
Especially in the summer, when you don’t even need any fire to make them.
Ok, maybe just a little fire. After all, how can you have a s’more without a toasted marshmallow?
You can’t. You absolutely cannot.
So, for this cake, we keep our roasted marshmallows and layer them with graham crackers, whipped cream, and chocolate pudding. Not just any chocolate pudding, though, HERSHEY’S chocolate pudding! I didn’t even know Hershey’s MADE pudding… but as soon as I saw it my brain instantly went to s’mores, and my no-bake frenzy turned those s’mores into an icebox cake.
Because you can’t have s’mores without Hershey’s!
Well, you can, but they aren’t the same.
After we layer our ingredients, we use the magic of the refrigerator to turn those crunchy grahams into soft layers of cake. It’s magic! For real! And those marshmallows, the whipped cream does some crazy refrigerator voodoo and makes them become one with the whipped cream. It’s like biting into sweet, toasty little clouds in between layers of chocolate and graham.
Like I said, magic.
Makes 1 9-by-5 inch cake
1. Whisk pudding mix and milk in a medium bowl until thickened, about 5 minutes. Place in fridge to thicken up, at least another 5 minutes.
2. Make whipped cream:
Note: I added cream cheese to my whipped cream, because I read somewhere that it would help to “stabilize” the whipped cream. I’m not sure if it works, but you can leave out the cream cheese if you like.
In a small bowl, whip cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. In alarge bowl, whip heavy cream until thickened. Add ¼ cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract and continue to whip until it reaches firm peaks. Gently fold cream cheese into whipped cream and stir to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Toast your marshmallows (if desired, trust me, you desire). I used this adorable handheld torch that the BF got me for Christmas, or my birthday, or some celebratory event. I don’t use this thing nearly enough. It works SO WELL. I love it.
4. When ready to assemble, layer your cake starting with graham crackers, then whipped cream, mini mallows, and chocolate. Some icebox cake recipes tell you to start with a thin layer of whipped cream (like lasagna has you start with a layer of sauce). This is optional, but will help your bottom layer to soften faster. I prefer to skip this step and not have my bottom layer glue itself to my serving platter, but to each his (or her) own.
A 9 by 5 cake will require each layer to have 2 1/4 sheets of graham crackers.
Repeat your layering until you reach the top (3 layers in all, of course you could make it taller with extra grahams. There was plenty of whipped cream and pudding left over).
Spread whipped cream over sides as well, if you would like a fully-frosted cake, or leave the sides unfrosted for a more whimsical look. Sprinkle with chopped Hershey’s, mallows, and graham crumbs. Chill for at least 4 hours to allow grahams to magically turn into cake.
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.
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.
Makes about 10 cups s’more popcorn
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 ]
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 ]
**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
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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