HERSHEY S’MORES CUPCAKES

Hershey’s S’mores Cupcakes – delicious chocolate cupcakes with a  graham cracker crust, filled with light and fluffy marshmallow filling and topped with milk chocolate ganache.
If you have little kids, then you must know that the few days after a kid’s birthday party can be pretty difficult. Of course, since it is impossible that all the invited people can come on the day you planned, you can do nothing else but prepare for a few more visits of your dear friends. And if you are, besides all that, a food blogger, then you can’t risk your good baking reputation and not greet the guests with a sweet bite 🙂
Well if you have recognized what I’m talking about, then I will give my “wild card” for this kind of situation to you – cupcakes. Yes, in a very short time, and without much sweat, you will have a beautiful dessert on your table. A dessert which is very difficult to turn down. And if there are children, success is guaranteed. Simply, I haven’t seen a child that doesn’t lick all the frosting from the cake!

Ingredients
For the crust:

• 1 1/3 cup graham crackers crumbs
• 5 Tablespoon sugar
• 5 Tablespoon unsalted butter-melted

For chocolate cupcakes:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons Hershey's Cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk- room temperature
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg-lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup boiling water

For marshmallow filling:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For milk chocolate ganache:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 10 oz. milk chocolate-finely chopped
• 1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions
To make the crust:

1. Place rack in center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F, line cupcake tins with 16 cupcake liners and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter and mix well with a fork.
3. Press about 1 1/2 Tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liners and bake 6 minutes, then set aside to cool.

To make the cupcakes:

1. In a large bowl combine cocoa, sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. Add oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes with a hand-held electric mixer on medium speed, then add boiling water and beat to combine (batter will be thin). Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners over the crust (it should be 3/4 full)
3. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Set aside to cool in pan, then using a sharp knife or cupcake corer hollow out the centers of each cupcake(cut the top of each center and save for later to place it back onto the fillin).

To make marshmallow filling:

1. In a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water whisk together egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar, until sugar dissolves (be careful, the water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the bowl). Continue whisking over simmering water until egg mixture is warm to touch, then remove from heat and continue beating with the mixer until still peaks form. At the end add vanilla and mix well.
2. Transfer the filling to a piping bag with round tip or use plastic bag and cut off the corner and fill the cupcakes. Place back the tops from centers of cupcakes.

To make the ganache:

1. On a low heat in a small sauce pan melt chopped milk chocolate with 1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil, stirring until it’s completely smooth. Remove from heat and add cold heavy whipping cream, stir well until it’s evenly combine. Using a spoon spread the ganache onto the cupcakes. If the ganache is to runny place it in the fridge briefly to set before top the cupcakes.
2. Store in the fridge.

You can find complete recipes of this HERSHEY S’MORES CUPCAKES in omgchocolatedesserts.com

Homemade Twix Bars (Paleo, GF + Refined SF)

Happy Fri-YAY!!! It’s the weekend, and you deserve some celebratory chocolate for making it through the week. And today, we’re celebrating with HEALTHY(er) homemade Twix Bars.
Whaaaat? Healthy Twix? I know. Yes, this is for real. I made homemade Twix bars that you can eat guilt-free, because these pretty little bars are gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, AND vegan. A whole big pile of them, because you deserve nothing less. I had to make this recipe three times, because you know, testing and stuff. I also needed an excuse to eat more.more.more of these delicious goodies.
Now, let’s talk about how this homemade candy magic happens. The crust is made with coconut flour, which creates a cookie base that creates a texture most similar to shortbread of any gluten-free flour I’ve tried.
Unfortunately, because coconut flour is super absorbent and likes to be unique, no other flour would substitute well here. A little goes a long way with coconut flour though, so pick up a bag and you’ll have it around for a while (and you can make lots of Twix!).
The caramel filling is seriously super easy. It can be made in the microwave or on the stove, but you don’t even need to cook it; all of the ingredients just need to be melted together and fully combined before being poured over the cooled crust and left to set.

Ingredients
For the shortbread crust

• ⅔ cup coconut flour
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• ⅓ cup coconut oil, solid

For the caramel filling

• ½ cup creamy almond butter
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the chocolate topping

• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 14x5” tart pan or 8x8” square pan with coconut oil (I recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well if your pan doesn't have a removable bottom).
2. Combine coconut flour and salt in a bowl. Add the maple syrup and stir until fully combined and crumbly. Add the room temperature coconut oil and mix until a large dough ball forms, pressing out any clumps of coconut oil. I used my hands at the end to bring the dough fully together.
3. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Let cool completely.
4. For the filling, combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until all of the ingredients are melted and throughly combined. Pour over the crust and let cool in the refrigerator until set before topping with chocolate layer.
5. For the chocolate topping, whisk together all of the ingredients and pour over the cooled caramel layer. Smooth evenly and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Let cool until set. Slice into 1-inch slices, or 16 squares. Keep stored in the refrigerator.

You can find complete recipes of this HOMEMADE TWIX BARS (GF, PALEO + VEGAN) in bakerita.com

Chocolate Mudslide Cake

This Chocolate Mudslide Cake is loaded with chocolate, Kahlua and Bailey’s Irish Cream. The decadent chocolate cake is covered with a spiked buttercream and covered with ganache. You’d be surprised how easy this cake recipe is.
This past weekend I kicked my butt into gear and eased myself back into my workout routine.
I’ve been putting it off for weeks and I’m just realizing that summer is quickly approaching, as is our yearly summer lake trip. This sneaks up on me every year! It’s embarrassing how close the gym is to our house, I don’t even have to drive there. I’ve actually been doing really well with my eating lately, but I haven’t been tracking my points, so I started that again as well.
Part of what I’m trying to do is really limit my sweets. I’m trying to bake every other weekend instead of every weekend so that there are less temptations around. But then at night I’m scrolling through Instagram and my boyfriend starts talking about cookies and I find myself digging into his stash of peanut MnMs. I have to keep telling myself to fight the urge, but MnMs though!
Then there’s this Chocolate Mudslide Cake. All healthy eating habits go straight out the window when this cake is around. After I made my Chocolate Stout Cake, I knew there were more chocolate cakes in my future, and with booze of course.
For this mudslide cake, I swapped out the chocolate stout for Kahlua in the cake, I changed up the frosting to include a hint of coffee and a drop of Bailey’s Irish Cream and I’ve topped this cake off with some Bailey’s chocolate ganache. Technically you don’t need both liquors I suppose. You could use all Baileys or all Kahlua and call it a day.
The cake is definitely dense with a compact crumb. I find that most of my boozy desserts are that way. The chocolate flavor is a bit stronger because I use Hershey’s Special Dark sweetened cocoa powder. It is the BEST and my go-to cocoa powder when I want that intense chocolate flavor.
With the dense cake, you need a nice whipped chocolate frosting to go along with it. The key to getting the frosting to the right consistency is for it to be just slightly softened, maybe 30 minutes on the counter top, and then whip it for several minutes before adding the powdered sugar.
Then, you’ll whip it again for a few minutes after you’ve added all the liquid and dry ingredients. There’s plenty of frosting to go around here and that’s just the way I like it. In my Valentine’s Day Cake tutorial, I talked a bit of the useful tools for frosting cakes, although I can’t take original credit for that either. That’s all thanks to my bestie as well.
I’ve been wanting to master the drippy chocolate ganache on my cakes for SO long. I’ll tell you that the back side of this cake isn’t as pretty, but after a little practice, it totally works. My friend Lindsay has this great tutorial for how she does the drippy ganache and it totally works!
You just need to make sure the ganache is thin enough to drip easily. At first I thought my ganache was thin enough but after the first drip, I could tell it needed just a bit more liquid to thin it out. You can fix this by adding your liquid about one drop at a time.

INGREDIENTS :
For the cake :

• 1 cup Kahlua liquor
• 4 tablespoons light sour cream
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• ¾ cup Hershey’s Special dark chocolate cocoa powder, sifted
• 1½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

For the frosting :

• 2 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup Hershey’s Special dark chocolate cocoa powder, sifted
• 8 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons Kahlua or Baileys
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

For the ganache :

• 6 ounces dark chocolate chips
• 2 to 3 tablespoons Kahlua or Baileys

INSTRUCTIONS :
For the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease three 8-inch cake pans with Crisco
2. and dust with cocoa powder to help easily release the cake after it is baked.
3. Combine the Kahlua and sour cream in a cup, stir until the sour cream is mixed into the liquor
4. and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder.
5. I usually sift my cocoa powder with a sieve instead of my actual sifter.
6. Add the baking powder and salt and set aside.
7. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.
8. Combine the melted butter in a large mixing bowl with oil and sugar.
9. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
10. Add the eggs, one at a time, ensure that each egg is well beaten before adding the next one.
11. Add the vanilla extract together with the last egg.
12. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the Kahlua mixture.
13. First, pour in half of the dry ingredients and beat for 30 seconds before adding half of the Kahlua mixture.
14. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and remaining liquid mixture.
15. Use a spatula to ensure the batter at the bottom of the bowl is well mixed.
16. Pour the batter in the greased & coated pans, dividing as evenly as possible.
17. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake.
18. If the toothpick comes out clean, your cake is done.
19. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
20. Once cooled, gently run a knife around the edge of the pan to help release the cake from the pans.
21. Tort the top of the cake but using a serrated knife to cut the dome off the cake.
22. You want a nice flat surface on top.

For the frosting:

1. Please note this is a large batch and requires a large bowl.
2. You might consider making this in two batches
3. In a small glass, combine the hot water and espresso powder and whisk until the espresso powder is dissolved. Set this aside.
4. Cut the butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip butter for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally.
5. Beat until the butter looks light in color.
6. Sift the cocoa powder into a mixing bowl.
7. Turn the mixer on slow speed and beat it until the cocoa power is mixed into butter, scraping down the bowl as needed.
8. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated into butter.
9. Continuing adding powdered sugar, one to two cups at a time, followed by 1 tablespoons of Kahlua and 1
10. tablespoons of the brewed espresso and beat on low speed until the sugar is incorporated.
11. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes.
12. Add the last cup of powdered sugar along with a pinch of salt and remaining Kahlua and beat on low until the ingredients start to mix together.
13. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for another 3-5 minutes to whip additional air into the frosting.
14. You will need to judge the consistency of your frosting.
15. You want it light and fluffy and not too stiff. If the frosting seems to thin, you can still add an additional cup of powered sugar.

For the ganache:

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the dark chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of the brewed espresso.
2. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time until the chocolate is melted.
3. Remove from the microwave and add 1 tablespoon of Kahlua at a time, stirring until well mixed.
4. Use your judgment to test how thin the ganache needs to be in order to nicely drizzle down the sides of your cake.
5. You can slowly add additional Kahlua, just drops at a time as needed.

To assemble the cake:

1. Place a dollop of frosting on the bottom of the cake plate and place the bottom layer of cake on top.
2. The frosting will help prevent the cake from sliding.
3. In order to create even layers, I use a piping bag fitted with an open round tip, or simply cut off the end of the piping bag.
4. I also highly suggest to use a lazy Suzan to rotate the cake as you work.
5. Fill the first layer of frosting by using your piping bag and pipe from the outside edge into the center.
6. Gently spread the frosting with an offset spatula to fill in the gaps.
7. Place the next layer of cake on top and repeat the above instructions to fill the layer of frosting. For the top layer of cake, place it inverted, so the bottom of the cake is actually the top, creating a nice and smooth top edge.
8. Proceed to add your crumb coat by adding a cup of frosting to the top of the cake and gently spread out to the edges and down the sides. Use the leftover frosting in your piping bags to fill in the cracks between the layers.
9. Using an offset spatula or icing smoother, the wipe away excess frosting, leaving you just enough to coat the outside of the cake. Do not mix your crumb coating frosting back into your icing if it has cake debris in it. Refrigerate the cake for 15-20 minutes to allow the crumb coat to harden.
10. First, add about ½ cup of frosting to the top of the cake and create a nice, smooth top. Use your Viva paper towel and fondant smoother to create a flat even surface.
11. Put remaining frosting in a 18-inch piping bag fitted with a Wilton #789 icing tip. Pipe the outside edge of the cake working from the bottom to the top. Use your icing smoother or large offset spatula to smooth edges and remove excess frosting. Again, use your Viva paper towels and the icing smoother to help smooth out the edges of the cake.
12. To drizzle the ganache, use a piping bag and squeeze the ganache near the edges of the cake and if needed, use the flat edge of your offset spatula and push it gently over the sides. Repeat these steps until you are satisfied with the dripped edges. Pour the remaining ganache in the middle of your cake and gently flood out to the edges with the offset spatula. All the ganache to set until slightly firmed.
13. Once the cake is completely smooth, put remaining frosting into a large piping bag fitted with an Ateco Tip 846 (closed star tip). Pipe the boarders on the edges of the cake and garnish with sprinkles.

You can find complete recipes of this Chocolate Mudslide Cake in beyondfrosting.com

How To Make Blueberry Bliss Bars

I don’t know if you noticed, but I love recipes that use only a few ingredients.  These Blueberry Bliss Bars are just that.  All you need is 4 simple ingredients to make these blueberry bliss bars!  This no bake recipe is perfect for summer.  I know I don’t want to spend time in my kitchen with the oven on.  It’s hot down here in Dallas!
These blueberry bliss bars are vegan, gluten free and paleo.  This was my first time using creamed coconut and I have to say that it was pretty much exactly like coconut butter.  The only difference I noticed, was that creamed coconut seemed to soften faster out of the fridge.  Another great thing you could do with these no bake bars is drizzle a little of my 3 ingredient chocolate over the top.  Yum!  If you do that, then you will need to keep the bars in the freezer.

How To Make Blueberry Bliss Bars | Food Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 cups creamed coconut (you can probably also use coconut butter)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (frozen, thawed might work too)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp ground vanilla beans

Instruction

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is smooth.
2. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper, leaving enough room for some paper to stick out the sides.
3. Dump the mixture into the pan and spread it out evenly. The mixture is very thick and you may need to wet a spatula to help spread it evenly.
4. Once the mixture is in the pan. Gently press down using the extra sides of parchment paper.

Notes : Some brands of creamed coconut will cause these to stay soft in the fridge. If you find that happens to you, just pop the bars in the freezer instead. You can also use coconut butter in place of creamed coconut
You can find complete recipes of this Blueberry Bliss Bars in mywholefoodlife.com

How To Make Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings

Don’t be fooled by the ingredients. The Crescent rolls stuffed with apple, cinnamon sugar and Mountain Dew does something similar to magic in the pan.
The apple is the queen of autumn foods and you can make miracles with it. If you share my love for anything made with apples, then this cinnamon-apple-crescent roll fantasy is exactly what you need to try.
I made it for the first time and we were charmed by the taste. The smell of cinnamon and apples is what characterizes this simple dessert that melts in your mouth because it is soaked in apples and their juice.

How To Make Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings | Food Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 (8 each) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
• 1 can (12oz) 7 Up (or Mountain Dew)
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Wash the apples, peel and cut into eight equal slices.
3. Unwrap the crescent roll and separate the triangles.
4. Place a piece of apple on each triangle of dough (on a wider side) and roll it in a croissant.
5. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
6. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla, mix until you get a liquid mixture without lumps and pour over the rolls.
7. Pour soda (7up or Mountain Dew) between rolls (but not over) and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until they become golden brown.
8. Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, mmmmm ... Ah-mazing !

You can find complete recipes of this Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings in sugarapron.com