S'mores Ice Cream

How do you make s'mores ice cream, you ask? You begin with the vanilla ice cream, flavored with extra sugar for that 'marshmallowy' taste and texture. Then make some chocolate ice cream, flavor it with a little liquid smoke, and swirl it through. If you really want some more s'more flavor and texture - add some graham cracker pieces or crumbs. 

S'mores

S'mores was another action station at the golf club tournament. It consisted of marshmallow roasted on site in a smoker, warm milk chocolate sauce, warm caramel sauce, and graham cracker crumbs. Delicious and sweet! This was certainly a popular station.

Mint Nanaimo Bars

I have always been a pretty big fan of the classic nanaimo bar. I am not sure why the combination of a nutty, chewy base, a sweet, creamy filling, and a rich chocolaty topping is so good, but it always seems to be a hit! This is one of those cases where you hesitate to mess with a good thing, but there are several yummy variations, usually involving a different flavoring in the filling such as mint, cherry, or pineapple. I also made a ‘reverse’ nanaimo bar once, where the filling was chocolate and the base and topping were vanilla. The filling can be died green to identify it as mint, if desired, but I didn’t bother with the added dye. This version is extra minty because the use of mint chocolate chips ensures a hint of mint in each layer.

Mint Nanaimo Bars

BASE

1 cup mint chocolate chips

½ cup butter or hard margarine

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup flakes coconut

FILLING

2 cups icing (confectioners’) sugar

¼ cup butter or hard margarine, softened

2 Tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon mint (peppermint) extract

green food coloring, optional

TOPPING

¾ cup mint chocolate chips

2 teaspoons oil

BASE: In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate chips and butter over medium heat. Stir in the crumbs and coconut. Press firmly into a greased or lined 9x9 inch square pan. Chill.

FILLING: Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Spread evenly over base. Chill.

TOPPING: Melt chips and oil together. Spread evenly over filling. Chill until set but not too hard, then cut into bars.

Graduation Hat Cupcakes

Since it is still graduation season, I decided to share another graduation treat I actually made five years ago for my brother when he graduated. At the time I was really only just beginning to really get interested in the culinary world. Since then, my creativity, skills, and photography have vastly improved. 

I found this idea for graduation hat cupcakes online. It is a similar idea to the brownie graduation hats I made this year and last year. First I baked a batch of vanilla cupcakes, removed the paper liners, and turned them upside-down. Next, I coated graham crackers with melted chocolate and allowed them to harden. You really only see one side of the cracker, so it's not necessary to coat both sides, but you can if you'd like. Next I placed the graham cracker on top of the hat with a tassel fashioned from fruit leather strips (in this case I think it's artificial flavoring since the tassels are blue) and attached it with a blue candy coated chocolate. I cannot remember if I needed to use a little extra melted chocolate or some frosting to ensure the cracker and tassel remained attached to the cupcake or not, but it would not hurt. It would also add a little more sweetness, since cupcakes are meant for frosting, and without it these are a tad bit dry, especially after a few days. Don't refrigerate them unless it is really hot (do if the tassels begin to melt like these did) to prevent them from drying out further.

Again, these cupcakes can be color-coordinated to match school colors. If you are using a white cake batter, a little food coloring may even be added to color the cupcakes, though I don't really like the idea of dyed cupcakes. I think they look better in natural colors. You could however, use a chocolate cake batter, and that way the graham cracker would match. If you can purchase chocolate covered graham crackers already, use those as this saves time. Alternatively, you could coat the graham crackers with frosting or fondant, and that way they may again be any color you wish and can match school colors. And of course candy-coated chocolate pieces and fruit roll-up strips are easily found in a variety of different colors.

Coconut Candy Squares

Sometimes, I create my own recipes using inspiration from others I saw as the basis for my creation. Sometimes I create my own recipes completely on a whim. This recipe is a combination of both, but my real inspiration came from the cupboards. I like to try to use up what I consider my "basket ingredinets" - those are those small quantities of random ingredients you have lying around that you would like to use before they go bad. I combined cracker crumbs, cereal, coconut, and milk chocoalte into this very rich, very very sweet candy-like bar that is sticky and ooey-gooey delicious. 

Coconut Candy Squares
CRUST
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup honey nut flavored oat cereal O's, crushed
1/4 cup honey graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
COCONUT FILLING
2 cups flaked coconut
1 can (300mL or 10 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
CHOCOLATE TOPPING
1 1/2 cups chopped milk chocolate (or milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
CRUST: In a medium bowl, stir together the butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Press firmly into prepared pan. Bake for ten minutes.
COCONUT FILLING: Sprinkle one cup of the coconut evenly over the hot crust. Drizzle evenly with the milk. Sprinkle evenly with remaining one cup coconut. Bake for another 15 minutes.
CHOCOLATE TOPPING: Melt the chocolate until smooth. Pour evenly over coconut filling. Let cool, then chill until firm. Cut into squares. 

These are messy and soft, so they are better kept in the refrigerator but they do keep well. Don't wait too long to cut them or the chocolate will get too hard and crack, though milk chocolate does tend to stay softer. A long, sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped off helps. Although these have three layers, they don't require a lot of ingredients and are quick and easy to make. 

Crispy Peanut Mallow Bars

I had four small amounts of slightly random ingredients in my cupboard that were staring me in the face and needed to be used up. Luckily, I came across a recipe that incorporated all four of them: graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows, peanuts, and crisp rice cereal. These bars are easy to make, and taste sort of like a type of chocolate bar - they are not too sweet and can be cut as big or as small as you wish. Just make sure they are chilled when you cut them, and they cut very easily. They will hold up at room temperature for serving. 

Crispy Peanut Mallow Bars
CRUST
1 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
1 large egg, beaten
TOPPING
1 1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup golden corn syrup
1/4 cup butter or hard margarine
2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup peanuts (I used whole, lightly salted)
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Line a 9x13 inch rectangular pan with foil and grease foil. Preheat oven to 350◦F.
CRUST: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, crumbs, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add the butter and egg. Mix well until combined. Press mixture firmly into prepared pan. Bake for 12 minutes. 
TOPPING: While crust is baking, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips, corn syrup, and butter until smooth. Stir in the cereal and nuts.
Sprinkle marshmallows over hot crust and return to oven for two minutes until puffed. Spread evenly with a knife to cover crust. Spoon topping over top and spread evenly. Cool squares, then chill for several hours until firm before cutting. 

Paré, Jean. "Chocolate Peanut Squares." Recipe. Chocolate Squared, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 2009. 4.

Chocolate Coconut Boil

This recipe is a time-saver, and also a saver when it is too hot to even think about turning on the oven. It seems simple, but is quite addictive. You can add 1/2 cup chopped nuts along with the coconut if you wish. The chocolaty flavor is good, and these need no other garnish, though some melted chocolate or icing will make them appear a bit fancier. 

Chocolate Coconut Boil
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine
2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt

Grease or line an 8x8 inch square pan.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, cocoa, milk, and sugar. Stir together, then stir a couple spoonfuls of this mixture into the eggs to temper them. Pour the eggs into the saucepan, and stir. Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring occasionally and boil for one minute. Remove from heat, stir in remaining ingredients. Press mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm.

To decorate: I spread squares with a mixture of 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and two tablespoons hard margarine melted together. After this set a bit, I drizzled them with a bit of icing sugar and milk mixture in one direction, and cocoa, icing sugar, and milk mixture in the other direction. I let this set only a few minutes at room temperature before cutting in order to avoid cracking. Then I refrigerated them after cutting.

Paré, Jean. "Chocolate Boil." Recipe. 150 Delicious Squares, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1981. 128.

Graham PB Coconut Chocolate Squares

I do not have the recipe for these squares, because they are another one my grandmother made  although I am sure it would be easy to find a similar recipe out there. Basically these bars consist of a graham cracker crumb crust in a 9x13 inch pan. They are topped with peanut butter and coconut, and perhaps sweetened condensed milk to pull it all together. Then they have a simple chocolate glaze on top. The squares are good, but a little difficult to cut. Perhaps it would be better to line the pan and lift them out to cut them. The base is quite firm, and chocolate toppings are difficult to cut without cracking them. When lifting them out, the base tends to crumble a little, or the chocolate lifts off the base. They are too hard kept in the fridge, and too soft left out. They do not have a lot of peanut butter flavor, or coconut or chocolate or graham for that matter, but just a nice hint of each. They are tasty, but a tad messy. 

Lemon Graham Slice

Lemon Graham Slice
CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
FILLING
10 ounces/284mL sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemom juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan.
CRUST: In a medium bowl, crumble all ingredients together. Pack into prepared pan.
FILLING: Stir all ingredients together and spread over crust.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.

This is a really quick and easy recipe that gives a nice, sweet lemon fix. It makes a small batch, which is unfortunate since it is difficult to stop at just one. My grandmother made these squares, and they disappeared quickly, even among a selection of other squares. 

Paré, Jean. "Lemon Graham Slice." Recipe. 150 Delicious Squares, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1981. 128.

Mocha Graham Brownies

Mocha Graham Brownies
1 can (11 ounces/300mL) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups honey graham cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line an 8x8 inch square pan.
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except crumbs. Add crumbs and mix well. Spread in prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist, but not wet with crumbs. 

These are not really brownies in the traditional sense, but a shortcut to really tasty squares with a taste combo of chocolate, caramel, and coffee. They have got to be one of the quickest square recipes I have ever made, and as their caption says, "Start now, and you'll be enjoying your second square in less than an hour." These squares are quite decadent and chocolaty, and especially good warm from the oven. They cut well, travel well, and store well - as long as they don't get eaten!

Paré, Jean. "Mocha Brownies." Recipe. Chocolate Squared, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 2009. 44.

S'more Bars with Caramel Drizzle

S'more Bars with Caramel Drizzle
1/2 cup butter or hard margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 can (14 ounces/350mL) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
caramel sauce, to drizzle, optional
additional milk chocolate chips, chocolate sprinkles, or chopped chocolate, optional

Preheat oven to 350◦F. Melt the butter and pour it in a 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan, tilting to coat pan.
Sprinkle the graham crumbs over top and press down.
Pour the milk in an even layer over the crumbs.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips over evenly.
Sprinkle the marshmallows on top.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and drizzle with caramel sauce, then sprinkle on additional chocolate chips.

This is a really quick and easy recipe - no mixing bowl involved! They aren't exactly like s'more bars, but similar. I added the caramel drizzle on top for a little extra garnish and to make them a bit more special, but it is completely optional. You can use purchased or homemade, I will share my go-to recipe tomorrow. Be sure to cut these before refrigerating, as they will become pretty firm. They are probably better stored at room temperature, but can be refrigerated to firm up a bit after cutting. 

Reverse Nanaimo Bars

Here is a unique twist on a popular classic: Reverse Nanaimo Bars. For those who aren't familiar with Nanaimo Bars, they are a popular Canadian confection named after their place of origin, Nanaimo, British Colombia. These are fairly easy, three-layer, no-bake squares. There are a few different recipe variations around for them, but they all have the same basic idea. They start with a chocolate base chock full of coconut, walnuts, and graham cracker crumbs. That is followed by a buttercream layer flavored with vanilla custard powder, and a smooth topping of melted semi-sweet chocolate. Custard powder was invented by a man who's wife adored custard, but she was allergic to eggs. So he came up with the powder. It can be tricky to find in some areas, but instant vanilla pudding can be used in place of it (I have even omitted it completely, the bars are still delicious!). Nanaimo bars are easy and quite visually appealing, the only drawback is that they must be prepared in three stages, and refrigerated after each one. The only lengthy part of the preparation is the chilling. It is a good recipe to make when you have several small chunks of time on your hands instead of one big one. 
In this variation, instead of the usual white layer between two chocolate, there is a chocolate layer between two white. The base is pretty much the same, except in place of cocoa powder, there is melted white chocolate. The middle still contains custard powder, but also has the addition of cocoa. And the top is simply melted white chocolate, with a semi-sweet chocolate drizzle for a little extra garnish. I really like traditional Nanaimo Bars, but this twist was nice for a change, it was something different and was still very tasty.
These squares turned out nice and sweet, without being too rich. They are easy to cut and store, and surprisingly the chocolate topping did not crack. The flavors of white chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate work very well together.