Thursday, August 9, 2012

Blog Swap with Love Grows Wild

Hi everyone!
My name is Liz! I blog over at Love Grows Wild where I share crafts, recipes, decor, and organization tips. You can follow me on Facebook and Pinterest, and I'd love to have you stop by my blog and say hi! It's always fun making new friends! I have a YUMMY dessert to share with you, but first I'd like to show you some of my favorite projects I've done recently.
This is a mobile I made for my boy's plane themed bedroom using an old bike tire and paper airplanes.

Paper Airplane Mobile Edit 3

Here's a Before/After of the closet I turned into the Pantry of my dreams!


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Ok, on to the dessert! There are so many things I love about Summer.
One of them is definitely S'mores!
But unfortunately I have not been able to have a single stinkin S'more yet this year because of the horrible drought and burn bans we've had.
Hot, dry weather = no camp fires
So the other night I thought I'd be SuperMom and make S'mores indoors using the oven. I did a super quick Google search and cooked my S'mores according to the directions I found.

Smores Brownies 16

Apparently I should have read a few more sets of directions, because out of my oven came a big cloud of smoke and this charred mess. 
So much for SuperMom status.
In search of redemption, I decided to give another try at indoor S'mores. But this time even BETTER than the original! I found this recipe in a magazine (I wish I could remember which one) for 
Inside-Out S'mores Brownies!
Doesn't that sound amazing? And it only takes 8 ingredients! Here's what you'll need:
Butter, unsweetened chocolate, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows.
Smores Brownies 1

Preheat your oven to 350F. Line an 11 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan. I chose to line mine with parchment (you'll see why later). Set pan aside. In a medium saucepan melt 1/2 cup butter and 2 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat once fully melted.
Smores Brownies 2

Stir in 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until combined.

Smores Brownies 3

Stir in 3/4 cup all-purpose flour.

 Smores Brownies 8

Now you have a basic brownie batter! Spread half the batter in the prepared pan.

 Smores Brownies 9

Top with 8 graham cracker squares.

 Smores Brownies 9

Sprinkle 1 cup mini marshmallows on the graham crackers, keeping them from touching the sides of the pan.

Smores Brownies 10

Carefully spread the remaining batter on the marshmallows, covering them completely. I found it easiest to drop spoonfuls of batter onto the marshmallows. The marshmallows will slide all over the place if you try to spread the batter with a spatula.

 Smores Brownies 11

Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack completely. I mean COMPLETELY! You want to give the marshmallows time to set up a bit. Resist every temptation you have to cut into these brownies!

 Smores Brownies 13

Here's why I used the parchment paper vs. greasing the pan: Once the brownies are completely cool, gently grab the sides of your parchment paper and pull your brownies out of the pan. Lay the parchment flat on a cutting board.

 Smores Brownies 14

Now you can cut your brownies into perfect squares MUCH easier than trying to cut them in the pan and prying them out. Just be careful not to cut through the parchment! No one wants to eat paper with their brownies.

 Smores Brownies 15

These are DIVINE! You can see the layers of graham cracker and marshmallow sandwiched inside the brownie!

 Smores Brownies 16

They are so moist and flavorful, and they have great texture from all the layers. I think I've redeemed myself from my previous indoor S'more disaster! Here's the recipe so you can try them at home:

Inside-Out S'mores Brownies
1/2 cup butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
8 honey graham cracker squares
1 cup mini marshmallows

 Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 11 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease the pan. Set aside. In a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Stir in flour. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Top with graham crackers. Sprinkle marshmallows on the graham crackers, but do not let them touch the sides of the pan. Carefully spread the remaining batter on the marshmallows and graham crackers, covering them completely. Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars.  Enjoy!

Thank you so much to Rachel for blog swapping with me today. It's been so much fun! 
LoveAlwaysSignature-2

3 comments :

  1. oh wow - those sound and look DELISH!! For a very quick indoor smore version - check this one out - hope it will bring you a little bit of happy!
    http://www.northerncottage.net/2011/07/smore-croissants.html

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    Replies
    1. Those look awesome! Such a quick and simple way to enjoy my favorite summer treat! Thanks for sharing : )

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  2. These look absolutely delicious! We love brownies and s'mores, so my kids and I will be baking up a batch soon. We've had burn bans in effect when we've gone camping in the past, so I learned an alternative way to make s'mores without a camp fire or oven. You can check it out here: http://thedomesticatedprincess.blogspot.com/2012/08/bucket-list-activity-13-solar-smores.html

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