Marshamallow Lover Cupcakes

I have a problem. It's more than just an obsession, it's an infatuation...with marshmallows. It's the craziest thing because marshmallow is pure sugar and I believe it's one of the great inventions ever. I do not exaggerate. There are times I go to the grocery store to buy a munchie and leave with a bag of mini marshmallows in hand. Marshmallows are multifunctional....at least in my life. I can make Rice Krispie treats, dip em in practically anything, stuff em in a peanut butter sandwich, or eat em on their own. Oh, I did forget one more way to eat marshmallows...in a cupcake! This cupcake is a ode to my one and only love, the marshmallow!

http://www.countryliving.com/cooking/about-food/spring-centerpiece-0406#slide-1

My crush...no one knows except for you!

Marshmallow lover cupcake is a yellow cupcake with marshmallow fluff filling, topped with chocolate malt frosting and a chocolate covered marshmallow. This cupcake is great from scratch (cupcakes, marshmallows, frosting, etc.) but it is also a great assembly cupcake. What do I mean by this? While I love baking things from scratch, sometimes we need a dessert but not enough time. This is a great cupcake to make that is, like how Sandra Lee says, semi-homemade. In this instance, I used boxed cake mix, store bought frosting, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate covered marshmallow. All I had to do was to bake and assemble the cupcakes. Sounds like a piece of marshmallow, right?

Caramel Crunch Bar

Having one of the those sweet tooth and don't know what to do about it? Give these caramel crunch bars a try, for they are sure to satisfy the "sweet" tooth in you. This baking concoction is a essentially a shortbread like cookie crust with espresso, brown sugar, and cinnamon to create a caramel flavored base. It is topped with chocolate and toffee bits. The yummy toffee bits enhance the caramel flavor of the cookie and makes this cookie unique and delicious. Do not be deceived by its name for there is no actual caramel in the recipe, just a caramel flavor.

As you can tell, I have been having a cookie bar fad as of late but they are simple and easy, especially if you're making them for an event. Recently, I have been making things for work colleagues and friends and because I have a busy schedule, cookie bars are great go-to recipes. Also, there are so many variations of the cookie bar that no one recipe will seem repetitive.

One thing I loved about the recipe was adding the chocolate layer because the recipe calls for doing so after the cookie has baked in the oven. I simply topped the cookie with the chocolate chips, put the cookie back in the oven for 2 minutes, and took it out again to spread the melted chocolate with an offset spatula. It was super easy and no fuss whatsoever! However, if I had to make one adjustment, I would use dark chocolate chips as opposed to semisweet because the cookie is already sweet so the semisweet chocolate added another layer of sweetness. It was too much sweetness for me but if you do not mind an extra sweetness, feel free to use semisweet or milk chocolate. 

I really love this recipe! These caramel crunch bars are tasty, delicious, and found a home in my recipe book!

Pumpkin Bread

There is nothing I love more than trying a recipe that I've scribbled on a scratch piece of paper laying on my desk. The recipe always screams, "Make Me!" but I always put it off to the side and end up forgetting about it. I became smarter and began storing these scratch pieces of paper in a folder so I can sift through it when I had an itch to bake. Needless to say, when I had the itch yesterday, I whipped out my folder and starting sifting through my recipes. Awhile back, I was searching for a healthy pumpkin bread recipe because quick breads like pumpkin bread tend to be high in sugar and fat. After a good search, I found a recipe than had just the right amount of healthiness!

This recipe calls for egg whites, plain yogurt, and pumpkin which all create a healthier version of pumpkin bread! I love pumpkin and one of the beauties of making pumpkin bread is not having to worry much about the end product being moist because pumpkin recipes tend to be moist.

I was very happy with how the bread turned out. If I could tweak this recipe slightly, I would add more spice to the bread to bump up the flavor. The recipe is good as is if you like pumpkin baked products to be more on the mild side. Next time, I plan on incorporating some pumpkin pie spice to enhance the pumpkin flavor. Each serving has 140 calories and 4 grams of fat. Not too shabby if you ask me!

S'mores Cookie Bar

I think it is safe to say that a childhood and adulthood favorite for most people are s'mores. Even though I didn't have my first s'more until I was nine (yes, I kept track), this snack always sounded delicious. While I love eating s'mores, I like it better when someone makes it for me because I just do not have the patience to wait for the marshmallows to roast. Needless to say, I am no marshmallow roasting connoisseur so s'mores bars is a great option for me when I have a craving for s'mores. How did I stumble upon this idea? 

Lately, I've been slightly obsessed with Pinterest. The great thing about Pinterest is that I discover things  I would have never discovered on my own. I can conveniently keep track and reflect on the things I find. It is because of Pinterest that I found this awesome recipe. I have consistently come across recipes for s'mores cupcakes and cookie bars which was only a sign for me to do one thing...

Since I always make cupcakes (I'm sure you've noticed), I opted for the cookie bar this time. What a great choice for my Sunday fun day project! I was surprised by how much this recipe tasted like s'mores. I might never make s'mores again, unless it's these s'mores bars. I made the bars about six hours ago and not much remains...oops. At least I know the recipe was a success! Thanks Pinterest!