S'mores Cookie Bars

My older daughter has been asking me to make something that uses marshmallows in the recipe. And what's a better use of marshmallows than s'mores? I love roasting marshmallows and sandwiching it between chocolate and graham crackers, then eating its ooey-gooey goodness. Something about it is just so comforting. 

I found this recipe for S'mores Cookie Bars on Pinterest from Lovin' in the Oven. It uses a graham cracker cookie crust and marshmallow fluff that accomplishes the gooey part of a traditional s'mores. This definitely satisfies my S'mores craving.

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff (not melted marshmallows)

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light in color. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and continue beating on low speed until combined.

4) Press half of the dough in an even layer on the bottom of prepared pan. Place chocolate bars on top of dough. Spread marshmallow fluff over the chocolate bars. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the marshmallow fluff (the easiest way to do this is by flattening the dough into small shingles and then laying them together).

5) Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Carmelitas

This recipe for Carmelitas from Lulu the Baker has made its rounds on Pinterest several times and so I figured I should give it a try. It looked easy enough and I had some caramels left over from when I made Samoa brownies. I was able to make this during another one of my baby girl's naps because it was pretty easy to make. And they came out ooey-goey delicious and so easy to make. I'll definitely be making these again.

9.5 ounces (about 32 squares) caramel
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup oats
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

2) In a small microwave safe bowl, place caramel and cream and microwave for 1 minute. Stir and return to microwave in 30 second increments until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

1) In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar, flour, oats and baking soda until well combined. Pat half of the mixture on the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

2) Remove pan from oven and top with chocolate chips. Pour caramel over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over chocolate chips. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Avalanche Bars

I absolutely love Pinterest. They have such great ideas, and most importantly, such great recipes. Which is where I found this recipe for my favorite Avalanche Bars from Cookies and Cups.

Avalanche bars are supped up versions of a Rice Krispies treat. I used to buy a lot of these whenever we go Outlet shopping, because that's where we always find the candy shop that sells them. Goes to show you how often I used to go outlet shopping. I don't outlet shop as often anymore, nor do I buy these sweet treats as often. But I sure do miss them. So I was so excited to find this recipe and made them immediately. They taste exactly as I remembered them. These were so easy to make that I was able to whip these up while the baby took her nap. The best part of it was that I spent the same amount of money to make them as it costs to buy one bar at the candy shop. So there was more for me eat. Yum yum!

1 (12 oz bag) white chocolate chips
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
1/4 mini chocolate chips

1) Lightly grease a 9x9 pan. Set aside.

2) In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt white chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir and continue to melt in 30 second increments until chocolate has melted and is smooth.

3) Stir in peanut butter until well incorporated. Add cereal and stir until well coated. Allow to slightly cool, about 15-20 minutes.

4) Add marshmallows and chocolate chips and stir until well combined. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing lightly with the back of the spoon. Do not compact too much as it will become hard once the chocolate sets. Once cooled and the chocolate has set, cut into squares.

Coconut Macadamia Nut Bars

I came across this recipe for Coconutty Macadamia Nut Bars from Cooking Hawaiian Style. It almost got buried among all the recipes I had saved up during my Fat Flush Diet last week. I saved several recipes a while ago from Cooking Hawaiian Style. I figured I'd better start making them. Especially this one, because I still have a couple of bags of macadamia nuts I've been wanting to use from our trip to Hawaii last October.

The recipe was really quite simple and used simple ingredients. The outcome was reminiscent of Pecan Pie. It also reminds of the macadamia tart I had at a luau that we went to last October.

Crust
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour

Filling
4 large eggs
3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups chopped macadamia nuts
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan. Set aside

2) In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar over medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour and continue beating until crumbly. Press dough on the bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool slightly.

3) In a large mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients for the filling. Spread mixture evenly on top of prepared crust. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

I recently learned from the Brown Eyed Baker that there is a cookbook out there totally dedicated to my love of all things cookie dough, The Cookie Dough Lover's Cookbook. I. Must. Get. This. Cookbook. After learning of said cookbook, I have been craving for some cookie dough treats. I have saved up this recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies I found from, again, the Brown Eyed Baker, for emergency situations like this. Cookie dough and brownies. Genius.

Brownie
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chips
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

1) Preheat oven to 325 deg F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil with enough to hang over all four sides. Butter foil and set aside.

2) In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate in microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

3) In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in melted chocolate until well combined. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour. Mix just until combined (do not over-mix).

4) Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes, until toothpick test comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

Cookie Dough Spread
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1) In a medium bowl, cream butter and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla and beat until combined.

2) Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour. Mix just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in chocolate chips.

3) Evenly spread cookie dough over cooled brownie. Refrigerate until cookie dough is firm, about an hour. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the brownies. Store brownies in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I've been keeping an eye out for some great recipes to use my Fleur de Sel after making Salted Caramel Ice Cream last week. Which, by the way, is practically gone. I just love that salty and sweet mixture. I'm a huge fan of chocolate covered pretzels. I've also been known to eat my Rocky Road Ice Cream with Sour Cream and Onion chips. Yeah. I love mixing sweet with savory. And since discovering Fleur de Sel, I've been sprinkling some over anything I eat that is chocolatey.

Sometime last week, this recipe popped up on my reader from Brown Eyed Baker. Michelle totally read my mind (and my taste buds) when she made this. A mixture of chocolate chip cookie, with gooey caramel, and a hint of salt. So yummy. I managed to make 2 batches so I we can have more to give away. Because this is a treat that must be shared. Hubby even asked if we had enough to give away at his work.

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 Tbsp. (about 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel squares, unwrappd
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
Fleur de Sel for sprinkling

1) Preheat oven to 325 deg F. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan. Set aside.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3) In a bowl of an electric mixer, mix together melted butter and sugars on medium speed until combined. Add egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and continue mixing until smooth. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4) In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine caramels and heavy cream. Microwave on high in 20 second increments, stirring often, until caramel is melted. This may take up to 2 minutes.

5) Press half of the cookie dough onto prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Pour hot caramel over cookie dough, leaving some empty spaces around the edges. Sprinkle the caramel with sea salt. Drop the remaining cookie dough in spoonfuls over the caramel and gently spread the dough with a spatula until caramel is covered. Sprinkle with more sea salt.

6) Bake for 30 minutes, until top is golden brown and the edges have pulled away from the pan. Cool to room temperature on a cooling rack, then refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let the caramel set. Cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature in a air-tight container.