Campfire S'mores Brownies

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Campfire S'mores Brownies

Campfire S'mores Brownies

Digging through the pantry cupboards this weekend, I spotted exactly three boxes of graham crackers and two bags of marshmallows (one mini and one full-size). S'mores, I reminisced. Sweet, sticky s'mores. In my home, these ingredients are rarely used for another purpose. Certainly the graham crackers are used for a lovely tart crust now and then, and the marshmallows fit perfectly atop a mug of steaming cocoa, but these ingredients will always be two components in what should be a trio of three.

With summer's heat long gone, it seemed a shame to keep these ingredients safe until the next warm summer's eve. I pulled them off the pantry shelf and set to work.

Campfire S'mores Brownies Campfire S'mores Brownies

If you've been with me for a short while, you might imagine that I love the occasional s'more now and again. However, if you've been with me for some time, you know the sticky, messy truth. The word love may be not be enough to describe how I feel. I've shared S'mores Pie and S'mores Sundaes with you. I've even entered my original S'mores Cupcakes into a cupcake baking competition.

There may have been even more recipes, but I didn't want to scare you off. There is a fine line between fun and fanatic.

Campfire S'mores Brownies

It's true that my love for s'mores lies partly in the unique flavor combination of chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers, but the majority of it is rooted in memories. Sweet, sweet, memories of hot summer nights. Of blazing campfires, folk songs, and sticky fingers. Of deep conversation, giggling, and cool summer breezes. Of warm faces, crackling logs, and marshmallows lost to the flames.

In the midst of winter's wind and ice, dreams of summer feel just right.

Campfire S'mores Brownies

These Campfire S'mores Brownies are ooey gooey, sticky, and unbelievably fudgy. A pound of chocolate is melted, graham crackers are mixed in the batter, and mini marshmallows are broiled on top. The key to delicious brownies is knowing when to take them out of the oven. Leaving them in too long can result in dry, crumbling brownies, while taking them out at just the right moment produces thick and fudgy results. I drizzled my brownies with extra chocolate because, well, it just tastes better that way.

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Cheddar Dill Biscuits

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Cheddar Dill Biscuits

Cheddar Dill Biscuits

I'm a bookworm. I've been so all of my life. There are old photographs of me as a toddler sitting underneath the living room end table reading Mother Goose rhymes. Though cramped, my small space was perfect to spend time with my favorite storybooks, whether I could actually read them or not was completely irrelevant. I distinctly remember the day I outgrew my small reading cove; my neck was sore from bending over and my legs jutted out between the table legs. At the ripe age of three and a half, I had outgrown my special reading corner. Above all, I remember feeling sadness about losing this place so special to me.

Evidently the perceived tragedies to a three year old are strong enough to leave an impression well into adulthood. My books and I would simply have to find someplace else to delve into the world of fiction.

Cheddar Dill Biscuits Cheddar Dill Biscuits

Nevertheless, much of my childhood was spent between the worn pages of a good book. Fiction and fantasy, kings and queens, dragons and mythical creatures—I loved them all. Reading of far off places, places that never existed nor will ever exist, made my imagination soar. As soon as my eyes start taking in the words on the page, my mind fades away from the Times New Roman font and a fantastic story begins playing out in my head. The faster my eyes dance across the page, the more vivid and real the details of the book become.

Fantasy, fiction, and food—my personal trinity of good books.

To this day, I struggle to pick up a nonfiction book and read it all the way through. Perhaps my childhood is so rooted into fairy tales and foreign worlds that to stray into the details of reality takes away a little of that magic. Whatever the case may be, my bookshelf is firmly filled with adventures and tragedies (with just a few culinary memoirs to break up the monotony).

Cheddar Dill Biscuits

When I was younger, I always envisioned myself as a fiction writer, spinning predictable, but engrossing tales of teen romance. Yet, when I sat down to write chapters, pages, or simple paragraphs of the ideas floating in my head, the words didn't flow. They stopped, utterly and completely, and I was left staring at a blank page. Yet, when I sat down to journal or to write short essays about silliness or food, the words came in droves. I'd often have to cut them back or stop them all together, fearing I'd write something too long for anyone (or myself) to want to read.

It's ironic, really. Nonfiction books are the one genre of books I can't quite bring myself to read, yet is the only style I can seem to write.

Which genre of books do you prefer?

Cheddar Dill Biscuits Cheddar Dill Biscuits

Cheddar Dill Biscuits are tender, flaky, and full of flavor. I love the sharpness of the cheddar cheese contrasted against the fresh dill. The biscuits rise using baking powder, while the butter gives the biscuit the coveted flaky layers. The biscuits are wonderfully cheesy and perfect whether they are served plain or with a simple butter spread. For tips on achieving mile-high biscuits, check this out!

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Tuesday Tip: Mile-High Biscuits

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Biscuits—the wonderfully soft and flaky quick breads we all know and love—have become an American staple. Biscuits act as an alternative to dinner rolls or cornbread, soaking up gravy when paired with meat or potatoes, but they work equally well as a breakfast treat, covered with a thick layer of jam.

There are a few coveted qualities of all biscuits. They must be soft and flaky, unbelievably tender, and they must rise to towering heights (if for no reason but to entice us in). If you follow the few tips below, your biscuits can come out perfect every single time.

Mile-High Biscuit Tips:

  • Start with very cold butter or shortening. The cold ingredients, when incorporated into the flour, will give you flakier biscuits. We want flaky biscuits (FYI: this is also the trick for flaky pie crusts!).
  • Mix the butter into the flour just until it resembles coarse sand. This can be accomplished using a stand mixer, food processor, pastry blender, or with your hands (but make sure your hands are cold so you don't warm the butter!).
  • Add the liquid (again, make sure it is cold) and do not over-mix when incorporating it into the flour. Over-mixing will result in less tender biscuits. Why? Gluten forms when mixing dough, so the more you mix, the more gluten forms. When a lot of gluten forms, it results in a heavier, denser bread. This is the opposite of what we look for in a light, tall biscuit.
  • Move dough to a lightly floured surface and flatten with it with your hands (as opposed to a rolling pin) to 1/2-inch to 1-inch thick. If you need to knead the dough a few times to get it to come together, it is okay to do so but don't knead more than 10-12 times. The less you handle the dough, the softer the final result will be.
  • Cut out biscuits with a cutter lightly coated in flour. Do not twist cutter once you have pressed into the dough. Twisting will cause the sides of the dough to seal, meaning the dough will not rise as high as possible (or one side may seal and the other doesn't, resulting in a very crooked biscuit).
  • Place biscuits close to one another on the baking sheet for biscuits with soft edges or place 1-inch apart for crusty edges (depending on your preference).

To reheat leftover biscuits, wrap biscuits individually in foil and bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can place biscuits in a microwave with a damp paper towel on high for 15-20 seconds, or until warm.

Can you guess what type of recipe is coming up next?