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.

Reeses Smores Cookies

Pretty recently, I made Smores cookies. Well those were quite the hit! My cousin basically scarfed a whole plate down in a matter of minutes, that's how good they are. Well I owed my other cousin some baked goods because he did me a favor. He specifically requested something peanut buttery and I had a glorious idea: Reeses smores cookies!

Well, my great idea turned out to be a great cookie! I just love this cookie; there's something about the graham crackers in the batter and the marshmallows that create this deliciously, perfectly chewy cookie. And this version, with the addition of peanut butter chips and Reeses cups was amazing! If you love peanut butter, this is for you! Such a delicious cookie!

Reeses Smores Cookies

Yields: about 3 - 4 dozen

Original recipe can be found here.

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

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

8 Reeses cups, cut into pieces

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 peanut butter 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 the chopped Reese'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!

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):