S’mores Chocolate Bark, And Away and Back
Chris and I were out of town for the last few days, on a self-prescribed break, our first since we moved to this coast.
It’s amazing how different New York is outside of the City. The entire state is densely populated, but with trees and lakes instead of humans. It’s at times well-mannered, at times remote, and there was so much SPACE. I unfurled my cramped fingers and toes, stretched out my arms and legs, opened up my chest and took deep breaths of cool, clean air. Then I tossed on a sweater. That’s mountain living for you.
We drove up to the Catskills, about 2 hours out of the city, and stayed in a little town close to Woodstock, but not the Woodstock you’re thinking of. That Woodstock was held 43 miles away.
We hiked a little. And we drove down twisty roads lined with trees that were in the process of changing into their autumn garb. Most were still deciding.
We shopped, and ate at diners, and slept in. It was cozy, and there was no cell phone service, so I was completely out of touch with the world! Not quite. Our lodge provided wifi service.
And now we’re back. Would you like to see pictures? Feel free to click on any image to see it at a manageable size.
I actually do have a recipe for you today, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a recipe so much as the freeform tossing together of food. Well, maybe that’s what cooking is all about eh? I’ll estimate amounts below.
I’d been hoping that we’d have the means of making s’mores while in the Catskills, but no campfires were made, nor do I think our stomaches had the capacity. No matter—I decided to compensate by making s’mores chocolate bark instead.
I realize chocolate bark is known as a holiday thing, but I worked at a candy store in college and we sold it year-round (I consumed it year-round too), so I think chocolate bark is acceptable any time. Are we in agreement here? If so, then I think we can all acknowledge that a s’mores version is the ideal fix for those who didn’t get any s’mores action over the summer.
S’MORES CHOCOLATE BARK
Ingredients:
8 oz. milk chocolate
1/2 cup marshmallows
1 graham cracker rectangle, ground unevenly
Directions:
Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
In a microwave, or saucepan or double broiler on low heat, melt chocolate. Pour it on parchment paper, smooth it out, and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Plop marshmallows on top. Place the baking pan in the fridge for about an hour, until the bark is hardened.
Note: If you’re melting the chocolate on the stovetop, it’s important that the heat is on low or it will seize up. To help with unmanageable chocolate, stir in a tiny bit of vegetable oil, maybe half a teaspoon.
Better Than S’Mores Mini Cupcakes
I have been wanting to try Biscoff cupcakes for that past week. But I wanted to see what would happen if I tried to turn them into s’mores. The Biscoff is a bit sweeter than a graham cracker, but I though if I used a dark chocolate ganache to fill them, it might balance out the sweetness. What?? Me, make something less sweet?? Ask anyone who knows me and they would think something was wrong. But have no fear, sometimes it’s all worth it in the end. And these absolutely were. Topped with a marshmallow fluff frosting, these puppies came out better than expected, better than a s’mores!
Don’t mind my upside down flour bag. It had a hole in the bottom, so I had put it that way, otherwise that kitchen would look like a snowstorm had passed through.
| For the ganache filling |
filled cupcakes
At this point feel free to take any defect cupcake and pop it into your mouth. It is for quality control purposes only. Since it was late at night when I made the frosting, I forgot to take any pictures.
Of course before I went to bed I had to try one and gave one to my husband to try so I wouldn’t feel so guilty. Oh god, they were delicious. I am glad I made them bite size, the blend of tastes it just perfect. Unfortunately, that just means I will eat more.
Better Than S’Mores Mini Cupcakes
by The Sweet Chick
Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert biscoff marshmallow fluff chocolate ganache cupcake
Ingredients (24 mini cupcakes)
For the Biscoff Cupcakes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup Biscoff spread
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 12 ounces chocolate, chopped into small pieces (I used a 3.5oz bar of Lindt dark chocolate and about 3/4 of a 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the Marshmallow Fluff Frosting
- 1/2 stick butter, softened
- 2 cups marshmallow fluff
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon Wilton meringue powder
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
For the Biscoff Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 350º F and fill muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Place flour, sugar, salt and baking soda into a large bowl, mix to combine. Set aside.
In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, place oil, sour cream, Biscoff spread, eggs and vanilla into the bowl and mix on medium speed until well incorporated. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly, about 30 seconds. Spoon batter into prepared mini cupcake liners about 3/4 full. Bake for 10-15 or until toothpick inserted in center comes out dry. Remove and let cool completely.
(For regular sized cupcakes, bake 18-22 minutes).
Recipe by healthyfoodforliving.com/recipes
For the Chocolate Ganache Filling
Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl.
Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy.
Allow ganache to cool. The longer you allow the ganache to cool, the thicker it will set. You can place it in the fridge to cool faster. The ganache needs to be completely cooled before piping it in the cupcakes.
While the ganache is cooling cut a hole in the middle of each cupcake and scoop out the center (not all the way to the bottom). I used a vegetable peeler, but you can also try a apple corer.
With a frosting piping bag or a plastic freezer bag with tip cut off, pipe the ganache filling into each cupcake and place back in the fridge.
Recipe by https://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/recipes/
For the Marshmallow Fluff Frosting
In a stand up mixer or using a hand mixer, blend butter and marshmallow fluff until smooth.
Sift in confectioners’ sugar and meringue powder and beat on low speed.
Add vanilla and milk and increase speed to high. Beat for 1 minute.
Using a frosting piping bag and your favorite tip, frost each cupcake and place back in fridge to set.
Recipe by The Sweet Chick