Marshmallow Brownies - Take Two!

I've said it before - I'm a s'mores fanatic. That gooey, chocolaty, marshmallowy goodness gets me every time. When my husband wants to have a bonfire on an 80 degree night? As long as we have marshmallows, I'm there. It's the perfect combination if you ask me. So that's why I've found another Marshmallow Brownie recipe. I can't get enough!

Borrowed and adapted slightly from Eat, Love and Be Happy

Marshmallow Brownies

3/4 cup unsalted butter

9 oz. quality bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli)

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1 cup flour

½ tsp. salt

Mini chocolate chips 

1 package of large marshmallows

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Prepare a 9x13 pan with tin foil, parchment paper or PAM
• Melt the butter and chocolate on your microwave's defrost setting, stirring every minute until smooth
• Combine the sugar, eggs and vanilla in another bowl
• When butter and chocolate is slightly cooled, stir in the sugar, eggs and vanilla
• Stir in the flour and salt
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan
• Cut the marshmallows in half and place on top of the brownie mix
• Bake for 20-30 minutes and sprinkle a handful of chocolate chips on top as soon as they are out of the oven. Then bring them immediately to church or work or daycare so you don't sit and eat them all at once. Or go ahead and eat them all. I won't judge.

Chewiest Granola Bars

After finding this recipe on Pinterest (follow me!), I will never buy the bars in the store again. These were far too easy to make, and taste better and fresher than anything in the store. Plus, I know what's in these, and it's not glycerin, artificial flavors and preservatives. It's all stuff I happily store in my pantry. Hubby, kiddo and I all love them! I'll be making these weekly.

Chewiest Granola Bars

1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mini chocolate chips

Melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium heat until it boiling. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes. Add vanilla and stir.

While melting, stir oats and rice cereal together in a large bowl.

Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix well to moisten.

Pour into small non-stick jelly roll pan (about 12x8x1) and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. If you don't have a small enough pan, mold the mixture to one side, pressing at all angles to ensure compaction.

Press in mini chocolate chips.

Cool on a countertop at room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars.

Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature.

Adapted from this recipe.

Ooey, Gooey, Rich Marshmallow Brownies

Story is, hubby never asks for sweets. He doesn't..."like"...sweets. What is that? So tonight, when he asked for brownies, and I didn't have a mix on hand, I had to find a recipe fast. This rare occasion that he wants a sweet (and thereby, I get a sweet, guilt-free, instead of eating a scoop of ice cream alone in a corner like I'm on some sugar binge), well, it couldn't go unfulfilled.

I found this recipe on my Pinterest for Marshmallow Brownies (source). It's a quick and easy recipe that turned out ooey, gooey, super rich. Delicious. And hubby? He had two. 

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 9 oz. bittersweet chocolate
• ½ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• mini chocolate chips
• mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Grease a 9x9 baking pan.
Combine the butter and chocolate and melt them in a bowl in the microwave at 50% power.
Stir in the sugar, eggs and vanilla until incorporated.
Stir in the flour and salt until just combined.
Pour batter in the pan and layer marshmallows on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Whipped Cream

Whenever I need whipped cream, I make it myself. I figure, I'm already having something decadent, I may as well go full-throttle. Homemade whipped cream is extremely simple and well worth your time and prepared brands don't even compare.

Ingredients:

• Heavy whipping cream
• confectioners sugar to taste
• vanilla to taste

An entire pint of whipping cream makes a whole heaping lot of whipped cream. If you plan to use the whipped cream for something like a 13 x 9 cake, I'd say you need about 2/3 the carton.

Take your bowl and beater and place it in your freezer for 15 minutes. I believe this is helps the cream whip better.

Beat whipping cream on med-high for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Use a spatula to add vanilla and sugar. You can make this as sweet as you like. For this amount, I add about two heaping tablespoons of confectioners sugar and a couple teaspoons of vanilla.

If find this is best to use the whipped cream within the next 24 hours. I wouldn't make this far ahead of when I plan to use it.