I really wanted to post a timely s’mores recipe, but Kenny and I were away. And not only were we away, but we were also at a hotel hosting the Girl Scouts for National S’more Day. Talk about hitting pay dirt! There were s’more kits and fire pits everywhere.

Now that I’m back, I wanted to pay my respects to what is truly a marvelous holiday. Sorry if I’m a few days late! But these s’mores cookie cups should be worth it. They’re chocolate chip cookies filled and topped with everything you need in a s’more: the chocolate and marshmallow love. I’m excited to have these in the house!

The other day, I had a good belly laugh, and I really needed it. I’m sure you understand. They can be hard to come by, those hearty belly laughs, but they’re the best.

Kenny has this habit of sneezing his way through the first few hours of the morning. Some mornings are more extreme than others, and so I often don’t even notice. When I do, I usually just make sure he doesn’t have a cold before I give him a kiss.

Anyway, the kids and I were sitting at the kitchen table having a peaceful breakfast when Kenny sneezed. He was walking around gathering laundry, and he sneezed again. And again. And again. The poor guy was just on a roll.

For some reason, the kids and I found this to be massively hilarious. I can’t really explain why, but the symphonic sneezing had us in stitches. We laughed until our sides hurt. Well, except for Kenny. He was waiting for one of us to say, “Bless you.” Which we did eventually.

It just felt good to laugh, especially with my children. I have to be the disciplinarian so often, which means that I don’t always have the ability to just burst into laughter. I should do it more often, though, because it’s a quick and easy way to get some therapy.

Do you know what else is quick and easy? Yep, these s’more cookie cups!

I used refrigerated cookie dough.  It was the gluten-free kind, too. Immaculate Baking makes the best GF cookie dough! The inside is filled with a large piece of Hershey’s chocolate and half a marshmallow, and then the whole thing is topped with the other marshmallow half. Inside the oven, the marshmallow inside melts, but that just makes for more gooey goodness. And that flavor remains!

There’s plenty of time in life to be serious. Sometimes it’s better to let your guard down and be silly. Having an easy treat along the way doesn’t hurt, either. After all, it’s much cheaper than a therapist’s office!

I was teaching yesterday when all of my students started giving me this funny look. It took me a second longer to realize that blood was freely gushing out of my nose (I’m a very enthusiastic bleeder). Like the cool teacher I am, I grabbed the tissues and kept on talking about Nick and Gatsby and Daisy. But honestly, with literal blood on my hands, I don’t think I recovered very well. There went that class. I’ll do better next time.

Honestly, I have very little dignity left. I fall down a lot, sometimes when I’m not even walking. I’ve collapsed in front of students for no other reason than a wobbly knee. And I’ve had wardrobe malfunctions while teaching. Embarrassing ones, believe you me.

A long time ago, I just figured that if I was going to fail so spectacularly and so publicly, I might as well go for broke in all areas of my life. Which explains my extreme dessert philosophy, of course. Why decide between brownies or cookies when you can have brookies? Chocolate chip ones, to be exact?

I didn’t call these brookies, even though that’s what they are. We’ve got a layer of fudgy brownies, full of chocolate chips, and a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough. Simple. Classic. Gone.

Yep, people like classic sometimes. Turns out nothing is quite so irresistible as a brownie or a chocolate chip cookie. Put them together and people’s faces light up. I like seeing lit up faces. Makes my heart all warm and gooey like a chocolate chip in the oven.

That’s it for fun similes, but I’m not quite done with my musings on dignity. Somewhere along the line, we develop both inhibitions and restraint, and with that comes the fear of looking stupid. Well, guess what? You’re going to look stupid at some point, so you might as well embrace your humanity and get over yourself.

Come to think of it, I hope my students get over the sight of me, bloodied but unbowed, trying to continue class while pinching at my nose with a school-issued flimsy tissue. I certainly have. And I intend to fill the time eating brownies, not being embarrassed. Or if I’m really lucky? Brookies!

This is year 15 for me as a teacher, and every year, I love it just a little bit more. Teaching is unpredictable and active and just so much fun. I laugh a lot at work. But then, I find people funny. Kids especially. I know that my own kids get really mad when they think I’m laughing at them (i.e., all the time), so I will do a better job of hiding my smiles at work. Maybe.

To make my esteemed colleagues feel a bit better about returning, I’ve made some treats. One of my teacher buddies can’t have gluten, and guess what? She’s been teaching for over 35 years. So I think she deserves these bars! They’re a sea of goodness. See the gooey sea?

They’re a twist on traditional magic bars. Instead of a graham cracker crust, the base is made of gluten-free refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough. Use Immaculate Baking if you can find it, because it’s the best! And piled on top, instead of just the usual chocolate chips, pecans and coconut are also gluten-free chocolate cream sandwich cookies and some white chocolate chips. Nothing to hate here! It looks like snow. And chocolate. And cookies.

People never realize these are gluten-free. There’s just too much going on. And they’re addictive, thanks to the generous can of sweetened condensed milk that gets poured on top. I always use fat-free, because again, nobody can tell the difference. I love being healthier at no cost!

If you have a gluten-free buddy but you’re not the biggest baker in the world, this is for you. It’s easy, quick and impressive. And it makes enough for the whole office!

Happy back to school season, everyone. Take comfort in the end of summer with the happy knowledge that apple and pumpkin desserts will be returning to your favorite food blogs everywhere! But for now, let’s just focus on getting those backpacks stocked and the kids awake.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. gluten-free refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet)
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecan halves and pieces
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1/2 package gluten-free chocolate cream sandwich cookies (like Glutino), broken into pieces
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

Using your hands, make flat discs out of each piece of cookie dough. Place them evenly in the prepared pan and press down to make a thin, even dough. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven.

In this order, sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top: start with the pecans, then the coconut, then the chocolate and white chocolate chips, and finally, add the broken cookies. Pour the condensed milk evenly over the top of the pile. The idea is to get all of the ingredients in each bite.

Bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Cool completely and cut into squares. These bars will be super sticky, so be prepared! Store in an airtight container.

See, we have rights and we can work and vote and do all those great things. Super! I’m excited to be alive in this time, really I am. But why does having permission to be considered equal to men translate into women suddenly being superheroes?

Because I am, ya know. Sometimes I lie back against my fluffy pillows at the end of the day and just sit there, dazed at how much I could pack into a day. And I’m not bragging, because I’m not pretending to do it well or anything. But somehow, it’s totally legit for women to figure out how to pack in work, family time, exercise, errands, logistics (don’t get me started on how much we plan), general hygiene, and oh so much more in one day. Every day. Relentlessly.

I’m not necessarily complaining, mainly because I’m lazy and tired and don’t feel like opening that can of worms right now. I’ll open it next week. I’m just trying to explain how I wound up baking when I had no time. These bars, to be exact.

You take two fabulous gluten-free baking products, combine, and there you go! A dairy-free and easy project for the five minutes you have in the day to think before the next onslaught begins.

It’s actually delicious. You give the brownies half of the baking time all alone, and then you pile on the cookie dough. It’s fab. And gluten-free folk everywhere will thank you!

And to be honest, I made this as a preventive measure. I needed to stop my husband  from snacking on the gluten-packed cookies and cream pie I made last week. He’s easily distracted. These are on the counter and quite appealing! And very good for his tummy.

Simple recipe awaits! Eat a few while you ponder modern feminism, whether or not there’s a serious backlash going on, and how to change societal perceptions once you get past legal barriers.

Fun times? Not so much. Eat instead!

Ingredients:

• gluten-free brownie mix (I used King Arthur) and required add-ins
• 16 oz. gluten-free cookie dough (I used the Immaculate Baking Company)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Coat an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray.

Make the brownie mix according to package directions and spread in the pan. Bake for 20 minutes. While the brownies are beginning to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator.

At the 20-minute mark, spread the cookie dough in flat chunks on the brownies and return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes more until the top is browned and the center is only slightly jiggly. Bear in mind that gluten-free brownie mixes bake more slowly.

Allow the bars to cool completely. Do not cut these warm, or you will be faced with a fudgy mess! Cut into squares and serve.