Picnic Desserts

     Summer is in full swing and I couldn't be happier.  The 4th of July weekend is coming to a close and it was jam packed with sunshine, picnics, family, and a lot of sweat thanks to a lovely heatwave.  What's a better heatwave activity than turning the oven on to do some baking?  That's just what I did, which sent the temperature in our house soaring to 88 degrees.  Luckily my desserts were well received.

S'mores Brownies

The cookies pictured here are a recipe I've made before, Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Ingredients
2/3 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips
10 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 1/4 Cup Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
9 Graham Crackers (enough to make a solid layer)
Enough marshmallows to make a single layer
1-2 Cups chocolate chips
Cooking Spray

Method
Preheat oven to 325.
1. Prepare an 8x8 baking pan by putting down a layer of parchment paper and then coat it with cooking spray.Leave extra paper on the sides to help you pull the brownies from the pan.
2. Mis the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Melt the semisweet chocolate chips, with the butter, cinnamon, and cocoa powder.  Stir until smooth.  Then remove from heat and whisk in the sugar and vanilla.  Next use the whisk to incorporate one egg at a time.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir just enough to incorporate everything together.
5. Pour about 1/3 of the batter into the prepared brownie pan.  Next lay a layer of graham crackers on top.  Follow the graham cracker layer with a layer of chocolate chips and then a layer of marshmallows.  Pour the remaining batter on top.
6. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out sort of clean.  The marshmallow layer will make the brownies bubbly so be careful not to over bake.
7. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the brownies from the pan using the extra parchment paper.  Let rest for 2 hours before attempting to cut...they are very gooey!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

Ingredients
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 package of cream cheese

Method
1. In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and peanut butter together.  Stir until smooth.
2. Stir in the cream cheese and mix until smooth.
3. Put the saucepan in the fridge to chill.
4. Roll the chocolate mixture into 1 1/2 inch spheres.  You can get fancy by then rolling them in lots of different toppings such as cocoa powder, powdered sugar, chopped nuts, or sprinkles.