Smores Tartlettes

For someone who primarily bakes, I'm not much of a sweets eater. If my life depended on the choice between sweet versus savory, I'd choose savory hands down. I love salt so much so that I used to just moisten my fingers, dip them in salt, and then proceed to lick it off my fingers. So... basically, when I get kidney stones, I'll know exactly why and who to blame.

When I made these smores tartlettes, I wasn't expecting to love them much. When I do enjoy sweets, I usually prefer ones on the less sweet side. These, filled with a rich chocolate ganache and topped with toasty marshmallows seemed like they would be much too rich for my own taste, which is why I chose to make them as a present for someone else. But as I tasted these teeny little tartlettes, I was surprised by how much I was drawn to them. They're actually the perfect treat! I love when I prove myself wrong.

Smores Tartlettes

Yields: 10 mini tarts

Original recipe here.

For the crust:

1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup sugar

5 tbsn. unsalted butter

For the filling:

5 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tbsn. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

pinch of salt (I used fleur de sell)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until well blended and crumbly. Transfer the mixture to the mini tart pans and use your fingers to press the graham crackers into the pan. Bake until set and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and butter until warm and the butter is melted. Stir to combine and pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for several minutes, then stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the salt and vanilla and let cool completely. Pour into the mini crusts and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 4 hours. Right before serving, press a layer of mini marshmallows into the chilled ganache. Use a blow torch to toast the marshmallows until golden brown.

Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crunch and Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream

Fall is synonymous with pumpkin to me. The instant the weather starts to turn and the leaves start to change their color, the smell of pumpkin fills the air. When I was little, I swore to myself that I hated cheesecake and pumpkin pie. In my mind I never really knew why, but my sister told me she hated them, so I just knew I had to hate them too. Oh, how wrong I was! When I finally tried them for myself, I figured out that not only did I not-not like them, I loved them!

Last year was pretty ridiculous with the pumpkin shortage, so this year I made damn sure to stock up on all the pumpkin I would need and then some. I decided to try Bobby Flay's winning pumpkin pie from Throwdown! It boasts an untraditional graham cracker crust, an intensely flavored and smooth filling, all topped with boozy whipped cream and crispy oat crunchies to boot! The filling is incredibly dense (in a great way) and as smooth as can be - thanks to the straining. The oat crunchies provided a nice contrast in texture and I loved the maple scent of the whipped cream. 

Pumpkin Pie with Cinnamon Crunch and Bourbon-Maple Whipped Cream

Yields: 2 8" Pies

Original recipe here.

For the cinnamon crunch:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup quick cooking, rolled oats

1/4 cup light muscavado sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 1/2 tbsn. unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

For the graham cracker crust:

2 cups graham crackers

8 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 egg, whisked (for brushing crust)

For the pumpkin filling:

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

3/4 cups dark muscavado sugar

2 tbsn. molasses

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and reserved (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

For the bourbon-maple whipped cream:

1 1/4 cups heavy cream, cold

1/2 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and reserved (or 2 tsp. vanilla extract)

2 tbsn. grade B maple syrup

1 - 2 tbsn. bourbon (to your taste)

To make the cinnamon crunch, preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse until combined. Pour the mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and pat it into a rectangle, about 4x6 inches. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Break up into small pieces and store in an airtight container. 

To make the crust, keep the oven temperature at 350 F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter and cinnamon to a medium bowl and mix until combined. It should feel like wet sand and just come together. Spread the mixture evenly into a 10-inch pie tin and use your fingertips or the flat bottom of a glass to firmly press the mixture over the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Brush with the whisked egg. Put the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until the crust is light brown and firm to the touch, about 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the filling, reduce the oven temperature to 300 F. Whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugars and molasses in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the pumpkin puree, spices, salt, cream, milk and vanilla seeds and continue to whisk to combine. Strain the mixture through a coarse strainer into a bowl (this will make it velvety smooth). Whisk in the butter. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and pour the strained mixture into the pre-baked shell. Bake until almost set, about 1 hour (the edges will be set and the center will be jiggly slightly when shaken). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled, if preferred. 

For the bourbon whipped cream, combine the cream, vanilla seeds, syrup and bourbon in a large chilled bowl and whip until soft peaks form. To serve, cut the pie into slices and serve each slice with a large dollop of whipped cream and some of the cinnamon crunch.

I had some leftover filling, so I made some extra mini tarts!

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

I think about food a lot. Maybe too much? Is that possible? I cook food, I eat food, I read about food, I take pictures of food - I think it really consumes my life. Sometimes I come across people who think of food as sustenance only and I get so confused. Food is so central to my life that it seems strange that people see it as such a small thing.

I'm always dreaming about what I'm going to be making next. While dreaming, I stumbled upon The Cupcake Project and her pumpkin pie frosting. Mind you, not pumpkin pie flavored frosting, actual, honest-to-goodness pumpkin pie AS frosting. Did I lose you? Let me break it down... a baked pumpkin pie filled into a piping bag and used as frosting! Genius right?


I knew exactly what I wanted to make: pumpkin pie cupcakes. So that's what we have here: a crispy graham cracker crust, vanilla cake and the creamiest pumpkin pie frosting. I think the perfect Fall treat!

The anatomy of a pumpkin pie cupcake:

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

Yields: 15 cupcakes

Inspired by this; adapted from here and here.

For the cupcakes:

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1 cups sugar

1/2 tbsn. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup or 1 stick unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature

1/2 cup milk, divided

2 large eggs

1 large egg white

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

For the graham cracker crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsn. light brown sugar

3 tbsn. unsalted butter, melted

For the pumpkin pie frosting:

2 large eggs, beaten

1 can (16 oz.) pureed pumpkin

2 tbsn. molasses

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tbsn. flour

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

The "frosting" should be made first as it takes the longest to bake and needs to cool before using. Preheat the oven to 425 F. In a medium bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients until well combined. Pour the filling into a 9-inch round pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350 F and continue cooking for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the filling comes out clean. Let cool completely before using.

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a cupcake pan with liners, set aside. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add the butter and 1/4 cup of milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. In another bowl, blend the eggs, egg white, remaining 1/4 cup milk and vanilla. Add to the batter in 3 additions, mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl in between additions. Set aside.

To make the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a medium bowl and mix well. Add 1 tbsn. of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner and bake for 5 minutes until the graham crackers are golden. Remove from the oven then fill about 1/2 full with the cake batter. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. To frost, scoop the pumpkin pie "frosting" into a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes.

Smores Cookies

I often use my baking skills to my advantage. When I need a favor or help or anything of that nature, I often offer a baked good in return. 'Help! I need a shift covered! I'll bake you something in return, pleeeeeease??' Yep this hobby has definitely become handy from time to time. I know I've previously said I hated baking cookies. But that fear is now gone, I'm proud to say. After baking an enormous amount of cookies this holiday season, I've perfected the art of the cookie.

Now I'm moving on to bigger and better things hopefully... the macaron perhaps? Only the future will tell. On to the cookies... by the pictures you can tell that these are some sinful little buggers; decadent in every way. These are now one of my top 5 cookies, they are amazingly soft yet chewy and the taste is out of this world! And I especially loved the chewiness that the marshmallows added to the cookies.

Smores Cookies

Yields: about 3 dozen

Original recipe can be found here.

Printable Recipe

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup/ 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups miniature chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

2 regular Hershey bars, roughly chopped

In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars and mix until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, graham crackers, salt and baking soda and mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips then cover and refrigerate the dough for about one hour. Preheat oven to 375 F. Take a tablespoon of the dough, roll into a ball, and drop onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of dough, leaving about 2 inches between each to allow it to spread. Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven. Push a 3 - 5 marshmallows and a few pieces of a Hershey's bar into each cookie. Return to oven and bake for another 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown and the marshmallows are a bit toasted. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

(Campfire not included):

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Marshmallow

I've heard numerous raves about Trophy Cupcakes, unfortunately Seattle's a little out of my reach. But just my luck, Martha Stewart once again came to my rescue! On her website I found a fabulous recipe for one of their most famous cupcakes, the chocolate graham cracker cupcake with marshmallow frosting (basically a smore). Plus, I've been itching to use a new blow torch that we've had lying around the house. Could perfection come in any more obvious a package? 
The recipe seemed a little strange to me, calling for ingredients such as boiled water and vegetable oil and I was inclined to using a typical chocolate cake recipe, but I decided to give it a try and I was delightfully surprised. The cupcakes turned out wonderfully, with a crispy bottom, a moist chocolate cake with unbelievable frosting! The frosting, OH the frosting! I loved it because it wasn't overly sweet and it was sticky in your mouth and so undeniably gorgeous. The recipe for the frosting yielded much more than I could ever use on the amount of cupcakes the recipe made, so I halved the recipe below, but I managed to do good with my extras and turned them into white chocolate, cinnamon, and almond meringues YUM (recipe and post coming soon)!

Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

Yields: 24 Cupcakes

Found at Martha Stewart, courtesy of: Jennifer Shea

Printable Recipe

For the cake:

2 cups and 2 tbsn. sugar

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup and 1 tbsn. cocoa powder, unsweetened

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk (I used 2%)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup of boiling water

For crust:

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, about 20 squares

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

9 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

For the marshmallow frosting: 

(I halved the recipe for you guys since I had more than enough to frost the cupcakes)

4 large egg whites

1 cup of sugar

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 cupcake pans with liners and set aside. Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and mix together. In a large bowl mix the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the wet mixture to the dry, making sure everything is well incorporated. Next add the boiling water and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Stir until well combined. Add 1 tbsn. of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake cup and pack them in using the bottom of a small cup. Next, sprinkle 2 tsp. of the chopped chocolate bits into each cup and then bake for about 5 minutes or until the graham crackers are golden. Remove from the oven and then fill them 3/4 full with the cake batter. Return to the oven and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

For the frosting, place the whites, sugar and tartar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a pot of simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and the eggs are warm to the touch. Transfer the bowl back to the machine and whisk, starting on low speed then eventually moving to high speed. Whisk until glossy peaks form, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add vanilla, mix until combined. Now frost your cupcakes! You can spoon the mixture on or use any tip you like. You can also either broil the cupcakes to toast the marshmallow or use a blow torch (which I used). Enjoy!

After their tan: