Cranberry White Chocolate Mousse Parfait

I've been in a little rut with baking lately, and really this isn't even baking (just some cooking), but it felt good to get into the kitchen and make something that feels festive and easy! These individual desserts start with a graham cracker crumb, cranberry compote infused with rosemary, and a decadent white chocolate mousse to top it off. 

This recipe makes 6-7 ramekins (or whatever glassware you choose to make it in). In fact, I think the more different glasses or tea cups you use, the better! This is also a pretty easy recipe that has a few different parts, AKA it's perfect to do with some helping hands (even if those helping hands aren't very kitchen savvy). 

For the cranberry compote:

12 oz fresh cranberries (reserve a few for the garnish later)

1 orange, juice and zest

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1/2 c granulated sugar

1. Ready 6-7 glasses, jars, ramekins, tea cups, whatever you like. I just put them on a baking sheet so they're easier to transfer to the fridge later for chilling. 

2. Now let's start with the cranberry compote because it will need to cool a bit before assembly. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. 

3. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes until the cranberries have burst and the compote thickens.

4. Remove from heat and allow to cool before assembly (I popped it in the fridge to speed up this process). 

For the graham cracker crust:

1 sleeve (8 crackers) of graham crackers, crushed

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 tbsp brown sugar

Pinch of salt 

1. Combine all ingredients into a large bowl until it resembles wet sand.

2. Gently press into the ramekins/jars to create a crust. I used the back of a measuring cup to push it down. Set aside for later. 

For the white chocolate mousse:

2 c heavy whipping cream

1 c white chocolate chips (or chopped)

Pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1. In a small heat-proof bowl, combine white chocolate, salt, and 1/2 c of the heavy whipping cream. 

2. Melt in the microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring after each 15 seconds until white chocolate is fully melted (you don't want to over-heat this, so you know, gentle touches). 

3. It will look like it's not going to come together, but it will. Whisk until fully combined, and add the vanilla extract. Set aside until the mixture comes to room temperature. 

4. While that's cooling, pop the bowl of your stand mixer into the freezer to chill. 

5. Once the chocolate is cooled, set it aside and grab the bowl from the freezer. Add in the remaining 1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream and whip on high until you reach stiff peaks. 

6. Slowly stream in the white chocolate mixture until combined. 

Assembly:

1. Grab the prepared glasses with graham cracker crust and equally divide the cranberry compote among them. Smooth into a layer (this is where a clear glass is fun because you can see the layers). 

2. Top each glass with the white chocolate mousse. Pop into the fridge for several hours to firm up (at least three hours, but you can definitely make this a day beforehand as well and leave it to set up overnight). 

Garnish:

1/4 c granulated sugar

1/4 c water

10 (ish) cranberries (reserved from earlier)

Extra granulated sugar for dusting

1. While you patiently wait for the mousse to be ready, you can make the garnish. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water until dissolved. 

2. Throw the cranberries in and cook for a minute or two. Pull them out and throw them into a small bowl of granulated sugar just to coat (they're VERY sticky).

 3. Allow to cool and harden completely. I'd hold off on topping until you're about to serve so the cranberries don't bleed everywhere. 

4. Also add some white chocolate shavings and a small sprig of rosemary if you want. I know, I know, no one is going to eat the rosemary sprig, but come at me. It's cute and festive. I do what I want. 

5. Also, also, save that cranberry simple syrup for some delicious cocktails! 

Apple Cider Bundt Cake

You know those apple cider donuts that are coated in crunchy cinnamon sugar? Yeah, same vibe in a bundt cake. I don't really feel like I need to say more about this to get you on board. You're sold. Let's move on!

For the cake batter:

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 c granulated sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

6 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Granny Smith apples

2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 c plain yogurt (Greek or regular, or even sour cream)

1/4 c apple cider 

1. Prepare bundt pan with goop and preheat oven to 325F.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together. 

3. While those are creaming, in a separate bowl, grate the two apples on a box grater and set aside. 

4. In the stand mixer, add in the eggs one at a time, incorporating fully before adding the next one. 

5. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and spices). Pour 1/3 of the dry mix into the butter mixture. 

6. Add in the yogurt. 

7. Add second third of the dry ingredients. 

8. Add the apple cider. 

9. Finish with the last of the dry ingredients. 

10. Fold in the grated apple. 

11. Pour (I use this term loosely- she thick) batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

12. Allow to cool slightly before turning out of the pan. 

For the coating:

1/8 c unsalted butter, melted

1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar.

2. Using a pastry brush, brush the entire cake with butter (I would recommend doing this in sections because that butter will soak into the cake, and we need it for sticking the sugar to). 

3. Dust with the cinnamon sugar. 

4. Allow to cool completely before eating. Might I suggest with a cup of coffee or some warm apple cider. Yeeees, it's all coming together my friends. Enjoy! 

Cosmic Brownies

I have been on an old-school snacks kick for a while now, and these are the ultimate in throw back nostalgia. These couldn't be easier, but finding those damn rainbow candy coated chips is a bit of a bitch. I found them on Amazon. The sticker shock is real, but keep in mind that this bag will last you a long time, so if you feel like splurging, follow me down the rabbit hole. 

This is my regular brownie batter, but made into a 13x9 pan, covered in chocolate ganache, and sprinkled with rainbow bliss. 

For the Brownies:

1 stick unsalted butter

8 oz chocolate chips (you're really going to use the whole 12 oz bag, but 2/3 of it for now)

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

3 eggs

1/2 c flour

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract 

4 oz chocolate chips for mixins (see, I told you)

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare pan with some non-stick spray and parchment paper.

 

2. Put 8 oz chocolate chips and butter in a heat-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate and butter are just melted. Don't over-heat. If there's still a few lumps, just stir, and the residual heat will melt everything. 

3. Add sugars to the melted chocolate mixture and combine. This will help cool the chocolate off a little before you add the eggs.

4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well before adding the next. Add vanilla.

5. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl and mix well to combine. Don't worry about over-mixing here. 

6. Add in the remaining chocolate chips. 

7. Bake for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out kind of clean. Allow to cool at least partially before moving to the ganache. 

For the Ganache:

1/2 c heavy cream

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp - I almost ALWAYS don't do room temp because I forget to pull the butter out for this; it's fine; just takes a few more mins to melt

Pinch of salt- this is soooooo necessary, so please make sure that you have enough 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the heavy cream in a small pan on the stove and heat until just at a simmer. You don't want this to boil.

2. While the cream is heating, put your chocolate and butter chopped into small cubes into a heat safe bowl.

3. Once the cream has heated, pour over the chocolate and butter and cover bowl with plastic wrap for about 5 minutes. *This just ensures that your chocolate will melt and be easier to incorporate.

4. Stir the ingredients together. At first it will look like they aren't coming together. They will. Once it's smooth, I add some salt and vanilla to taste, and make sure to fully incorporate it.

5. Slather on top of the brownies and sprinkle the rainbow candy coated chocolate chips on top. 

6. Allow to cool completely before cutting into pieces. 

Brown Butterscotch Cookies

This is such an easy and delicious recipe. The hardest part is the name haha. These are a very warm and comforting cookie that can really have any add-ins you want. You don't have butterscotch? You got chocolate chips? Great! Toffee bits? Even better! The world is your oyster, baby, so let's play!

This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. 

For the cookies: 

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or extract if you don't have it)

2 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

6 oz butterscotch chips

1. In a small saucepan melt the butter and allow it to boil. Stir occasionally until the bubbles get small (and reduce in number), and the butter starts to get brown flecks in it. Put into a heat-safe container and allow to come to room temp before using. *you can throw in the fridge for a bit to speed this step along if you'd like. 

2. Preheat oven to 350F. 

3. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together brown butter and sugar. 

4. Add one egg at a time, mixing to incorporate. Add vanilla. 

5. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients- flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. 

6. Fold in butterscotch chips.

7. Scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for about 8 -12 minutes. *I find that a little underdone is better than overdone.

Pina Colada Bundt Cake

I made this cake for a Memorial Day BBQ this past weekend, and I tell you what, this is gonna be my summer cake. This cake has all the things you love about a Pina Colada, including the rum!

For the Cake:

1 c shredded coconut, sweetened

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

1 c granulated sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

6 large eggs

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour

20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained (save the juice for the glaze)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp coconut extract *if you don't have this, you can use vanilla extract

1 oz white rum *you could use spiced rum if you don't have white rum  

1. In a non-stick pan, put coconut on medium heat and lightly toast, stirring frequently. Do NOT walk away! She's fickle, and she'll burn in a heartbeat.

2. Once toasted, allow to cool for a bit. Reserve 1/4 c for the decoration.

3. Prepare bundt pan with goop and preheat oven to 325F. 

4. Cream together butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. 

5. Slowly add in eggs, making sure to incorporate between each egg. Add in rum and coconut extract. 

6. Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl (flour, salt, baking powder). Add them to butter and sugar slowly until incorporated.

7. Fold in the 3/4 cup of coconut and all the drained pineapple. 

8. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

9. Allow to cool most of the way before flipping out onto serving platter.

For the Glaze:

1 1/2 c (ish) powdered sugar

1/8 c (ish) reserved pineapple juice

1 tsp white rum

1 tbsp corn syrup

1. Combine all wet ingredients into a bowl.

2. Sift powdered sugar into wet ingredients and whisk to combine. You're looking for pourable, but still pretty thick so that it cascades down the sides but doesn't just soak right in. 

3. If it feels too loose, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add in more pineapple juice. 

4. Pour over top of the cake and allow to fall down the sides. Top with reserved shredded coconut. 

5. Pair with a drink and some pool floaties. 

Gooey Butter Bars

I live in the Saint Louis area, and Gooey Butter Cake runs through our veins. It's a right of passage, and I tried to make this like oh, ten years ago, and fucked it up, and never went back. Well, obviously that needed to change, so here we are again. She just keeps pulling me back in, but this time, it's just right. 

This recipe is a little different than a traditional gooey butter cake because it has a shortbread crust instead of the cake mix layer, but honestly, I may prefer this. It makes a 9x13 of bars. 

For the Shortbread:

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 c granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or if you don't have this you can use vanilla extract)

3/4 tsp salt

2 c all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prepare 9x13 with parchment paper (with some overhang to make it easier to pull out) and cooking spray. 

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add in vanilla bean paste and salt. 

3. Slowly incorporate flour. This mixture will be sandy, but when you squeeze it together in your hand, it will clump.

4. Pour into prepared pan and press down with hands or the back of a flat measuring cup. 

5. Bake for 15 minutes, and while it's baking, prepare filling. 

For the Gooey Butter:

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp vanilla bean paste 

Zest of 1 lemon

4 cups powdered sugar 

1. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together cream cheese and butter. 

2. Slowly incorporate the two eggs, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest. 

3. Slowly incorporate the powdered sugar. 

4. Whip together until fluffy. 

4. After 15 minutes of baking the crust, pull it out and top with the gooey butter mixture. 

5. Return to oven to bake for another 40 minutes or until the edges are browning but the inside still feels a little jiggly. It will be puffy, but once it is out, it will deflate some. 

6. Allow to cool completely (for several hours) before dusting with powdered sugar and slicing into bars.    

Peanut Butter Whiskey Brownies

I am doing a dessert pairing with my local liquor and wine store this weekend, and one week out from St. Patty's day, obviously they are doing a whiskey tasting. I should also say that we went back into office this week, and my boss gave us all tiny bottles of Screwball Whiskey, so those two things have led to the creation of peanut butter whiskey brownies. The whiskey is obviously optional, but why would you want it to be? 

This recipe makes an 8x8 pan of brownies (12 chunky pieces). 

I used my regular brownie recipe and just added on/tweaked a bit:

For the Batter:

1 stick unsalted butter

8 oz chocolate chips (you're really going to use the whole 12 oz bag, but 2/3 of it for now)

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

3 eggs

1/2 c flour

1/4 c cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 oz peanut butter whiskey (you'll use a whole shot total or a travel size bottle)

4 oz chocolate chips for mixins (see, I told you)

For the Peanut Butter Swirl

1/3 c peanut butter (I used creamy, but I can't imagine chunky would be bad)

1 tbsp powdered sugar

1/2 oz peanut butter whiskey

1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream *to thin out- you may need a little more or less

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare pan with some non-stick spray and parchment paper.

2. Combine peanut butter swirl mixture into a small bowl and set aside. 

3. Put 8 oz chocolate chips and butter in a heat-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate and butter are just melted. Don't over-heat. If there's still a few lumps, just stir, and the residual heat will melt everything. 

4. Add sugars to the melted chocolate mixture and combine. This will help cool the chocolate off a little before you add the eggs.

5. Add eggs one at a time and mix well before adding the next. Add 1 oz whiskey.

6. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt to the bowl and mix well to combine. Don't worry about over-mixing here. 

7. Add in the remaining chocolate chips and pour batter into pan.

8. Put dollops of the PB mixture onto the brownies or put in a piping bag and draw lines onto the batter; swirl with a butter knife (this is what I did).

9. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out kind of clean. This is such a personal preference. I err on the side of less done, but you know what you like. 

10. Allow to cool before removing from the pan and slicing. 

Cinnamon Roll Macarons

This week on another episode of choose your macaron adventure, we have gone down the rabbit hole and landed on cinnamon rolls. This macaron has the signature shell smattered with cinnamon and, obviously, a cream cheese frosting in the middle. I mean, should I eat these for breakfast? Absolutely. 

This recipe makes about 18-24 macarons. Just a reminder that a food scale is essential here. And since you're weighing things out, you can always double or triple this batch. 

For the Shells:

2 egg whites *this is your base weight; this time it was 69 g for the two egg whites

103.5 g almond flour (1.5 x egg white weight)

103. 5 g powdered sugar (same as above)

55.2 g brown sugar (0.8 x egg weight)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

A bit of brown food coloring *optional

1. Prepare two sheet pans with parchment and/or silpats. If you're using parchment, draw circles as a guide for your piping. I use a silpat with the macaron circles and just put a parchment paper over it- the parchment tends to release the shells better, but I can still see the circles for a guide. 

2. In a bowl, sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside. 

3. In a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, begin to beat the egg whites. Don't go above a 6 speed on a Kitchenaid. Once they start to get frothy, add in the cream of tartar. 

4. While that's whisking, sift your brown sugar. I don't know if this is essential, but you're trying to make meringue, and brown sugar is heavy, so I did it and I'll do it again. 

5. Start to gently add the brown sugar to the egg whites while they're whipping up. You want to get to a stiff peak here. It may take a bit longer than you're used to because of the molasses in the brown sugar, but it does whip up quite nicely. 

6. Once at stiff peaks, put in half of the dry mixture. Gently fold in.  

7. Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and beat the shit out of it. You're looking for the batter to be able to fall back into itself and reincorporate within about 10 seconds.

8. If you'd like, at this point, take about 1/3 of the batter into a second bowl and mix a little brown food coloring. 

9. Put the batter into two piping bags. Cut a smaller hole into the brown one and a slightly larger hole into the un-colored batter. Put both bags into a larger piping bag with a large hole cut into it. When you pipe, you will get a little brown swirl like a cinnamon roll. 

10. Pipe onto prepared sheet pans and then drop or beat the sheet pans on the counter a few times to get the air bubbles out of the shells. These may be dainty, but they like it a little rough. 

11. Allow to cure for at least 30 minutes until they become matte and when you touch lightly with a finger, they don't stick. While that's happening, preheat oven to 350F. 

12. Right before baking, drop the oven to 325F and bake for 10-13 minutes. To test if they're done, you can gently touch and it shouldn't move too much on its base. *Bake one tray at a time! If you do more, the air doesn't circulate enough, and it can mess up your shells. 

13. Allow to cool before filling.   

For the filling:

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

2 oz cream cheese room temp 

1 1/2 c (ish) powdered sugar

Splash of vanilla 

Pinch of salt

More cinnamon if you like

1. First of all, you don't really need this much filling, but you try mixing up just 1 tbsp butter and 1 oz cream cheese. It's nigh impossible, so here we are. In a small bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer. 

2. Begin to slowly add in cream cheese. Add in vanilla and salt (and cinnamon if you'd like). 

3. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a splash of milk or heavy cream. 

4. Beat until fluffy and put into a piping bag. Cut off tip and gently squeeze some filling onto a shell. Top with a second shell to make the sandwich cookies. You don't need as much filling as you'd think you do, so make one or two before filling the rest to be sure you have a good ratio. 

5. Keep in an air-tight container in the fridge. They really are better the next day. 

Brown Butter Blondies

I have, what I believe to be, the perfect brownie recipe, but blondies have eluded me for a while. I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.. until I did find it. I did. This recipe is decadent. I mean nutty-butter forward chewy blondies. They're not the prettiest, but they sure know how to party. This recipe makes fatty blondies in an 8x8 or if you want to make them thinner, you could do a larger pan for less time. 

For the Blondies:

3/4 c butter, unsalted

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 c flour

1 tbsp malted milk powder *optional, but maybe it shouldn't be

4 oz Heath toffee bits *honestly though, anything could be good in this- butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, caramel bits. Pick your poison 

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare a pan with cooking spray and parchment paper. I like a little overhang of parchment so it's easier to lift them out of the pan later. 

2. In a saucepan, melt the butter and continue cooking, stirring intermittently until butter starts to brown. You'll notice that the bubbles will start to dissipate a bit and the butter will start to smell a bit nutty. You'll see the brown flecks start to form.  

3. Pour butter into bowl with the sugars. Mix until combined and butter mixture is slightly cooled. 

4. Incorporate the eggs one at a time until combined. 

5. Add vanilla and salt. 

6. Incorporate flour and malted milk powder. 

7. Add in toffee bits.  

8. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for about 45 - 55 minutes. 

9. Allow to cool before removing from pan and slicing. 

Smore's Cake

This one is a doozy. Do people even say that anymore? Well it's true. She's got a few steps to her, but she's so worth it. The good ones always are. This is a graham cracker sponge, homemade marshmallow fluff filling, smothered in a chocolate buttercream, and doused with chocolate ganache. 

This makes a three layer 9-inch round cake or you could do about 2.5 dozen cupcakes. 

For the cake:

1/2 c vegetable oil

1/2 c unsalted butter, room temp

1 c brown sugar

1 c honey 

4 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp cinnamon

1 c sour cream 

1/2 c buttermilk 

1. Preheat oven to 350F and prep three 9-inch cake pans with goop. 

2. In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients (flours, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon) and set aside. 

3. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together oil, butter, honey, and brown sugar. 

4. Add in egg whites and vanilla and beat for a minute or so to incorporate. 

5. Add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients and beat to combine. 

6. Add in the sour cream, beat to combine. 

7. Repeat with 1/3 dry ingredients. 

8. Add buttermilk.

9. End on last 1/3 dry ingredients. 

10. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

For the marshmallow fluff: *This is my normal marshmallow recipe, just tweaked to make it looser. You don't need all of this, but I mean, who's gonna be mad about some extra fluff? But, feel free to 1/2 this recipe if you don't want extra happiness. 

1/3 c powdered sugar

1 ½ tbsp unflavored gelatin

½ c cold water

1 ½ c granulated sugar

1 c corn syrup

¼ tsp salt

½ c water *yeah, separate from the other ½ c water. 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sprinkle gelatin over ½ c cold water to soften; set aside.

2. In a saucepan, heat granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and ½ c water *you see, the second water* over low heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Heat to boiling; cook without stirring until it reaches 240F on a candy thermometer or until a small amount of mixture dropped into a cup of ice water forms a ball that holds its shape but is pliable. Remove from heat. *I always do both the thermometer AND the water test. I don't trust my thermometer fully, but it's a good guide to know when to start trying the softball water test.

3. Slowly pour syrup into softened gelatin while beating on low speed *I used the whisk attachment*. Increase speed to high; beat 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture is white and has almost tripled in volume. Add in salt and vanilla and mix to incorporate.

4. Put in a piping bag until assembly.

For the buttercream:

4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature *yes, this is pretty butter-heavy; trust me, it's delicious
1 c cocoa powder
4 c powdered sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

1. Put butter into stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

2. Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar together. 

3. Pour sugar mixture into butter a little at a time until incorporated. Add salt and vanilla to taste.

4. Continue to beat for a few minutes until fluffy. If it feels too tight, add a splash of milk or cream. 

5. Place about 1/3 of the frosting in a piping bag and set aside.

For the ganache:

1 c heavy cream
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips 
4 tbsp (half a stick) unsalted butter, room temp - I almost ALWAYS don't do room temp because I forget to pull the butter out for this; it's fine; just takes a few more mins to melt
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Place the heavy cream in a small pan on the stove and heat until just at a simmer. You don't want this to boil.

2. While the cream is heating, put your chocolate and butter chopped into small cubes into a heat safe bowl.

3. Once the cream has heated, pour over the chocolate and butter and cover bowl with plastic wrap for about 5 minutes. *This just ensures that your chocolate will melt and be easier to incorporate.

4. Stir the ingredients together. At first it will look like they aren't coming together. They will. Once it's smooth, I add some salt and vanilla to taste, and make sure to fully incorporate it.

5. You will want this to sit for a while so that it is pourable but will not fall off the cake. We want drips.

Assembly:

1. Place a dollop of frosting onto board or cake stand and put down first layer of cake (feel free to level off the tops of cakes if they're domed). 

2. Take the piping bag of buttercream and pipe a thick rim around the top of the cake to make a dam for the marshmallow fluff. 

3. Fill in the layer with the marshmallow fluff. Repeat with the second layer. 

4. Cover the whole cake in the buttercream. 

5. Slowly spoon the ganache on top and guide it down the side of the cake in drips- some people use a squeeze bottle for this. I just give it a little nudge occasionally with my spoon to force it to gently fall down the side of the cake. 

6. Decorate with teddy grahams, mini marshmallows, and chocolate pieces. 

7. Sit next to a fire and mock it because you got your s'mores dream without any of its help. 

Red Velvet Macarons

On my continued journey of macaron-ing beloved flavors, here are the red velvets. Slightly chocolately, chewy shells with tangy cream cheese frosting in the middle. And they're just so cute, that it makes me want to sing she's a lady, woah woah woah, she's a lady. They're fancy and down to party. 

Just a reminder that you will need a food scale for this- you really do want to make sure that your measurements are based on the egg weight. This recipe makes about 2 dozen small macarons. 

For the shells:

2 egg whites (for this one, it was 71g - this is my base weight)

106.5 g powdered sugar (1.5 x egg white)

106.5 g almond flour (1.5 x egg white)

12 g cocoa powder (.18 x egg white)

56.8 g granulated sugar (0.8 x egg white)

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

red food coloring *I am not putting a measurement here; I used liquid; I think if you used gel, you may be able to add more and have a more vibrant red, but just be careful if you're using liquid to not use too much- it can mess with the consistency of the batter

1/3 c white chocolate chips for drizzling (optional)

1. Prepare a piping bag with a large round tip and set aside. Line two baking sheets with silpat mat and/or parchment. *You will want to draw a circle template to pipe your macarons on to if you're just using parchment. Even if you have the silpats, I also use the parchment over top because it tends to stick less, but the circles on the silpat are perfect guides for piping.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, start mixing egg whites. Don't mix them on too high of a speed (no higher than 6 on a kitchenaid). While this starts out, move to the next step.

3. Sift together almond flour, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder in a bowl. *I just put my bowl on my food scale and poured through my sifter until the right weight because I'm lazy.* Put aside until the egg whites are finished.

4. After the egg whites have started to foam up, add cream of tartar. *this is just to help stabilize the merengue, so you can leave it out if you want, but macarons can be finicky bitches, so I use it.

5. Start adding in the granulated sugar to the foamy egg whites a bit at a time. Let mixer keep whipping until you get to stiff peaks, like you see in the picture.

6. Pour in about half of your dry ingredients and the red food coloring into the egg whites. You'd think you have to be gentle here because it's egg whites and you don't want to lose all that air. Nah. You can mix the shit of out of this; it's okay.

7. Pour the second half of dry ingredients in and keep mixing. Here I was a bit more gentle. You want to keep mixing until it looks glossy and it ribbons back on itself.

8. Pour into piping bag and pipe into small circles. Bang on the counter several times to get the air bubbles out. Again, they are delicate, but they also like it a bit rough.  

9. Allow to cure until they are matte (not shiny) and are not sticky when you gently touch your finger to it- this can be 30 - 60 minutes depending on the humidity. 

10. Preheat oven to 350; before putting in the macarons, turn down to 325F. **You want to bake each tray by itself. If you put in both at the same time, the air doesn't circulate properly. 

11. Bake for 10-12 minutes. When lightly tapped, it shouldn't move on its base. 

12. Allow to cool completely. Once cool, melt white chocolate in microwave in 15 second intervals. Once melted, put in a piping bag and pipe lines on half of the shells (this feels ambiguous- pipe half of the shells halfway with lines, so half of them will not have chocolate). Allow to solidify before assembly. 

For the filling:

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

2 tbsp cream cheese, room temp

1 1/2 c powdered sugar (ish)

Dash of salt

Splash of vanilla

1. In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter and cream cheese. 

2. Slowly add powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. 

3. If it feels too thick, you can add a splash of milk or heavy cream as well. 

4. Put the filling in a piping bag and cut the corner off. Pipe a small amount of the buttercream onto the center of half of the shells- you will be putting together one non-white chocolated side with one white chocolated side. You will need less filling in each of them than you think. I would suggest fully assembling a few first to see what your ratio should be before filling the rest. 

5. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge.