S'mores Bars

Sadie wanted S'mores for her birthday, so rather than making those and a cake, I made this instead.  I didn't take a picture of the actual bars, so you get a picture of Chad enjoying one!

Recipe adapted from: http://www.cherryteacakes.com/2011/06/smores-bar.html

S'more Bar Base

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/3 cup honey
5 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and mix on low until it resembles course meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the liquids. Add to the flour mixture and mix on low until the dough barely comes together. Pour the dough out onto plastic wrap and form it into a one inch thick rectangle.

Press the dough into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish (that is either oiled or lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and semi firm to the touch. Cooking times will vary greatly depending on thickness, ovens, and pans used. (I baked mine for 20 minutes and it was about a minute or two too long)

Once the bar base is out of the oven, spread 2 jars of marshmallow cream over it.  You can warm the cream a little to make it easier to spread, or do it while the graham base is still hot.  

Let cool in the freezer for 20 minutes.

S'more Bar Chocolate Glaze

1 package semisweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter
2 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bowl combine chocolate chips, butter and corn syrup. Microwave in 20 second increments on power level 7-8, stirring between each time until smooth. Do not overcook. 

Pour over marshmallow layer. Using a spatula spread the chocolate into a thin layer.

Allow to set for a few hours in the fridge. Cut up and enjoy!

Ok, now for what I would do differently next time:

I'll split the graham base into two and put half on bottom and half on top.  Or, just halve the recipe and use it on the bottom only.  In any case, as written, it was too thick of a base.  I made my chocolate glaze with milk chocolate chips (since the Hersheys bar you would use in a s'mores bar are milk chocolate), but with the added corn syrup, I think it would be better to use the semisweet chips.  Another thought I had was to use chocolate frosting instead.  I'm all about making things easier on myself!

Breakfast Cookies

I've been looking for a recipe like this for a while now. Most that I had found were nothing more than glorified chocolate chip cookies.  Now, I found one that I can feel good about giving to my kids for breakfast or a mid-morning snack!

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 cup finely shredded carrots (2 medium)
1/2 cup raisins

6 oz reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350*.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside
In a small bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
In a mixing bowl, combine the oil, sugars, and egg.  Slowly add carrots and raisins, then the flour mixture.
Drop dough 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake each sheet for 10-12 minutes (for me it took 15 minutes) until the cookies begin to brown.  Let stand 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to cool on a wire rack.
For filling, in a small bowl mix cream cheese and maple syrup.  Spread 1 Tbsp between 2 cookies to make sandwiches.

I didn't make the filling, so I don't know how it turns out with it.  I would probably substitute honey for the maple syrup since I'm cheap :)  My batch made 24 cookies, they are about 100 calories each this way.  I didn't try it, but I'm sure you could substitute apple sauce for the oil.  They freeze wonderfully!

Baked Oatmeal

 I got this recipe from my friend, Tia, and finally tried it today.  It was super yummy, and the kids loved it!  I tweaked her original recipe just a bit...

Baked Oatmeal
3 cups quick-cooking oats (I used regular rolled and it worked fine)
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whatever yummy ingredient(s) you want to put in it (raisins, dried fruits, fresh fruits, chocolate chips, etc.)

My "yummy ingredients" were (all mixed together):
4 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup Pear Cider from Trader Joe's (though you could use apple juice or anything else.  This helps keep the apples from drying out).


Preheat oven to 375. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix milk, butter, eggs and vanilla together and add to dry ingredients. Stir until just incoprorated. Pour into a greased 9x13" pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes. 

If you don't end up doing the apples with cinnamon, etc, I would suggest adding some cinnamon to the oatmeal mixture to help it taste a little less bland :)