Blogger Finds: S'mores Cookies and Chocolate Chiffon Cupcakes

Chocolate Chiffon Mini Cupcakes

S'mores Cookies

Are you guys like me, wondering where the month went? Before I know it I’ll be making stews, Halloween treats, cooking a turkey and planning for Christmas dinner. I also forgot to post the Barefoot Bloggers recipe last Thursday so this Thursday I’ll play catch up and post

my version of Ina’s pizza. I also have 4 awards/tags that I need to address so I’ll do that on Sunday. Right now I want to take time to pay tribute to other food bloggers out there that are working, creating and sharing their wonderful recipes for the rest of us to try. I am always so amazed and humbled by all the recipes that you guys create.

The first recipe comes from Baked Perfection. She has an amazing blog that is always fun to look at and inspiring. The recipe is for S’mores Cookies. She baked these cookies way back in May and since then I have seen them pop up everywhere. After seeing them again two weeks in a row I finally broke down and made them. I have been reluctant because I’m not much of a S’mores fan. I like my chocolate straight up. Anyway, the cookies are so beautiful that I just couldn’t hold out any longer. Well, I will say that they were not as easy to make as she made them look. She is a gifted baker. I found that there was a learning curve to baking these cookies. It could be me or it could be the Texas heat, who knows. I found if I placed the chocolate and marshmallows on after baking instead of during then they looked very pretty. When I was finished and tasted them I thought, “OH NO, they taste like a S’mores”. Very sweet and too much mixed with my chocolate but I think that’s the idea of these cookies. When my 4-year-old tasted the cookies all we could hear were the groans of satisfaction. I think that these are a bit more work than the average cookie but I WILL be making them again for my sweet little guy.

Oh and check out the picture below to see what my daughter was doing to these cookies.

As seen at Baked Perfection

S'mores Cookies
adapted from Make and Bake

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 dash of cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, and dash of cinnamon. In a second larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowl

y beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of Hershey bar into each cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

The second recipe comes from my new friend at Simple Recipes.

She has such a great blog. Her step-by-step pictures are so incredibly helpful. She needs to collaborate with some of the cookbook publishers and show them how it’s done. I’m not sure my cupcakes would have been so yummy without all her helpful pictures. OK, so her recipe is for Chocolate Chiffon mini cupcakes. I make mini cupcakes almost weekly and was very excited to make her cute, little, chocolate cupcakes. The first day of first grade was a great opportunity to make them and to celebrate the accomplishment of my son. I topped them just as she did with Marshmallow and I’m so glad I did. The cupcakes themselves are so light that the marshmallow added that little bit of sweet that makes them a special treat. I only iced half of them thinking that it would be too much and now I wish I had iced them all. Make them! They are cute, simple and yummy!

Oh and wouldn’t they be great for a shower or party?

As seem at Simple Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHIFFON MINI CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
4 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoon chocolate powder
6 tablespoon sugar, divided into half
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325F, Sift flour, chocolate powder, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Separate the eggs carefully. Add the cream of tart to the egg whites and mix using a clean and dry beater until stiff, add the other half sugar and continue to beat until flip upside down it does not fall.
Add the oil to the egg yolk and beat until the color is a pale yellow, add the other half sugar and continue to beat. Add the water and the vanilla extract, beat until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients and beat for more approximately 2 minutes.
Gently fold the egg whites to the batter using a spatula, make sure that you mix very gently. Pour the batter to the cupcake forms and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
Frost the mini cupcakes with ready made marshmallow and garnish with cherry.
Makes 24 mini cupcakes.