Inside-Out S'mores Bars Recipe

Momma Told Me: Think outside the box.

This isn't a particularly pretty post- in fact, it was never really intended to be it's own blog post. I'd quite intended to mess around with a GIF or PIN strip some day- thus the lack of gooey-messy foodie shots, or excessive styling. The lighting isn't even great- it was an overcast day and half of my condo was moved into the new house, so I was really just 'working with what I had'. But, to be honest, these were actually requested by someone in my league to be posted, so here I am sitting down to type up one of the most basic, simple, recipes that has ever crossed my little space on the web.

Growing up Momma loved 'boxed' recipe hacks- if there was any way she could save time while adding her own touch or twist to make something magical, she'd find it. Making 'boxed' recipe hacks are often not only time saving, but also quite affordable. Which makes them my go-to when I have to feed a large number of people (say, an entire bowling league) with only a few hours notice. After all, I am the 'dessert' lady, and blood sugar levels drop to dangerous numbers when I don't bring in the weekly fix for my bowlers!

This Inside-Out S'mores Bars recipe is so simple it doesn't require a narrated post- but the photos are still pretty to look at, right? I used to agonize over what brand or variety of boxed this or that I would choose when shopping for boxed recipes I'd found on Pinterest. The truth is most are pretty forgiving and you should always go with your personal tastes when picking 'the box.' For example, I love the triple fudge brownie variation of brownie mix from a certain big name baker brand- so that's what I use here. However, you may prefer a more malty milk chocolate flavor to compliment the s'mores theme, or perhaps something even more wild, such as a blondie mix. You really can't go wrong.

There are a few variations of this concept, and I completely endorse the variation where you layer chocolate bars atop your marshmallow layer before smothering it with the second half of your brownie batter- but, on this day, I needed a slightly less messy concept considering people would be putting their chocolatey hands in heavy balls at high velocities just after consumption. My personal 'twist' to this idea is double graham crackers- but that's always been my favorite part of the s'mores experience!

You may be tempted to pull these out of the pan and start devouring them on the spot- Take my advice, let them cool thoroughly, especially if going the chocolate bar route. Not only will pretty much any cutting utensil instinctively want to stick to every inch of marshmallow, but the entire bar itself will crumble at the graham layer if you dive right in too soon. Don't worry, they're still be gooey and indulgent when cooled.

So just a little further down you'll find the 'official' recipe- if the photos aren't instruction enough. Pretty much anyone can make these, and they go from box to belly in less than an hour (cool time included). Give them a try the next time you need to be a potluck/classroom mom/unexpected dinner guests hero. Now tell me a little bit about how you like to 'dress up' or incorporate boxed mixes into your cooking routine!

What Daughter Says: Sometimes delicious doesn't have to be fancy- boxed mix hacks make it as easy as 1-2-3.

Inside-Out S'mores Bars 

***Click here for printable Inside-Out Smores Bars Recipe

Spooky HERSHEY's Smore's Spiderweb Pudding Cups Tutorial

Momma Told Me: Snack time should be fun time.

When I was a young girl there were 2 things I looked forward to most in my lunches; special notes scribbles on plastic baggies and wrapper seams from my father, and a pudding cup. There was something so simply satisfying scooping that plastic spoon into the river of velvety pudding that could wash away even the most dreadful of days. And, while the nature of daily fiascos have changed from getting watercolor on my favorite Jansport backpack to watching my hard-drive eat an entire folder of photos, the comfort of a pudding cup timeout has not wavered one bit.

As a lifelong, self-proclaimed, 'Chocoholic,' I like to reach for unique, full flavored chocolate treats that tempt even the staunchest weekday grumbles to run away. And, with the introduction of all new Hershey's ready to eat pudding cups I can pack a little slice spoonful of sweet, silky, chocolate heaven for enjoyment just about anywhere. These little ready-to-eat pudding cups are individually portioned and refrigerated for the freshest texture and decadent snacking experience to satisfy even picky chocolate lovers. After all, it has the namesake of one of the most recognized chocolate brands; Hershey's and is made with real Hershey's cocoa.

And I'll let you in on a little secret- you can not only find delicious Hershey's ready to eat pudding varieties in the refrigerated yogurt and snack cases of your local Walmart, but you can pick up an exclusive ready-to-clip coupon in the September/October issue of ALL YOU Magazine. If you're unfamiliar with the ALL YOU periodical you're going to want to grab a copy from the checkout lines on your way into the store. This month's issue is just $1.99 and packed with valuable coupons, such as the exclusive $0.55/1 Package of Hershey's Ready to Eat Pudding (4 Pack) coupon, and seasonal recipes! That's what I call a win/win scenario

In fact I was so inspired by all of the amazing recipes and Halloween projects featured in this month's ALL YOU that I also picked up some special ingredients to make a truly spooktacular Hershey's pudding cup creation for our upcoming Halloween party! Playing with the delicious S'mores flavor palette of my favorite Hershey's pudding cups, I decided I would craft some edible white chocolate cobwebs and mini s'mores spiders to decorate my pudding cups. And, for that extra flair of seasonal fun, I planned to decorate the outside of my Hershey's cups with white yarn to recreate a spiderweb motif.

The first step in making my silly s'mores spider cups is to print out the FREE Chocolate Spiderweb Template found HERE. I've gone ahead and put this printable together just for you so you don't have to fuss with hand drawing your webs, or playing with sizing. These are the perfect fit for laying over your Hershey's pudding cups, or displaying in the rich layer of chocolate pudding. The Hershey's S'mores pudding cups have a gooey marshmallow creme layer on top that blends perfectly with these cobwebs for an eerie decorative effect that doubly delicious.

Place a piece of semi-translucent wax paper over your FREE printable chocolate spiderweb printout, on a cookie sheet, and prepare your white chocolate by melting 6oz of white chocolate morsels/chips with 1/2 TBS of vegetable oil shortening. Add shortening in between stirs until the chocolate has reached a 'flowing' consistency that coats the back of a spoon but trails evenly off in a thick drizzle when lifted. Place your melted chocolate in a piping bag, or plastic baggie with the corner snipped, and trace over the spiderweb templates. Place the cookie sheet directly in the freezer or refrigerator to harden.

Next, to make my bite-sized s'mores spiders, I used mini marshmallows, character shaped graham cookies, and semi-sweet melting chocolate. While any type of graham cracker will work for this I prefer character shaped cookies that offer rounded shapes that better suit a spider theme. You'll often find animal and cartoon character shaped graham cookies in boxes nearby traditional graham crackers.

 Preparing the chocolate in the same manner as the white chocolate above I created a 'dipping station' with a small bowl and slotted serving utensil. Place 1 or 2 mini marshmallows on the graham cracker cookies/pieces and microwave for 20 seconds on HIGH. This will cause the marshmallows to puff up a little and give more of a shape to your spider's body. Immediately place the 'spider' bodies on your dipping utensil and submerge them in the prepared chocolate. Place the dipped spiders on a piece of parchment paper and add eyes or markings as desired. Refrigerate or freeze them until they have set.

Because pudding cups tend to have a lip/ledge around the top where the foil lid peels back I thought it would be fun to dress up my Hershey's pudding cups with a spider web yarn decoration. I cut about 6-8 notches into the lip of the cups and spend a few moments criss-crossing the yarn around and under the cup to create a web effect.

Next all that was left to do was to put all the elements together into one frightfully delightful Halloween snack display. Laying the larger webs across the top of my Hershey's ready-to-eat pudding cups, and overlapping the smaller webs to create depth I balanced my mini s'mores spiders over the river of gooey marshmallow. Because these Hershey's S'mores pudding cups are kept refrigerated the marshmallow layer has a fun sticky, yet foamy, texture that really plays well with the creepy web and spider theme!

For a completely one-of-a-kind ready to eat pudding cup experience you simply must try Hershey's new refrigerated pudding cups. The creamy, sticky, fluffy 's'mores' marshmallow is the perfect companion to the beloved Hershey's chocolate flavor. It's a classic chocolate bar flavor in a favorite childhood treat, with a campfire twist- does it get more nostalgic? Make sure to keep an eye out for the Chocolate and S'mores varieties on your next shopping trip to Walmart!

While I've highlighted just one fun way to dress up these delicious ready-to-eat Hershey's pudding cups for the upcoming Halloween holiday, you'll be sure to enjoy these convenient cups all year round. Pack one with your loved one's lunch as a nice midday surprise, take a time out with some graham crackers dipped in Hershey's S'mores, or take it way back to school-day memories with the classic flavor of Hershey's. Just when you thought pudding couldn't get any more comforting, Hersheys pudding cups are in stores at your local Walmart- grab the September/October issue of ALL YOU and save today with the exclusive $0.55 coupon! Do you have a favorite way to dress up or enjoy pudding?

What Daughter Says: Combine the comfort of ready to eat chocolate pudding with real Hershey's cocoa for snack time smiles, any time.

Make Fridays More Flavorful With Folgers® Iced Cafe™ + #FolgersFridays #IC

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Folgers. I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Momma Told Me: I need my liquid energy.

I feel like, in America, we have an obsession with coffee on the go. Last year a certain major fast food chain introduced an entire range of specialty coffee beverages to their menu, and in my home town there are 11 Starbucks for 39 square miles. That means no resident has to travel more than 3.5 miles (more or less) to get to the nearest big brand coffee chain. Coffee shops are in gas stations, supermarkets and even our movie theaters here in Southern California, and it's hard to justify that Grande Iced Mocha twice a day when it costs more than a gallon of gas (which, if you're wondering is $4.09/gallon today.)

For better or worse, I was raised hooked on coffee. Momma liked hers black on 'Coupon Run Wednesdays,' since we'd leave the house before dawn to hit all 3 of the major grocery stores in our area. She didn't let me sip until I was about 7 or 8, but that's all it took to get me invested in (what was then, at my age) such an exotic treat. Today, I don't have the time or money to indulge my coffee cravings with long lines at expensive specialty coffee shops. And, let's face it, with temperatures in the mid-90s, I need my coffee ice cold.

When I was younger Momma would make a second pot of coffee in the morning and place it in the fridge for later on in the afternoon, though she preferred iced tea to cold coffee- both took time and patience to make. Today I rely a lot on my Keurig to brew a pot for chilling, which is convenient for the most part but still requires me to keep a large portion of iced coffee in the fridge at all times. The coffee beverage lifestyle demands flexibility. If consumers are willing to pay $4+ a cup for their iced coffee on the go, shouldn't there be a more affordable way to enjoy a flavored coffee beverage on your own time?

Introducing Folgers® Iced Cafe™ coffee drink concentrates. With a manufacturer's suggested retail price of just $4.99 (or the cost of a Venti Mocha Iced at that fancy coffee chain) one bottle of Folgers® Iced Cafe™ will yield 12 servings of 8oz Iced Cafe coffee flavored beverages while adding just 10 calories to your milk/milk substitute base of choice. Afraid you won't get your caffeine fix? 1 8oz (concentrate with milk/milk substitute) serving has a 72mg kick of caffeine. 8oz of straight coffee typically has 95mg of caffeine, so we'd call that a considerable kick for an iced beverage!

How convenient is it really to enjoy a fresh glass of Folgers® Iced Cafe™ any time? As long as you have access to your favorite Folgers® Iced Cafe™ flavor, ice, 8oz of your preferred milk/milk substitute and a straw, tumbler, or spoon, you're ready to begin sipping coffee inspired bliss. Simply add 2 squeezes of Folgers® Iced Cafe™ to your milk, or milk substitute of choice, add ice, and mix. The concentrate itself has a very strong and distinct coffee infused flavor with additional flavor notes depending on variety. Currently the range includes; Original Latte, Caramel Macchiato, Vanilla Latte, and Hazelut Latte. While Caramel Macchiato is my current favorite I'm hoping the brand will release a Mocha variation and possible a Pumpkin Spice flavor as we head into Fall!

Not only are Folgers® Iced Cafe™ convenient in price they are compact and easy to stash and bring on the go since they require no refrigeration and can last up to a month after initial use. I keep (at least) one in my purse at all times. Typically iced coffee isn't on the menu at mom and pop, and even chain, sit down restaurants. With my Folgers® Iced Cafe™ all I need to do is order a glass of milk and I'm good to go. Of course Jay is lactose intolerant and prefers his Folgers® Iced Cafe™ in almond or coconut milk, which actually adds an extra level of silkiness I've grown quite fond of. Find
Folgers® Iced Cafe™ 1.72oz varieties at a grocery store, Walmart, or Target near you.

But having instant coffee flavored concentrate beverages doesn't just mean less tme and money standing in front of the Keurig or at the local coffee shop- it means more freedom to have fun with coffee. I've found a lot of new ways to enjoy my iced coffee beverages thanks to Folgers® Iced Cafe™, and plan to share a few on the social channels every Friday for the next few weeks. Keep an eye out for my special secret Folgers® Iced Cafe™ hacks and the callout to enter and win big with
Folgers® Fridays Summertime Sweepstakes promotion. Every Friday through September 4th, 2015, Folgers® will be asking their fans to answer a daily question for a shot at some amazing prizes!

For details on the #FolgersFridays Promotion and a store locator to find Folgers Iced Café near you, please visit http://folgers.com and follow Folgers on Facebook and Twitter. 

Oh? This little thing? I whipped, pun intended, this up last Friday with my Folgers® Iced Cafe™ Vanilla Latte and Folgers® Iced Cafe™ Hazelnut Latte varieties, and you can too with some chocolate syrup, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and graham crackers. The secrets in the Marshmallow Whipped Cream made when you whip 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream with 3 TBS of Powdered Sugar until stiff peaks form. Drizzle some chocolate syrup down the sides of your Iced Cafe™ glass, pour in some ice, milk (or milk substitute), and 1 squirt of each Folgers® Iced Cafe™ flavor then give a quick stir. Plop a generous portion of Marshmallow Shipped Cream on tip, drizzle with more chocolate, and sprinkle with crushed grahams- you're welcome, America.

Do you have a favorite flavor or way to enjoy a cold coffee inspired beverage? What flavor would you like to see added to the Folgers® Iced Cafe™ range next?

What Daughter Says: Don't get caught as a walking zombie- Enjoy coffee inspired iced drinks anytime without the hassle or hefty price tag thanks to Folgers® Iced Cafe™.

#LetsMakeSmores in 10 Minutes! Patriotic S'Mores Crispie Pinwheels Recipe

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LetsMakeSmores #CollectiveBias #sponsored

Momma Told Me: It's just a S'mores kind of day!

As you know Summer is here, though many of my friends in the Eastern states might beg to disagree, and it is time to plan cookouts, family reunions, and lazy afternoons seeking shade from the sun. In SoCal, it is pretty much Summer all year round. It's a rough life, I know. Sarcasm aside, I always envied my cousins living back East. Their homes had fire pits and their family vacations consisted of campaign, glow fly catching, and all the delicious grilled food one could eat. Sure, they might have to put up with a few "inches" of snow, but that's a small price for the excuse to enjoy a freshly toasted marshmallow wedged between Hershey's chocolate and graham crackers. I can almost smell the S'mores now!

Living in SoCal, our camping destination was the beach, and our local beaches have strict regulations about fire- absolutely no bonfires allowed. Now where's the fun in campaign under the stars, with the sound of the tide rolling in and out, without a freshly roasted weenie and some gooey S'mores? See, it WAS rough. But Momma knew how to compensate- she always had a way to get creative in the kitchen, and her love of S'mores was perhaps greater than all of us. I always knew it was going to be a great weekend when I got home from school and there was a pile of Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars, Jet-Puffed Marshmallows, an Honey Maid Graham Crackers sitting on the counter.

Whether you're snowed in, or the weather's too hot to start a fire, 10 Minute S'mores solutions can turn a hum drum evening into a memorable event. And, right now at your local Walmart, you can stock up on the 3 S'mores essentials so you're never caught on hand when a S'mores kind of day turns up. You'll find convenient 6 packs of Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars, individually wrapped, festive Red, White, and Blue Star shaped Jet-Puffed Marshmallows (and new square S'mores marshmallow varieties,) and Honey Maid graham cracker Squares, perfect for smushing, crunching, and grinding in your new favorite S'mores creations.

The great thing about S'mores is that you can make them any time, just as long as you have these 3 ingredients! With a little creativity you can make S'mores anywhere- they don't have to be literally sandwiches of gooey chocolate graham mallow heaven, they can be a quick S'mores dessert dip, simple cake pops, or Momma's S'mores Krispie Pinwheels. Yes, Momma was queen of crafty S'mores creations, and she could whip up a delicious treat in 10 minutes flat! Her secret was to melt the Jet-Puffed marshmallows in a microwave safe bowl with a little butter for 30 seconds on High. Once the marshmallows were melted down a world of possibilities opened up.

To create her S'mores Crispie Pinwheels she would then grind the Honey Maid graham cracker squares into an even consistency and stir it into the melted mallows, along with a few cups of crisped rice cereal. Next came the best part! Momma would tell me to hold my hands out over the sink as she sprayed them with cooking spray, then let me loose to smash the mixture, flat, into a prepared cookie sheet. If we had any extra mallow mixture leftover we'd spread a generous layer out over the bed of graham crispie, otherwise, there was usually a jar of Mallow Creme in the pantry!

Spreading the mallows was usually a tough job; the homemade butter Jet-Puffed mixture often poured over even, while Marshmallow Creme took a little finesse and elbow work. Then we would peel open 5 or 6 standard size Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars and lay the individual pieces out evenly across the sea of fluffy mallow. The oven was always preheated to a low 200F, and the cookie sheet went immediately into the oven for 2 minutes, exactly.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate has a low melting point, which is precisely why it's the perfect S'mores chocolate, so it never took too long to reach the final steps. Of course 2 minutes seems like an eternity when you're a child, so Momma and I would take turns stacking marshmallows to see who could get their tower the highest. The winner always got a pieces of Hershey's, so it was tough competition! Fun fact: Did you know that a piece of chocolate is referred to as a 'Pip,' and one square of breakable, melt-able, delicious, Hershey's bar is called this?

Once the cookie sheet had emerged from the oven it was time to spread the chocolate. Using a spatula mom would lightly drag through the rows of Hershey's pips and I would watch, peering over the counter with my step stool, in wonder as the chocolate and mallow created rivers of delicious S'mores flavor. Then came the final, most integral, part to the pinwheel assembly- the rolling. I was never trusted with this step because the cookie sheet itself was half my height, and I was NOT known for my coordination.

Carefully Momma would roll the crispie chocolate mallow sheet into itself until a giant log had formed. If the mallow and chocolate were still quite warm (usually because someone had forgotten about the oven in the midst of focusing on their marshmallow tower) Momma would let the sheet sit a few minutes before rolling. once rolled, inside the baking paper/foil, the roll would go directly into the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Both Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and Hershey's set quite quickly in the chill of the freezer and our log would be ready to slice and serve in no time.

The language of S'mores is a universal one- few people don't burst into a smile when marshmallow is involved! These Smore's Crispie Pinwheels are great to make ahead and have on hand for any movie night, impromptu backyard grill, lazy afternoon by the pool, or trip to the park. The crunch of the graham crispie roll reminds me of biting into a graham cracker crust and the Hershey's Milk Chocolate- Marshmallow swirl softens to a playful texture after just a few minutes at room temperature. One batch made about 20 pinwheels- and it's a good thing this is such a quick recipe, because they didn't last long!

Be sure to check out the #LetsMakeSmores hub for even more great Indoors S'mores ideas and recipes!  What's your favorite twist or way to prepare S'mores?

What Daughter Says: Make any day a S'more day with simple indoor recipes with big fun and flavor!

S'mores Crispie Pinwheels

***Click here for printable S'mores Crispie Pinwheels recipe.