Mother's Day Treats

This Mother's Day my family enjoyed cookies from the family cook book! These Chocolate Dipped Nut Crescents (my Grandmother's recipe) and Raspberry Crumb Bars (my Mom's recipe) were so good, that there weren't any left to put in the cookie jar at the end of the day!

These nut crescents are my grandmother's recipe!

These raspberry crumb bars are my mom's own recipe!

S'mores Cake

With the temperatures finally on the rise, i can't help but fantasize about all the warm weather to come! With summer on my mind, I was inspired to turn this classic fireside treat into a dangerously delicious cake!

The chocolate cake is my Grandmother's own recipe!

Crushed graham crackers and chocolate fudge glaze adorn the cake

My Grandma's Dutch Chocolate Cake:

 1 cup dutch processed cocoa

2 cups boiling water

3 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup butter

2 1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 eggs

11/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare 3 greased 8" cake pans.

Combine the cocoa and boiling water, mix and cool.

Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract at high speed until fluffy.

At medium speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Beat until just blended. Cool 10 min. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. 

Fluffy Marshmallow Frosting (from Best of the Bake Off Collection Pillsbury Bake Off Recipes)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

2 egg whites

2 tbsp. water

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

6 marshmallows, cut into pieces

In the top of a double boiler (set over rapidly boiling water), combine the sugar, corn syrup, egg whites, water, salt, and cream of tartar.  Beat with an electric mixer until the mixture stands in peaks, add in marshmallows and beat until dissolved. Remove from heat and beat in the vanilla.

Fudge Glaze

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 tbsp. hot water

2 eggs

6 tbsp. room temp. butter, cut into 4 pieces

 

Melt chocolate in a double boiler on moderate heat. Transfer to bowl of an electric mixer. Immediately add sugar, water, and eggs. Beat at a moderately high speed until smooth, scraping bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary to keep mixture smooth. Beat in butter, one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.

 

 To Assemble the Cake:

-frost/put together the layers of the cake

- cover the top and sides of the cake in crushed graham crackers (I used a box of pre-crushed graham crackers) 

- Drizzle fudge glaze over the top

 

Rice Krispie Easter Eggs

With Easter just around the corner, I decided it was time to spread a little spring cheer with these adorable Rice Krispie Treat Easter eggs!

 Rice Krispie Treats (adapted from the Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats recipe):

1/4 cup butter
1 (10 oz., about 40) pkg. regular marshmallows or

  3 cups miniature marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal

food coloring (colors of your choice)

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. 

2. Add the marshmallows and continue to stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. 

3. Remove from heat.

4. Add in the food coloring of your choice to the marshmallow mixture ( I noticed that i had to make the marshmallow mixture a few shades darker than I wanted the eggs to be in the end)

4. Stir in the Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal coating them well with the melted marshmallow mixture.

5. Using your hands, form small handfuls of the mixture into egg shapes. 

Tips: 

1. Split the melted marshmallow mixture in half and tint half of it one color, and the other half another color. This way you only have to make 1 batch of Rice Krispie Treats to make 2 colors.

2. Lightly grease your hands to prevent sticking