Mmmm...S'Mores

I was completely inspired by Eating Suburbia's S'More Cupcakes. It really got me to thinking about the flavors of chocolate and marshmallow together, which is really a great flavor combination (remember the chocolate marshmallow cupcakes?). The basics of a S'more are graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.

Ingredients
Graham Base:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or about 15 crushed crackers)
1/2 cup butter, melted

Cake:
Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cupcake batter

Marshmallows:
Marshmallow Fluff

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin pan with paper baking cups.
   
2. Mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Place about 1 tablespoon crust mix in bottom of baking cups. Smoosh to a crust-like consistency.
3. Mix up Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cupcake batter. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Top with another tablespoon of graham cracker crust mix.
4. Place in oven and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from muffin pan and cool completely.
   
5. Place Marshmallow Fluff in a piping bag. Pipe onto the top of cupcakes. Using a brulee torch, toast the tops of the marshmallow for that awesome campfire look. If you don't have a brulee torch, place under a broiler until golden and toasty looking. Yum!
   

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cupcakes

These are really incredible little cakes. Just the perfect amount of chocolate. And also perfect for those S'More cupcakes as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water
• "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING(recipe follows)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 30 muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.

2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill cups 2/3 full with batter.

3. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.


"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Sour Peach Frosting

This frosting tastes strikingly similar to those sour peach gummy rings in the grocery store. Mmmmm....

Ingredients

• 1 box (3 oz) peach flavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup water + 2 teaspoons water
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• red and yellow food colors

1. In a 2-cup microwaveable bowl, stir peach gelatin into 1/4 cup water. Microwave on high 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring 2-3 times to dissolve gelatin.
2. In a large bowl, beat gelatin mixture, powdered sugar, butter, lemon juice and additional water until frosting is thick but spreadable.
   
3. Add 2 drops of red food coloring in one side of bowl and and 2 drops of yellow food coloring in other side of bowl. Swirl frosting together until barely marbled.
   
4. Frost your cupcakes.

Sour Peach Cupcakes

My daughter loves the sour peach gummy rings from the grocery store. From the bulk section. She is kind of addicted to them. Mmmmm...

These cupcakes kind of emulate that flavor. Sour peach, in the form of a cupcake.

Ingredients

• 1 box (18.25 oz) white cake mix
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 (3 oz) peach flavored gelatin
• 24 sour peach gummy candy rings

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place paper baking cups in 24 muffin cups. Place sour peach gummy candy in the bottom of each paper baking cup.
2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, eggs and peach gelatin with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Divide batter between muffin cups.
   
4. Bake 18-22 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from pan and cool completely.
5. Frost with Sour Peach Frosting.
   

Cupcake Bouquet Revisited

In a previous post on cupcake bouquets, I posted a video showing how easy it is to make one. But now I've come across some extremely easy instructions from Reynolds (you know--the makers of that shiny silver stuff you cook with). These would make a beautiful centerpiece at a wedding or a shower.

You could decorate them with flowers to make it look even more like a bouquet: