S'mores Bars

Sometimes you cannot have a campfire at your campsite, but it is possible to bring s'mores with you anyway on your next camping trip!  Don't leave home without them!

1 cup melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups crushed graham crackers
4 Hershey chocolate bars
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Mix together butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs and press into a greased 13X9 in. baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Break Hershey bars into small chunks and place onto of baked graham cracker crust.  Sprinkle marshmallows on top of chocolate.

Move oven rack to the highest possible rack and turn broil oven on high temperature.
Place baking dish onto rack broil for approximately 3 minutes or until marshmallows have the desired golden brown color.  Watch them carefully!  Some people like them darker than others, but they truly will resemble roasting over an open campfire flame.

Cool pan and then refrigerate for several hours.  It will be hard not to try to eat them, but they will be hard to cut into squares if they are not complete chilled.

Cut into squares and keep in cooler for your next camping adventure!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic Cream Cheese Frosting

Frost your favorite cupcake or carrot cake with this

homemade classic.

Whip together with mixer until no lumps:

8 oz soft cream cheese

1/4 cup softened butter

Add:

1 t. pure vanilla

3 cups confectioners powedered sugar

1 T. milk

Chocolate Lava Cakes

We must begin this recipe with the best dark chocolate.

Melt 1 lb. of Belgium chocolate with

1 cup butter

Whisk in:

6 egg yolks

2/3 cup granualted sugar

1 t. pure vanilla

Beat the following until stiff peaks:

6 egg whites

1 T. sugar

Fold into the chocolate and stir until well distributed.

Butter and sugar 8 oven-safe ramekins that are about 6 oz in size.

Pour batter evenly among all ramekins (approx 1/2 cup of batter in each ramekin and bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  Don't over bake!  They will be a bit jiggle in the center.  Turn out onto individual serving plates and serve immediately.

The center will be pudding like and will ooze out like lava!

Makes 8 chocolate lava cakes.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Keep these simple by dipping cleaned, but dry strawberries in melted semi-sweet chocolates and drizzle with melted white chocolate.  Refrigerate to harden.  The stems make for easy handling.  What a romantic dessert!