EASY OVEN S’MORES DIP

june 28, 2016 by celebrating sweets 13 comments

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An easy recipe for s’mores dip made right in your oven. Melted chocolate topped with toasted marshmallows and served with graham crackers, cookies, or fruit for dipping. Ready in under 10 minutes!

Our 5 year old, Jake, has been asking to go on a camping trip. His desire to try camping came right as the temperatures started soaring. If I’m being honest, I don’t want to camp ever, but I really don’t want to go camping when the temps are in the triple digits. So, last week we decided to have an indoor campout! We set up pillows and sleeping bags in our living room, we told campfire stories, ate dinner at our “campsite,” and we indulged in s’mores dip!!

It will come as no surprise that our favorite part of the campout was this s’mores dip. What’s not to love about a skillet of melted chocolate topped with toasted marshmallows?

This s’mores dip is a fabulous way to satisfy your 
daily s’mores craving. All you do is melt chocolate chips with milk in your microwave. Once melted, pour it into a small skillet, top with marshmallows, and stick it under the broiler for a few seconds. That’s it! It’s ready in under 10 minutes. I calculated roughly 7 minutes from start to finish.

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can dip anything you want in it! You’re no longer limited to the traditional square graham cracker because we are dipping, not building a sandwich.

Want to use your favorite cookie?!

Want to dip fruit in it?!

How about something salty (pretzels, ritz crackers, potato chips)?!

You can dip ’em all! Eeeeeekkk!

This dip is also way less messy than eating a traditional s’more. As I’ve mentioned before, my husband and son loathe being sticky. They avoid traditional s’mores because of the stickiness factor. This dip was perfect because you simply scoop the dip onto your cookie/cracker/fruit and stick it right into your mouth (no squishing down/squeezing out like a traditional s’more).

So the next time you decide you want s’mores, there’s no need to plan a camping trip or start up your fire pit. After 10 minutes in your kitchen you’ll be diving into these scrumptious and nostalgic flavors.

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NOTE: Have you tried s’mores dip before and were unsuccessful? Me too! Most recipes for s’mores dip (that I’ve seen) have you melt the chocolate chips directly in the skillet in the oven. Although that method eliminates the use of milk and the microwave, I have had varying success trying it that way. It is very easy for the chocolate to overheat, in which case the chocolate will seize and harden. I’ve found that this method of slowly melting the chocolate in the microwave with milk to help thin it out works every time!

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EASY OVEN S'MORES DIP

An easy recipe for s'mores dip made right in your oven. Melted chocolate topped with toasted marshmallows and served with graham crackers, cookies, or fruit for dipping. Ready in under 10 minutes!

 Course Dessert, side

 Prep Time 5 minutes

 Cook Time 2 minutes

 Total Time 7 minutes

 Servings 4 -6

 Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup milk
• 15-20 marshmallows halved
• Graham crackers, speculoos cookies, fruit, for dipping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat broiler and place a rack in the upper half of your oven (at least 5 inches from the broiler).
2. In a large microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and milk. Heat in 15 second intervals for a total of one minute, stirring well between each interval. If the chocolate is not melted, heat in 10-second intervals, stirring really well, until melted and smooth. The key is to heat the chocolate very slowly so that it does not overheat.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into an oven safe skillet or casserole dish (I used an 8-inch cast iron skillet, about 3 1/2 cups volume). Top the melted chocolate with halved marshmallows and place under the broiler. Broil until the marshmallows are toasted and golden brown. This will happen fast, so keep a close eye on it. Serve immediately with graham crackers, cookies and/or fruit.

SOFT AND CHEWY M&M COOKIES

july 26, 2016 by celebrating sweets 18 comments

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Soft and chewy cookies filled with M&M’s chocolate candies. Make these cookies regular sized or mini!

It is an exciting week for our family. My oldest child, Jake, started Kindergarten! So far he has done great and he is loving it. I really can’t believe that we are at this milestone already. I feel like every time I blink my kiddos are growing leaps and bounds. I’m trying to soak up every moment of their fleeting childhood. This time in our lives is just so precious, and I am trying to create lasting memories any way that I can.

I like to mark milestones by slowing down, creating traditions, and celebrating as a family. During Jake’s two years in preschool, I welcomed him home on the first day of school with freshly baked cookies. I plan to continue this tradition throughout his school days as a way to remind him that I am supporting him, cheering him on, and anxiously waiting to hear about his day while sharing a plate of cookies and milk.

So, that’s what we did. After school we settled in at the kitchen table, nibbled a few cookies and talked about all the important things that went on in Kindergarten that day. It was the perfect way to finish the day.

Let’s talk cookies! This recipe first appeared on this site nearly three years ago. It was one of the first recipes that I shared and it is a family favorite. The recipe is the same that it’s always been but the photos have been updated.

These cookies are soft and chewy and studded with M&M’s. The key to these cookies is being careful not to over-bake them. The edges should be chewy and the middle slightly soft. Do not wait until these cookies look done to pull them from the oven. Remove them from the oven just prior to being done and then they will finish cooking as they cool on the baking sheet.

For this recipe I like to mix some of the M&M’s into the batter and press the rest onto the tops of the cookies right before baking. This allows the M&M’s to be more visible, adding a nice pop of color to the cookies. Be generous with the M&M’s that are going on top. As the cookies bake and spread out the candies will distribute throughout the top.

You can make these regular sized cookies with regular M & M’s or you can make miniature cookies (perfect for serving to kids!) with mini M & M’s.

I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does!

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This post originally appeared in 2013. The photos were updated July 2016, but the recipe remained the same.

5 from 3 votes

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SOFT AND CHEWY M&M COOKIES

Soft and chewy cookies filled with M&M's chocolate candies. Make these cookies regular sized or mini!

 Course Cookies, Dessert

 Prep Time 20 minutes

 Cook Time 9 minutes

 Total Time 29 minutes

 Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened slightly
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar lightly packed
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups M&M's or other chocolate candies divided

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, beat butter and both sugars for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, add in flour mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Stir in M&M's - I usually add about 3/4 cup into the batter, the rest will get pressed on top of the cookies before baking.
5. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, or use a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets leaving about an inch for spreading. Using the remaining M&M's, press several (5+) onto the top of each mound of dough. Keep in mind that the cookies will spread out while baking, so be generous with the M&M's.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes (see note), until the center of the cookies are just barely set. The cookies should look soft and slightly under cooked. They will finish cooking while cooling on the baking sheet.
7. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

RECIPE NOTES

If you are using less than 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough you will need to reduce the baking time accordingly.
To make mini cookies: use mini M & M's, drop the dough into 1 1/2 teaspoon balls and bake for about 6 minutes.

Related : Soft and Chewy Chocolate M&M Cookies

ALMOND BERRY SHORTCAKE

august 16, 2016 by celebrating sweets 5 comments

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Tender almond shortcakes filled with fresh berries and almond whipped cream. These shortcakes are flaky and tender with a delicate almond flavor.

Hello there! How is your week going? We’re on the tail-end of a small kitchen renovation, so I have been out of the kitchen for the last week. I’ve been itching to get cooking and baking again. I’ve spent far too many hours thinking about cabinet colors (why are there so many whites?!), cabinet hardware (pulls or knobs?) and looking at crown molding. I needed a break, and I needed to bake something delicious. Stat.

All summer I have wanted to make almond shortcakes. I am a huge fan of almond-flavored anything and I absolutely love berries and almond together. The shortcakes use almond flour, almond extract, and sliced almonds. The almond flavor is definitely there but it is not overpowering. I absolutely love the texture of these shortcakes. They are tender and delicate, yet just sturdy enough to hold berries and whipped cream. Sometimes shortcakes can be a little dry, but these are not dry at all. The almond flour gives them a light and almost fluffy texture.

Although traditionally shortcakes are served with just strawberries, I figured other berries deserve some love too. I also added blackberries and raspberries, but feel free to use your favorite berries.

You could easily eat these shortcakes on their own, but the addition of almond whipped cream and fresh berries makes these a real treat. They even had me momentarily forgetting about the fact that I should be deep cleaning and restocking my whole entire kitchen. Send coffee, friends. And shortcakes.

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5 from 1 vote

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ALMOND BERRY SHORTCAKE

Tender almond shortcakes filled with fresh berries and almond whipped cream. These shortcakes are flaky and tender with a delicate almond flavor.

 Course Dessert

 Prep Time 25 minutes

 Cook Time 10 minutes

 Total Time 35 minutes

 Servings 6 -8

 Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

INGREDIENTS

SHORTCAKES

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup milk at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil not hot
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• coarse sugar optional

WHIPPED CREAM

• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups fresh berries

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk milk, egg, coconut oil, and almond extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
3. Drop the dough into 6-8 mounds spaced a couple inches apart . Make sure that the dough is mounded and not pressed flat. They will spread when baking and you don't want the shortcakes too thin. Sprinkle the top of each dough mound with coarse sugar and sliced almonds. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, until the tops are dry and the edges are just beginning to turn golden brown. Place baking sheets on wire racks to cool.

BEFORE SERVING:

1. Whip heavy cream, powdered sugar, and extracts until soft peaks form. Slice each shortcake horizontally and fill with whipped cream and fresh berries. Serve immediately.