Smores Cheesecake

After making and giving away the birthday cheesecake, I was craving cheesecake of my own. While I was searching for cheesecake recipes, I came across several that looked amazing, including a smores cheesecake. Toasted marshmallows?? SOLD!



This cheesecake is different because it uses sweetened condensed milk instead of sour cream or heavy cream. I think next time I'll stick to a mixture of heavy and sour cream because I wasn't a fan of the SCM base. The recipe didn't call for a waterbath, which I guess doesn't matter because you cover the top with marshmallows. It did rise and shrink though. And I really should test my oven because it took a lot longer to bake than the recipe says.

Smores Cheesecake


2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
16 oz cream cheese
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 Tbsp shortening or butter

1. Preheat oven to 325F. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in butter. Press onto bottom and up the sides of a greased 10-inch springform pan. Place on a baking sheet.

2. Beat cream cheese, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, beat just until combined. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup marshmallows. Pour into pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup marshmallows. Bake 4-6 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed and toasted.

3. While cooling, melt remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and shortening. Drizzle over cheesecake. Cool for an hour. Refrigerate overnight.

Source: Taste of Home's Prize-Winning Recipes, 2006 p. 76

Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes

Tada! I'm alive! Target stole my soul for the holiday season, but now that my hours are cut (and really no clue how I'm going to pay the bills), I have some more time in the kitchen. Slowly my cooking spirit is coming back, but eh we'll see.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday. Mine was pretty decent. I got a kitchen pantry to store all my junk, so now my counters are not cluttered with the bread maker, George Foreman grill, and random pans. I also got Julie Hasson's 125 Best Cupcake Recipes, which I have had on my wish list since forever. Can't believe my parents actually spent $20 on it though, but it's super duper hard to find it used.



I decided to make cupcakes the other night bc I have so many cupcake liners. Christmas may have passed, but I do have winter ones I got on clearance last year, AND they come with matching toppers. I chose Julie's Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes bc I love love LOVE marshmallows! As you can see, some of them peek out after you cut out the middle. You're supposed to let them melt a little and squish the top down, but I was too tired to stand and wait for that. I opted to just cover the tops with frosting lol

I had trouble frosting them. Since I ran out of pastry bags, I used sandwich bags. Normally this is fine, but I guess I filled the bags too much, and two bags ripped open. Fortunately, my bff bought me this cake decorating press thing (think cookie press but with icing tips) so after making a huge mess and wasting some of the icing, I managed to finally frost them. And let me tell you, this frosting is cupcakelicious!! So what if my sprinkles don't match? They taste pretty good to me!

Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes



1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp chocolate cream liquer OR chocolate syrup
12 large marshmallows OR handful of mini ones

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter or baking margarine, room temp
2 tbsp chocolate cream liquer OR milk
1 tbsp coffee OR milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pan with 12 liners. In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In another bowl, beat together sugar and oil until well combined. Add egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and chocolate. Alternately beat in dry mix and buttermilk. Beat in chocolate syrup.

3. Scoop into liners. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tops spring back and toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan. While cupcakes are still hot, cut out the middle of each. Insert a marshmallow. If they stick up, try squishing them down while they soften from the heat. If that doesn't work, you can cover it with frosting. Or just use a handful of mini marshmallows.

4. Frosting: Beat all frosting ingredients together until smooth. Frost cupcakes after they are completely cooled.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Source: 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson, 2005 p.28

Rocky Road Brownies

Here's a tip I learned over the years. Just because your cookbook says holiday cookies doesn't mean you can only make them for the holidays. In fact, nothing about the recipes makes them holiday only (except maybe pumpkin for fall cookies and the way cut-out cookies are decorated). Take these rocky road brownies for example. The book is called Grandma's Christmas Cookies, but give me one good reason why these should be made only for Christmas. In fact, I bet if I didn't tell you the title of the book, you never would have known. Personally, holiday cookbooks were invented so if I were making a cookie tray, having company, or invited to a cookie exchange (someone please invite me!), I don't have to look very far for an "elegant" recipe. By elegant I mean more than your traditional chocolate chip cookie.



Fact - I hate, hate, HATE the lighting in my kitchen. Another fact - I love marshmallows, which is why I picked these brownies. That and the picture in my book looked amazing. Plus I had peanuts leftover. The topping looked amazing, and I tried to capture that in a photo, but it was hard because the brownies are very gooey. It is best to eat these cold because of the topping, but they can also be eaten at room temperature (provided that it's not a hot summer's day).

Rocky Road Brownies



1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped

Topping
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 1/2 oz cream cheese
1/2 square (1/2 oz) unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbsp milk
1 1/4 + 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 cup salted peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 8x8 pan with greased foil.

2. In a saucepan, melt butter and chocolate, stirring constantly. Add sugar, flour, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Stir in peanuts. Spread into baking pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until brownie starts to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely

3. Topping: In another saucepan, combine butter, cream cheese, chocolate, and milk. Heat until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat with mixer until smooth. Stir in marshmallows and peanuts. Immediately spread over cooled brownies. Cool completely before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Grandma's Christmas Cookies 1997 p.62

Ice Cream Sundaes...Without The Ice Cream

I love sprinkles. Although I don't use them often, I have an obsession on buying sprinkles and cupcake liners, especially after the holidays when they are on sale. I can't tell you how many Christmas liners I ended up buying this year :X I wanted to use my rainbow nonpareils, but instead of making cupcakes, I made sundae cookies. I'm not a good decorator, but I thought I did a nice job making these cute.




I printed this recipe last year from Cookie Madness and stored it in one of my many binders. As I was going through it, I was in the mood for a marshmallowy treat. Plus I had maraschino cherries to use from my cherry chocolate blossoms. The original recipe didn't call for sprinkles, but I thought the addition made them more like a sundae. I cut the recipe in half and got a dozen cookies.


Sundae Cookies




3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp cherry juice
2 Tbsp maraschino cherries, chopped
6 large marshmallows, cut in half
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp corn syrup
1/8 tsp vanilla
Sprinkles
12 whole maraschino cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, cream sugar, butter, water, 1 1/2 tsp oil, baking powder, and vanilla until well blended. Add cocoa and 1 Tbsp oil; mix well. Add milk and cherry juice. Add dry ingredients. Stir in cherries.

3. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes. As soon as they come out, press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie. Let cool until sturdy enough to transfer to cooling rack.

4. In microwave, melt butter, Stir in chocolate and corn syrup. Microwave in 10 second intervals until melted and combined. Stir in vanilla. Spoon over each marshmallow, covering it completely. Top with sprinkles and a cherry.

Makes 12 cookies.

Source: Cookie Madness

Tuesdays With Dorie - Marshmallows

My birthday gift arrived in the mail yesterday. I knew I was getting it because I ordered it on behalf of my parents last week. It's what every baker should own - Baking: From My Home To Yours. I used to borrow it from the library, but it's always out on loan. Now I never have to worry!




Since I want to get involved with more challenges, I decided to join Tuesdays With Dorie. Each week, a new recipe from her book is chosen, and we have to post on the upcoming Tuesday. The challenge for today is technically madelines, but since they involved a special pan, we were allowed to choose a past challenge recipe as an alternate. I decided to make homemade marshmallows.

Before I got started, I read the problems and questions other bakers had with this recipe. Not much except they are really sticky in the pan and the gelatin smells. I could smell the gelatin a little, but not enough to deter me. And I had no problem getting them out of the pan. In fact, I think I used too much cornstarch.

I did encounter one problem - time. I made the syrup first and then tried to accomplish the egg whites and gelatin while it was cooking, but I didn't make it in time. I let the syrup sit for a few minutes as I worked on the egg whites, but by then it crystalized and could no longer be used, so I started the syrup again. I realized later Dorie uses a stand mixer, so while the egg whites are beating, you can work on other things. I only have a hand mixer, so if you are like me, do the egg whites first then the syrup.

I was really nervous because when I make fudge, it never comes out firm enough, and since the marshmallows involved sitting in a pan for a few hours, I figured they would still be a goopy mess. They were perfectly fine, which made me excited. I even tried toasting them, but they fell off the fork.

I would definitely make these again and in different flavors.


Homemade Marshmallows




About 1 cup potato or cornstarch
3/4 cup cold water
1 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
2 1/4-oz packets unflavored gelatin
3 large egg whites, room temperature
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

1. Line an 8x8 pan with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkled with some of the corn starch.

2. Put 1/3 cup water, 1 1/4 cup sugar, and corn syrup in a medium pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved, continue to cook WITHOUT STIRRING until it reaches 265F degrees, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining water (about 7 Tbsp) and let sit for 5 minutes or until spongy. Then heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to liquefy it.

4. Beat the egg whites in a large bowl on medium-high speed for 3 1/2 minutes. They should be firm and glossy. Don't overbeat.

5. As soon as the syrup reaches 265F, pour into already-beaten egg whites. Add gelatin and beat for another 3 minutes. Add vanilla.

6. Using a rubber spatula, scrape meringue into the prepared pan, evenly spreading to fill corners. Dust the top with cornstarch and let sit for 3 - 12 hours.

7. Once set, cut with kitchen scissors (long knife would work too). You may need to rinse and dry frequently if they are too sticky. Put remaining cornstarch into a bowl. As you cut the marshmallows, coat them with the starch and shake off the excess.

Source: Baking: From My Home To Yours, 2006 p.404-405

Am I The Next Cupcake Hero?

I've been meaning to enter the Cupcake Hero challenge, but the themes haven't been compatible with me. Don't know how I missed the coffee one, but the liquor one was a little illegal for me haha I was ready for this month's theme - marshmallow. I know most people are probably going for rocky road or peanut butter marshmallow cupcakes, but I wanted something that (hopefully) nobody else will bake. Ok so it wasn't really my idea, but I did find the perfect recipe. I had too many books and not enough time to find a cupcake recipe involving marshmallow, so I resorted to Recipe Zaar. I came across Baked Alaska-ettes. I love Baked Alaska, so this recipe was perfect! Normally I would've used a meringue on top, but since I needed a marshmallow cupcake, a big marshmallow worked too.

My biggest problem with this was the broiler. I have never used our broiler before. According to our manual, you aren't supposed to preheat the broiler, which is weird, right? For this particular recipe, the cupcakes need to be under the broiler for 30 seconds, no more, no less. With the broiler not preheated, it took me 2 minutes for the marshmallows to toast. Normally, this would've been fine except the ice cream melted into the batter (which is why I didn't take a picture of a cross-section). So, make sure your broiler is hot and ready to go.

Also, I didn't have light cream, so I used 3/4 cup milk + 2 Tbsp butter, melted.


Baked Alaska-ettes




1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup light cream (or 3/4 cup milk + 2 Tbsp butter, melted)
1 tsp vanilla
1 pint ice cream
12 marshmallows, cut in half crosswise

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line cupcake pan with liners.

2. In a small bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat egg and cream together. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients, beating thoroughly.

3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about an hour or so.

4. Preheat broiler. When cupcakes are completely cool, cut a hole in the middle of each and spoon in ice cream. Make sure you don't go all the way to the bottom. Don't make the holes bigger than the marshmallow half because you want the marshmallow to completely cover the ice cream. The marshmallow will act as an insulator. Place under a hot broiler for 30 seconds. The marshmallows should be toasted. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Source: Recipe Zaar

Finally, Homemade Fudge I Can Eat!

This is probably my fourth attempt at making homemade fudge. The first time turned out fine, but I lost the recipe. I thought, no big deal I can just google a recipe. The second time I made fudge, I didn't cook it long enough. Therefore, it never hardened properly, and you had to eat it with a spoon. The third time I made pumpkin fudge. Apparently you have to cook any fruit fudge precisely or it won't work. Once again, we ate it with a spoon. Now that I'm armed with a candy thermometer, I decided to make a batch for my mom's birthday. I couldn't get the temperature up to soft ball stage (about 235F) but it did go up to 230F. I couldn't turn the gas up any higher because the mixture bubbled over the top. After about 20 minutes, I said screw it and proceeded with the recipe. I'm thinking maybe my thermometer needs tested in boiling water to make sure it's working properly because the fudge turned out fine. This is only the third time I ever used it (damn you Wal Mart!).

Because I knew I'm not good at fudge, I did my research. I found this recipe to be very helpful in explaining the whys of fudge making. Unfortunately, I bought evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk, so I continued my search. No luck in Google, so I went to Recipe Zaar. I did come across this recipe. I wasn't sure what it meant by a "hard boil" in the directions (well I know what it means, but you need to be precise for candy making). So I decided to use the ingredients from the second recipe and use the directions from the first recipe. I have never had rocky road fudge with almonds, so I used walnuts. I didn't do the washing down of the sides of the saucepan, but I think next time I will because I did get a little bit of the graininess from the sugar crystals.

It is possible to make fudge without a candy thermometer. You just have to be precise in timing. One source says to boil the mixture for four minutes, but I would do more Google research, just in case.


Rocky Road Fudge




1/3 cup butter, cut into chunks
1 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup mini marshmallows

1. Line a 8x8 pan with wax paper.

2. Combine butter, milk, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Make sure the saucepan is deep enough so nothing bubbles over and a candy thermometer can be clipped on the side without the end tip touching the bottom of the pan. Stir over medium-low heat with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to boil. As soon as the syrup starts to boil, stop stirring and clip the thermometer to the saucepan. It is important to stop stirring so the crystal structure of the sugar has dissolved. Stirring can encourage the fructose and glucose molecules to rejoin and form sucrose—crystals of table sugar (taken from Science of Candy page).

3. Let the syrup cook, undisturbed, until it reaches the soft-ball stage, about 235° F–240° F. Do not leave the kitchen in case it bubbles over! While it cooks, wash down the sides of the saucepan with a pastry brush dipped in a small amount of warm water to loosen and dissolve any sugar crystals clinging to the sides (taken from Science of Candy page).

4. Once it reaches the soft-ball stage, remove from heat. Stir in chocolate until melted. Fold in the walnuts and marshmallows. Pour into pan. At this point, you can add more marshmallows to the top if desired. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 - 4 hours. Once solid, remove the wax paper from the pan. Peel from fudge; cut into squares.

Sources: Science of Candy and Recipe Zaar