Let the Summer Baking Begin

So I leave bright and early Tuesday morning to head back to Kenya, Africa! Like last summer, I will be there for a month, but this time I will be living at Naomi's Village throughout my whole trip.  Words cannot begin to describe how excited I am to be back! Before I leave, I have been trying to get in as much time with friends and family as I can, and let's be real, what better way to do that than through baking.  While in Kenya, I won't be surrounded with a constant supply of yummy treats like I am here, which may be a good thing... so I figured I might as well overload on them before I leave.  Good idea, right?

Here a few of the recent goodies I've been cooking up in my kitchen:

Cookies 'N Cream Fudge Oreo Brownies
Sometimes I wonder what life was like before Pinterest.  Who knows, but thanks to it, I was able to stumble across this wonderful creation.  Now, I didn't get the chance to take a picture of the final product, or maybe I was just too sidetracked by the pure deliciousness of these brownies... but let me tell you, these things are INCREDIBLE.  I had never baked anything with ice cream mixed in it before, but this will definitely not be the last time I do that.  The ice cream, along with the hot fudge and layer of Oreos, made the brownies super creamy and gooey, which is obviously the best type of brownies to have.  Pair these with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream, and this will definitely become a dessert you bake over and over again.

Here is the recipe and a few pictures of these irresistible goodies, thanks to this blog -  Kevin&Amanda

Recipe:
1 box Brownie Mix

eggs & oil (as called for by the brownie mix)
1 heaping half cup (6 oz) Cookies & Cream ice cream
1/4 Cup hot fudge topping (chilled or room temp)
1 pkg Oreos (regular, Double or Mega Stuffed!)

1. Preheat oven & spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. 
   
2. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

Enjoy :)

S'mores Brownie Pie
So if you know anything about me, you know that I have a slight major obsession with anything and everything s'mores.  That being said, I'm always on the look out for a new s'mores inspired treat to bake.  Yesterday as I was scrolling through Pinterest, it's safe to say that not only did I find my new favorite s'mores recipe, but my new favorite baking blog as well.  I mean, this girl knows how to bake that's for sure.  As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it, and luckily, I already had all of the ingredients on hand!  One of my favorite things about this recipe is that everything was made from scratch, and yet it was still so simple to make.

Recipe:
Crust

12 full-sheet graham crackers (or 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs)
6 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
Brownies
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold1/2 cup all-purpose flour
25 large marshmallows (1/2 of a standard package or use mini marshmallows)

1. Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
2. Make the crust: Using a food processor or blender, pulverize the graham crackers into a fine crumb. Pour into a medium bowl and mix with melted butter and sugar. Press into an ungreased 8-inch or 9-inch pie dish. Set aside.
3. Make the brownies: Melt the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a large bowl in the microwave. Melt in 30 second increments and stir after each time until the butter is completely melted. The mixture will look gritty. Set aside for a few minutes as you get the other ingredients ready. You don’t want the mixture to be piping hot.
4. Stir in the vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each addition. The batter will be thick and look shiny. Add the flour, beating with a whisk until fully combined. try not to overmix the batter at this point. Pour into crust.
5. Bake for 28 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with marshmallows. Return to the oven and continue to bake for an additional 3 minutes to melt the marshmallows. If the marshmallows aren't toasted, turn on your broiler for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.

It doesn't get much better than this!

*Useful tips: I added chocolate chips to the brownie batter, because when is extra chocolate ever a bad idea? Also, I would suggest baking the batter for 30-32 minutes before adding the marshmallows.  Turning on the broiler is definitely a good idea, because it gives the marshmallows that yummy, campfire-like taste, but make sure you don't have it on for longer than a minute or else they will start to burn.

I hope you try these delicious treats and enjoy them as much as my family and I did!