Custom Chocolate Bars

Ingredients

A couple of weeks ago was National S'more Day, as I was surfing the internet looking for s'more related goodies I stumbled across Not So Humble Pie's posting on S'more Chocolate Bars. They looked so good that I had to try them.

Fast forward three weeks and I finally had some time to try them out, but first I needed a chocolate bar mold. Boy, that was hard to find. I went to the wholesale baking place where I pick up all of my supplies from and they didn't have any thick plain old chocolate bar molds, they were either super skinny or had sudoku on them. I settled on a large chocolate bar mold that I would have to cut into smaller pieces.

First off I followed the recipe and made a s'more chocolate bar, I made sure I tempered the chocolate correctly to get the nice glossy finish. Luckily, the chocolate turned out great! The next bar I tried was a neapolitan bar that I came up with while at the grocery store getting ingredients. I already had some strawberry fluff that my Mom brought me back from Florida so I got some Nilla biscuits to go with it for the vanilla part of the neapolitan equation. Of course you can make any combination of chocolate bars, I can't wait to see what I dream up next...potato chips anyone?!

Here is a little photo journal process (recipe steps) I did to make my delicious custom chocolate bars. 

Chocolate to temper

Lindt Chocolate

Chocolate starting to melt

Chocolate tempering

Top part of the bar, chocolate in the mold

S'more Bar

Toasted Marshmallow (you should have
seen the size of the torch)

Marshmallow in the chocolate

Graham Crackers

Finished S'more Bar

Neapolitan Bar

Ingredients

Toasted Strawberry Marshmallow

Biscuits on top of the chocolate and marshmallow

Finished Neapolitan bar

If I could change anything for next time I'd make sure my chocolate was a little more set before I started putting the layers not the bar. As you can see from the picture above the marshmallow came through in the shallow areas because the chocolate wasn't set long enough.

At the end, they turned out delicious. 

Enjoy!

Jumbo Cream Filled Cupcakes

Wow these were some awesome cupcakes.  I have made these cupcakes before from Martha Stewart's Cupcake cookbook but this time I used some amazing cocoa powder from Askinosie Chocolate which put them over the top.  I took these to work and one of the ladies said that they were the best cupcakes she ever had.  I think it was because of the sour cream and the cocoa powder.

These cupcakes were light and fluffy (not just the cupcake but also they were filled with marshmallow fluff) and super moist.  Plus the batter tasted awesome which is always a clue that the baked version will turn out just great.

I made regular size cupcakes as I think a jumbo would be a bit too much with the chocolate and marshmallow filling.  They also go great with a cup of tea. For the recipe click here.

Batter

Awesome cocoa powder

Cupcake

Filled

Messy inside

S'more Squares

I love s'mores, I think it is my favourite flavour combination.  I found this awesome recipe from The Happy Baker.  It's the best recipe for s'more squares out there, even better than Martha Stewart's.  I give these squares as presents as everyone loves them and they go great with hot chocolate.  Here is the recipe with a couple tweaks.


2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg 
2 and1/3 cups graham crumbs
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt


1, 7 oz. container of fluff
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 
1  1/2 cups mini marshmallows


Incorporate the first seven ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or with a hand held blender.  Reserve 1 cup of the mixture and press the rest into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Put the fluff into the microwave for about 30 seconds and spread the fluff over the graham mixture.  Sprinkle chocolate chips all over the fluff and then the marshmallows over the chocolate chips.  Sprinkle the remaining graham mixture on top and press into the marshmallows.  


Bake for 20 - 25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Let sit and cut into squares.