Peanut Butter Cup Baked S'mores

We had our second annual end of the school year/beginning of summer barbeque at our house.  It's a nice way to start the summer.  Kevin does the barbequing and I do the sides and dessert.

I went with the summer time theme and made another s'more treat.  This time I used peanut butter cups instead of plain chocolate.  These are by far my favorite baked s'more that I have made. 

Peanut Butter Cup Baked S’mores 
From: Mels Sweet Life (adapted from Pinch of Yum and Sprinkle Some Sunshine)

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
16 peanut butter cups
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff*

This is not marshmallow topping. See previous post about fluff.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 baking dishing with parchment paper; coat lightly with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl of the bowl of stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.  Scrape down the sides.  With the mixer on low, stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and graham cracker crumbs until mixed.
3. Spread 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Lightly press the peanut butter cups into the dough, then spread marshmallow fluff on top.  Press the remaining dough on a non-stick surface into the shape of an 8×8 square.  Place the square on top of the fluff and press down lightly.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown.  Allow to cool for at least two hours to give the bars a chance to set, then remove from the pan and cut into squares with a large, sharp knife.

Baked S'more

For Memorial Day we went to a barbeque at Crissy Field in San Francisco.  We were supposed to bring something to share, so I decided on another baked s'more.  This was different than the first one that I made and I liked it way better.

Baked S'mores
 From: The Apron Gal

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla 
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 5 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
2 or 3 super-sized (5 oz.) chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff* (or mini marshmallows if you must!) 

This is not marshmallow topping.  See previous post about fluff.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of  pan.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. 

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly [for 8 by 8] side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer. [use 3 Hershey's for 12 by 8 pan]

Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms or rolling pin to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there peel the bag up and carefully spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely or almost completely for the melty factor before cutting into bars.

Mine was a little extra gooey.  I sent my husband to the store to get the ingredients.  He bought marshmallow topping instead of fluff.  They were still very yummy.  We just needed lots of napkins.

I only got one picture of the the dessert, but here's a shot of us with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. 

Fluffernutter Blondies

My husband spent many summers as a child visiting his grandmother in Cape Cod.  While there, his family would snack on fluffernutter sandwiches.  This is a wonderful (not so) healthy sandwich made with Marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter on white bread.  I've gone back with him twice and of course we had to make these sandwiches.

Fluff is something that is typically an East Coast food.  Living in California, we've never been able to find it.  Whenever someone goes to Cape Cod, we always get some Fluff as a gift.  Fluff is very different than marshallow topping.  A new grocery store opened near our house and while we were wandering around the aisles we found that they carried Fluff.  We had to buy it, even though we new we would probably not eat it. 

We got invited to his cousin's 30th birthday party.  It was a pot-luck barbeque and I signed up to bring a dessert.  As I was searching for something to make, I came across a recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Fluffernutter Blondies on Pinterest.  I knew this would be the perfect treat.

Fluffernutter Blondies
From Cookies & Cups

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup Marshmallow Fluff

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Cream butter and peanut butter together.
4. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy.
5. On medium speed add in eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
6. Stir in your baking soda, salt and flour until just combined.
7. Fold in chocolate chips.
8. Spread the batter in your prepared pan.
9. Drop you Fluff randomly on top of the batter and swirl in with a knife.
10. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick placed 1 inch from side comes out clean. Don’t over bake.
11. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.
12. Cut into squares when cooled.

The original recipe called for coarse chopped peanut butter cups (10.5 oz bag), but I didn't have any.  I substituted 2 cups of chocolate chips and thought they were yummy.  If I make these again, I will try the peanut butter cups.