s'mores cookies

I mentioned last week I couldn't get enough of this s'more craze, I had to have s'more! I bookmarked these cookies Jenny from Picky Palate created long before I ever started this blog and I think these were the perfect representation of USA in a cookie for my Foodbuzz 24x24 party. Hershey's bars, toasty marshmallows, and graham cracker pieces stuffed into a thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie bring me back to the days I spent roasting s'mores over a fire at camp when I was a kid.

S'mores Cookies

makes 18 cookies; recipe adapted from Picky-Palate 

2 sticks of butter, softened

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

18 fun-size Hershey's bars, broken into smaller pieces

3 full honey graham crackers; broken into small pieces

1 c. mini marshmallows 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

With a mixer, cream together butter and both sugars in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until combined. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture to butter and sugar mixture and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. I used a muffin top pan to make these cookies. If you are using a muffin top pan, measure 1/4 c. of cookie dough into each muffin top pan cup. Press the dough down and stick Hershey's bar pieces, graham cracker pieces and mini marshmallows into the top of the dough. Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes or until edges of cookies turn golden brown. 

I found my muffin top pan at Sur La Table but if you can't find one or choose not to use one then line a baking sheet with parchment paper, press the cookies down slightly and add the s'mores toppings. 

foodbuzz 24x24: 9 wonderful desserts of the world

Who would want to make 9 desserts in one day? Uh I would! When I found out Foodbuzz (a social network for food bloggers and food lovers) had chosen to sponsor my 9 'wonder'ful desserts of the world party idea to be a part of this month's Foodbuzz 24x24 event, I was beyond excited. Foodbuzz 24x24 is where 24 food bloggers each host a dinner or in this case a dessert party on the same day and share their parties on each of their blogs. It was a great excuse to have friends over and use more butter than I ever have in one day. For the menu, I chose a few of the desserts from countries I have been to and the rest from countries I will hopefully get a chance to visit one day!

Pictured--top left to right:

USA: s'mores cookies (I couldn't resist after making s'mores pizza last week)
France: coconut macaroons
India: gajar halwa -- carrot pudding
Argentina: alfajores -- dulce de leche cookies
Spain: churros
Australia: sticky date pudding with toffee sauce
Singapore: mango pudding
Switzerland: spitzbuebe -- raspberry preserve filled sandwich cookies
New Zealand: hokey pokey ice cream

Everyone seemed to have a different favorite dessert but I'd say the coconut macaroons were the overall favorite considering there wasn't one left! My favorite was the New Zealand hockey pockey ice cream, I can't wait to share the recipe. Between friends, desserts, beer and the game 'battle of the sexes' it was a fun night and despite all the work I am happy to say I would love to do it again. This week I will post the recipes for each dessert in between eating the leftovers. I knew there was no way we could finish all the desserts so I had chinese take-out boxes for everyone to take home their favorite desserts. I already have a take-out box packed and ready to take to work tomorrow. The hard part is deciding which dessert to eat first.

What is your favorite dessert from a different country? 

chocolate & cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies

You know how there are those little details you know about all your close friends and family? One of those details that all my friends and family know about me is I love cinnamon, like a lot. So when I discovered cinnamon chips, I was beyond excited. After searching the baking aisles of countless grocery stores I finally found them in the clearance section one day. I bought all the bags they had and decided to save them for a special occasion. I hate when I do that, I buy something I love and then wait to use it for a 'special occasion.' When will I learn that every day is a special occasion? So I dug these cinnamon chips out of my pantry and baked a fresh batch of oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips and cinnamon chips. Crispy edges, a chewy center and cinnamon chips make this cookie stand out from the rest. If you are lucky enough to find cinnamon chips at your grocery store these cookies are perfect for any 'special occasion.'

Chocolate & Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies

makes 30 large cookies 

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 3/4 c. quick-cooking oats

1 c. cinnamon chips

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

In a large bowl, beat together butter, shortening and both sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Then add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Then stir in oats and once combined, stir in cinnamon chips and chocolate chips. Bake large cookies for 15-20 minutes or until edges are golden. 

chocolate chip cookies

I had a great weekend in Hilton Head celebrating 4th of July. Besides sitting on the beach all day, I got a chance to eat at Robert Irvine's (star of the Food Network show, Dinner Impossible) restaurant, eat! Considering he is a Food Network chef, the restaurant is very reasonably priced and the food was worth another trip.  My favorite dishes from eat! were the lightly seared tuna with a ginger granita appetizer and the dessert (of course), a sweet potato bread pudding with tabasco ice cream. The tabasco ice cream didn't have a hot sauce pepper spice flavor, it had an intense cinnamon spice flavor that worked perfectly with the sweet potato bread pudding. Mmm mmm I need to get an ice cream maker and come up with my own creations. 

To make the transition back to work easier after the 3-day holiday weekend, I decided some good old- fashioned chocolate chip cookies were necessary. I also used these cookies to try to teach my boyfriend how to use an electric mixer. He did pretty well but it's still a work in progress. Lessons aside, these cookies melt in your mouth (thank you Crisco) with the chewy, soft center and slightly crispy edges. The mixture of both milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips makes these cookies a must-try. The key to these cookies is to slightly under bake them so they stay soft and chewy days after baking.

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

makes 18 large cookies

2 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 c. (1 stick) butter flavored Crisco

3/4 c. granulated sugar

3/4 c. dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, room temp

3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

3/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 


In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking soda. In a larger bowl, beat together Crisco, sugars and vanilla until smooth. Add in one egg at a time and blend until mixed well. Slowly add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake large cookies for 12-15 minutes or until cookie edges are lightly golden. Do not let top of cookies brown. Let cookies stand on cookie sheet for 2 minutes and then move to a cooling rack.