Do you know how you imagine things one way and they turn out another?
That was my Memorial Day weekend. We had big plans. They involved a splash park and train rides and playgrounds and ice cream and picnics. Three days of fun, all planned out! No problem, right?
Except that my son spent a majority of the weekend on the couch moaning in agony with a stomach virus which I will no doubt be getting shortly, since I kept cuddling him and giving him tummy rubs. It was sunny and 85 degrees out, not a cloud in sight. And we were huddled in the darkened living room, taking occasional breaks from the moaning to watch episodes of Curious George.
I think I’ll just move Memorial Day to next weekend.
At least I had these blondie s’mores to keep me company. While my husband took the girls out and about, I sat in the kitchen and ate these up, pretending I was at a Memorial Day picnic. It really helped! And I’ve even done a step-by-step photo tutorial for you today. That’s what happens when I have the whole day to be stuck inside the house!
The inspiration began with these s’mores bites from Trader Joe’s. Have I mentioned how much I love that place?
I took these little cuties and cut them into thirds, like this:
Do you see how they have a cross-section of graham cracker and marshmallow, all covered in milk chocolate? Mmm. These are seriously one of my TJ favorites.
Then I made the batter. I love this recipe, mainly because it doesn’t require a mixer. You just melt the butter in the microwave and mix everything in!
Once the batter is made, it’s time to party. I took about half of the batter, spread it in the pan, and lined up my s’mores candies just so. Can you see how caramelly the batter is? It’s so exciting!
After that was done, I took the other half of the batter and dropped it on top, spreading it out carefully. There wasn’t quite enough to cover the surface area, but no problem! I just took some dollops of marshmallow fluff and swirled that in with the batter.
Then I chopped up the remaining s’mores chocolates, sprinkled on some graham cracker crumbs, and this baby was ready to go into the oven!
And when it came out, it looked like this:
Be sure not to overbake these bars! I like things a wee bit on the underbaked side, honestly, but if that’s not your thing, aim to get moist crumbs when you test the bars to see if they’re all done.
It was so hard to wait to cut this up. So I kind of didn’t wait long enough. It’s my biggest failing, really. But what else could I do?
And in the end, I wound up with ooey, gooey, chewy blondies. The marshmallow was all stretchy across the top, just like marshmallow should be. No campfire, but I’m cool with that. Fire is scary!
I do wish my son hadn’t gotten sick, of course. Kids always wait for holiday weekends to get sick. That way, you can’t go to the doctor. You have to head for the ER eventually, where all of humanity is lined up in the waiting room. Such is life.
Anyway, I hope everyone had a happy holiday weekend, free from emergency room visits and writhing in pain. Enjoy these s’mores! They make everything better, I promise!
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 container Trader Joe’s s’mores chocolates (pictured above)
- marshmallow fluff (a few spoonfuls, to taste)
- graham cracker crumbs (just enough to sprinkle over the top)
Instructions:
Peheat the oven to 350. Line an 8 x 8 pan with foil, leaving enough to overhang the sides, and coat in cooking spray.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Take a larger bowl and mix the brown sugar, melted butter, eggs and vanilla until just blended. Add the dry ingredients gradually and mix until incorporated.
Chop the s’mores chocolates into thirds, as shown above. Pour half of the blondie batter into the pan, being sure to spread it to hit the edges. Line the chocolates (see the picture) up evenly in the batter. Cover with the remaining batter and dollops of marshmallow fluff, swirling the batter and the fluff. Sprinkle with remaining chopped s’mores chocolates and graham cracker crumbs.
Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes until set. Test the middle with a toothpick or knife to ensure moist crumbs come out. Do not overbake.
Cool and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container.
Just looking at these s’mores makes everything better. I am off to check the cinnamon s’more brownies.
Yep, that’s what dessert is for: making everything better! If you’re a s’mores person, check out the Nutella s’mores as well.
By the way, my mom’s name is Chaya. Yay!
I hope your son feels better soon! These blondies look like one tasty way to recover!
Thanks, Erin! They definitely helped me feel better. And that’s worth something!
Oh Mir, I am so sorry! I hope everyone is feeling better now. Seriously though, I think these are an unidentified cure all. Those TJ’s treats mixed in with the batter and then that incredible swirl? That is an incredible recipe! Love love love!
Thanks! I think that when a kid is sick, I launch into overall decadence mode and just keep adding stuff to the batter. It’s a delicious defense mechanism!
Yup – officially want these, I wonder what replacements I can use for not having a Trader Joes – I’ll have to look for some other s’mores candy to use!
You don’t have a TJs? Oh man!
Maybe just layer in some marshmallows and chocolate with more graham cracker crumbs?