S'MORES BARS

to redeem my baking skills (my last attempt at pumpkin bars turned into a sheet cake??), i decided i needed to try making another bar. so, on my weekly peruse of TasteSpotting, i was greeted by a decadent image of s'mores bars. the minute i laid eyes on them, i knew i had to make them. for awhile now, i've been craving that gooey, melted chocolate, perfectly toasted marshmallow, crisp, slightly sweet graham cracker goodness and this recipe was not only the easiest thing you'll put together, but it was just what i needed to satisfy the craving.

S'MORES BARS

posted on real mom kitchen on july 17, 2010 (originally posted on cooking with my kid on june 21, 2010 by rebecca & gus)

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 c), room temperature
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c graham cracker crumbs (about 7 full-sized graham cracker sheets, processed until fine)
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 4.4 oz. milk chocolate bars
• 1 1/2 c marshmallow creme/fluff (1 jar)

preheat oven to 350°F. grease an 8-inch square baking pan (per rmk, i lined it with foil first, then greased to remove easily). use an electric mixer to cream together butter and brown & white sugars until light and fluffy.

beat in egg and vanilla. set aside.

whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt.

slowly add flour mixture to creamed butter mixture until combined. divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

place chocolate bars over dough (the 2 bars should fit perfectly side by side).

spread chocolate with marshmallow creme.

place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles and layering them together). **i, clearly, did not take the suggestion

bake for 30 - 35 minutes, until lightly browned. cool completely before cutting into bars (about 1 1/2 hours).

my yummy tip: if you don't have a food processor to crush the graham crackers into crumbs, use a blender. if you don't have either, place in a plastic storage bag and go buck-wild!

SALTED CARAMELS

the husband has been dying to make homemade salted caramels and he is not one to be hands-on, but he was all for it. so, where's the first place i turn? TasteSpotting, of course. after perusing through a few photos, i found this recipe...is it the best one? not sure, but i'll definitely be trying others.

SALTED CARAMELS

posted on art of dessert on december 18, 2008 (adapted from the better homes and garden new cookbook)

• 1 c butter (or 2 sticks)
• 2 1/4 c brown sugar
• 2 c heavy cream
• 1 c light corn syrup
• 1 t sea salt
• 1 t vanilla extract

line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. grease with butter or cooking spray. set aside.

in a 3-qt saucepan, melt butter on low heat.

add brown sugar, cream, corn syrup, and sea salt. cook over medium-high heat, stirring until it reaches a boil.

lower the heat to medium and attach a candy thermometer to the pan. keep cooking and stirring until it reaches 248° F (or firm ball stage).

remove the thermometer and from heat. stir in vanilla and pour into prepared pan. sprinkle sea salt over the caramel. let cool completely (about 2 1/2 to 3 hours), then lift it out of the pan. cut into 1-inch squares.

my yummy tip: spray/grease the blade of the knife to help with the stickiness when cutting.

PUMPKIN BAR OR CAKE?

one of my favorite food blogs is TasteSpotting, where i can look at images to decide whether or not i was to try making it. i, myself, have not felt my photos are up to par, but someday i will be up to par! anyway, one of the best things about TS, is that they post images and recipes from other food blogs and i've been able to find a couple others that i love. one of which is called Lovin' From the Oven. kim seems to be a talented, innovative baker, who totally understands what desserts and sweets are all about! i was in the mood to bake, but was looking for a recipe that was easy and that i already had ingredients to. so, i found a recipe for pumpkin bars. i haven't had pumpkin since christmas and once i saw the recipe, i suddenly had a hankering, of course. but, when i was done, i think i'd done something wrong because it had more of the consistency of cake...oh well, it's still delicious! i just wished i had cream cheese so i could frost it.

PUMPKIN BARS

adapted from lovin' from the oven by kim on november 28, 2008

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 1 15 oz. canned pumpkin
• 3 slightly beaten egg whites
• 1/2 c cooking oil
• 1/2 c water

preheat oven to 350° F and spray a medium-size baking pan with nonstick coating; set aside. combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves in medium bowl.

stir in pumpkin, egg whites, oil, and water until thoroughly combined. spread batter into prepared pan.

bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. cool in pan on a wire rack.