S'more Cookies

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I'm heading to the lake with my family later today and I was tasked with bringing the "treats." Do I go with the classic Perfect CCC's? I could. Do I take the easy way out and just buy s'more ingredients? No, because it's 100+ in Oklahoma right now and the last thing I want to do is stand around a fire. 

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So instead, I will combine the two. As if my Perfect CCC's and a s'more had a baby, I give you S’mores Cookies. The ultimate summer lake trip treat.

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They are everything you love in a Perfect CCC (hello flaky Maldon Salt) mixed with graham crackers, marshmallows, and a Hershey's chocolate bar. I can think of nothing better right now. I will also take this moment to profess my love affair with Graham Crackers. The most underrated cookie/cracker. They are the perfect after dinner snack. Shmear on a little Cookie Butter or almond butter and you are golden. Graham Crackers I love you. S’more Cookies, I love you too!

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S’more Cookies
yields 32-36 cookies

Ingredients:
1  cup unsalted butter, melted
3 cups all purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups light or dark brown sugar, firmly packed*
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped
1 Hershey’s Chocolate Bar, chopped
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 sleeve Graham Crackers (9 crackers total)
Maldon Salt

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. 

Divide your graham crackers into stacks of 4 and 5. Take the 5 graham crackers and place in a large ziplock bag. Using a rolling pin crush the crackers into fine crumbs. This mixture will be added to the dry ingredients, so you want them to be very fine. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Then, take the 4 graham crackers and break them up into small pieces. Small enough to be mixed into the dough, but still in chunks. *see photo above for reference.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, fine graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl mix both sugars. *You can use light or dark brown sugar. I like a dark cookie so I prefer dark brown sugar, but I switch off depending on what I have on hand. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the sugars and whisk until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to combine. Stir in the vanilla.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture. I found a wooden spoon to be the easiest for this job. Once the dough has almost come together, add the chocolate chips, marshmallows, graham cracker chunks and 3/4 of the chopped Hershey's bar.
Reserve a few marshmallows, graham cracker chunks and 1/4 of the chopped Hershey bar for topping the balls of cookie dough.

Form 2-3 tablespoon size balls. I used a standard size cookie scoop, but overload the scoop getting a larger ball of dough. Place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Do not overcrowd the pans. I got 10 balls of dough on a pan. Take your reserved chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows and top each ball of dough with a little of each. Then sprinkle the top of each cookie with flaky Maldon salt. 

Bake for 9-11 minutes, rotating the pan around halfway through. Bake until just slightly golden. 

Don't fear, the marshmallows will ooze out and go all over the pan.  For a prettier cookie, take the cookies while they are still warm and using either you fingers or a knife, pull off and trim away the oozy marshmallow. You are simply just cleaning up your cookies. 

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Annie

Bites of My Life

Such a good week and kick off to summer. Two straight days of food photoshoots means a very happy Annie. I love when I get to pause from answer emails to help style food to show off to our guests. Quick/long story...

Then I celebrated my birthday a few days early. Pro tip: don't have your birthday at the restaurant you work at unless you want to be highly embarrassed. Or do..cause it was totally with it. My birthday falls at a busy time of year, growing up it was often the last day of school and now it always falls on Memorial Weekend. No complaints really, but my mom was feeling guilty and had some ideas up her sleeve to make it special. To note, I also hate surprises and no one typically tries to surprise me. Upon arriving to dinner there were extremely large 2-5 mylar balloons attached to my chair. Then instead of a simple dessert, our pastry chefs at The Jones completely outdid themselves creating the most gorgeous three layer cake adorned with flowers and berries. All to be delivered by just about every hostess and server and manager singing happy birthday for the whole restaurant to hear. I was 50 shades of red, but felt extremely loved and celebrate. 

Then it was lake bound for "LAKE RATZ PART II." My friends and I started this tradition last year of renting a big house on Grand Lake for a whole crew of us to stay in. I left the weekend never wanting to eat another potato chip, but realizing how many great friends I have to spend a whole weekend with 15 of still love them all by the end. 

Okay this is literally the longest bites recap ever, but I guess being 25 is making me feel old and sentimental. 

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-Food photoshoot days are my favorite!! The summer menu at The Jones Assembly is officially here!
-New favorite drink aka the Fire Emoji (yes that is the name and couldn't be more accurate)
-Best birthday c/o my real fam and my Jones fam. 
-Last week's recipe post: 3-Ingredient Individual Strawberry Trifles
-baby backs on the dock. 
-OG Lake Ratz. Been doing Memorial Day at the lake with them since freshman year of college. 
-it's not summer until...
-pretties birthday flowers to come home to from my roommates. 
-Bowl for the week: grilled chicken, sauerkraut, roasted sweet potatoes, vine ripened tomatoes, avocado, fresh basil, green onions on a bed of spinach topped with Malden salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

Annie

3-Ingredient Individual Strawberry Trifles

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Just store-bought cookies, whipped cream and strawberries, how easy is that?  ;) Chaneling my inner Ina Garten for this recipe. The idea stemmed from her Mocha Icebox Cake. Taking Hampton’s own Tate’s cookies and letting homemade whipped cream soften them while chilling in the fridge. The strawberry addition is a homage to strawberry shortcake.  

This is the perfect not-too guilty dessert. Best enjoyed after a grill-out all fresco. AKA my favorite way to spend a Sunday evening. Preferably on my parents oasis of a patio. 

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3-Ingredient Individual Strawberry Trifles
yields 4-5 trifles

Ingredients:
8 oz strawberries, sliced
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 Tate's Bakeshop Vanilla Cookies (available at most grocery stores)

Directions:
Whip your heavy cream using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla extract and give a quick mix, making sure not to over whip your cream. 

Take a martini glass, start with a small spoonful of cream in the bottom of the glass. Crumble over a Tate's cookie, add a few sliced strawberries, then repeat. Continue until you have filled 4 martini glasses. I was able to stretch this recipe to serve 5, but it's best divvied up for 4. 

Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to let the cream soften the cookies a bit. Before serving, sprinkle the tops with granulated sugar and a small sprig of mint to garnish. 

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Annie