S'Mores Buffet - The Best Cookout Dessert EVER

My new favorite summer dessert plan: S'Mores' Buffet!
SO. MUCH. FUN!
I hit the candy aisle at the grocery store... found some fun crackers and cookies... even some leftover Girl Scout Cookies (highly recommend those!)... it was awesome!

The kids, of course loved it, but after the kids went to bed, the adults had a great time trying so many different options.

The biggest hits involved the Girl Scout Cookies, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and Peppermint Patties.

If you come over for a cookout this summer... this will be the dessert. No question. LOVE IT! So easy, so many choices, perfect for all!

Click the Links Below to See:
S'Mores Cupcakes
S'Mores Cake 
More Spring/Summer Ideas 

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Graduation Hat Cookies

Congratulations, Graduate! These Chocolate Graduation Hat Cookies are the perfect gift for a special grad or a great centerpiece for a graduation party.

What You Need:
Chocolate Roll-Out Cookie Dough (one batch makes about 12-15 hats)
Royal Icing*
Fruit-Flavored Tootsie Rolls or Starburst
Round Cutter (or glass)
Ruler
Small round cutter (I used icing tip #12)

*I added 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder to a full recipe of Royal Icing for these. You only need a tiny bit of icing, though. You would be fine to do a half recipe, or you may even consider melting some chocolate or Candy Melts to use as your glue instead of the royal icing.

How-To Make a Petal Cake

Learning something new... I decided to try the "petal effect" on the side of a cake. I had a birthday cake to make for our favorite babysitter, and I had carte blanche to do whatever I wanted on it. So, this is what I tried.

This white cake was actually the trial, because I was impatient, again, and the cake fell. So, I decided to just use shorty here to practice.

This was the actual birthday cake. I'm not sure that I don't like the practice one better.
I have to tell you that for how pretty this cake is, it's surprisingly easy to do! It took me less than an hour to decorate this cake!

Turtle Cheesecake Brownie Bars {Recipe}

These cheesecake-brownie bars are really chocolatey, really rich, and really good!

What You Need:
Brownie Layer: **Or just use a box mix**
1/2 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 oz. chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature (divided)
2/3 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Caramel Layer:
1 lb. caramels (unwrapped)
1/3 cup heavy cream
1-1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Chocolate Cheesecake Layer:
2- 8 oz. bricks of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs (at room temperature)
4 oz. melted chocolate (semisweet recommended)

Optional for topping:
1/2 cup additional pecans
Reserve a little caramel sauce
2 oz. additional melted chocolate

*Note: You need parchment paper, as well, to line the pan. These bars are sticky! So, you need to make sure you line the pan well!

Chocolate & Vanilla Polka Dot Cake

I mentioned this cake a little bit when I wrote my post about How-To Make a Polka Dot Cake. But I wanted to be more specific with it, and share the outside as well as the inside, because I think it turned out nicely. (And I have some solutions for the problems that I did have.)

What You Need:
Chocolate Cake Recipe (Either scratch or cake mix works fine.)
Vanilla/White Cake Recipe (scratch or cake mix again, fine.)
Chocolate Buttercream Icing
Vanilla Buttercream Icing
Small Round Cutter (like these)
Decorating bags and a variety of round decorating tips (I used tips # 12, 10, 7, 5 & 3)

Chocolate-Mint (Grasshopper) Cookies {Recipe}

There are two flavor combinations that are my go-to comfort foods... Chocolate and Peanut Butter, and this, Chocolate and Mint. If you ever see me buying a Peppermint Patty in line at the grocery store, go ahead and give me a hug. I probably need it.

What You Need:
For the Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
4 oz. melted chocolate*
1 large or extra large egg (at room temperature)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar

For the Filling:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (at room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. Creme de Menthe (available in the liquor store/section)

*I recommend semisweet or milk chocolate (depending on your taste). When I used unsweetened chocolate, the cookies tasted a little bitter to me, although some of my taste-testers thought they were good. I liked the less-bitter variety best.

Banana Turtle Cupcakes {Recipe)

These cupcakes are quite the mish-mash of a few of my favorite recipes. But they are SO good, and SO rich, and SO worth the work!

What You Need:
For the Cupcakes: (Banana Cake Recipe)
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. butter (at room temperature)
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
3/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. mashed ripe bananas
1/2 c. buttermilk

For the Icing: (Caramel Buttercream Icing Recipe)
1/2-3/4 cup Caramel Sauce (make your own or use store-bought)
4 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla


For the Filling: (Chocolate Ganache Recipe)
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
4 oz. heavy whipping cream


Optional:
  Extra Caramel Sauce and melted chocolate for drizzling.
  Pecan halves and chopped pecans for decorating.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. When it comes to the treats for the kids in class, I tend to go the "non-food" route. But for the teachers, I like to spoil them with something like this chocolate sandwich cookie.

What You Need:
Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies (heart-shaped, of course!)
Valentine Sprinkles
Strawberry Icing:
  1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature
  3-4 cups powdered sugar
  1/3 cup pureed strawberries (fresh or frozen)

Chocolate Roll-Out Cookies {Recipe}

I'm a big fan of good, old Vanilla Cut-Out Cookies.
But, living in a chocolate-crazy family, I am reminded that not everyone is happy if their treats are any color other than dark brown!

What You Need:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
4 oz. melted chocolate*
1 large or extra large egg (at room temperature)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. white vinegar

*I recommend semisweet or milk chocolate (depending on your taste). When I used unsweetened chocolate, the cookies tasted a little bitter to me, although some of my taste-testers thought they were good. I liked the less-bitter variety best.

Candy Coal for Stockings {Recipe}

Is anyone in your house on Santa's Naughty List?
Someone here is. And this candy coal will be inside of his stocking this year.

But I'm also planning to give these little bags of coal to friends, too, because.. well, they're funny. AND they're good. Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, covered in black sprinkles. What's not to like??

What You Need: 
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy, but whatever you like.)
1 package of graham crackers, crushed (1/3 of a standard box of graham crackers.)
1 cup powdered sugar
1- 12 oz. bag chocolate chips or Chocolate Candy Melts
Black Sanding Sugar (sprinkle sugar)*

*Note: Black Sanding Sugar isn't terribly easy to find after Halloween, if you don't have a good cake supply store nearby. Online, it is, of course. But if you're in a pinch and want to make these right now, like I do, check out this blog post on Sugarbelle's Blog. 

Chocolate-Vanilla Tuxedo Cheesecake

Sometimes, things don't turn out as you'd planned. This cheesecake is a perfect example.
But I was able to take a very imperfect dessert, and turn it into deliciousness, even if it wasn't as pretty as I'd hoped.

What You Need:
For the Crust:
2 pkgs graham crackers (crushed)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, melted
For the Cheesecake:
4- 8oz. bricks of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 whole eggs plus one egg yolk
1-2 Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup sour cream
For the Chocolate Topping:
4 oz. dark chocolate
4 oz. (1/2 cup) heavy cream

S'Mores Cupcakes

The first time I made cupcakes like these was for a wedding. It's the one and only wedding I've ever made cake/cupcakes for. It's too stressful for me. But these cupcakes are so, so yummy. Not stressful at all.

The recipe for these cupcakes is the same as you see on the S'Mores Cake Recipe post. In the interest of not repeating myself too much, I'm going to let you link back to that for the recipes and how-to. (Let me know in the comments if you'd rather I just post the whole recipe here. I never know which is the better way to go??)

What You Need:
S'Mores Cake Recipe -
Milk Chocolate Cake Recipe*
Marshmallow Frosting
Graham Cracker Crust
Hershey segments for decorating
Graham Cracker segments for decorating
*Note: You could also use a doctored chocolate cake mix if you want to save a step.

S'Mores Cake {Recipe}

It is sad that summer is coming to an end... but don't fret. You can have S'Mores all year round with this very sweet, very sticky, very s'mores-y (yes, made that word up myself) cake.

What You Need (for the Crust):
3 cups crushed graham crackers (2 sleeves)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

What You Need (for the Cake):
6 oz. chopped Hershey's milk chocolate
3/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (divided)
2 cups all-purpose flour1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3 eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk + 1/2 cup water at room temperature

What You Need (for the Icing):
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. vanilla

Pecan Turtle Cake Recipe

It's all here. Chocolate, Caramel, Pecans. Yummy turtle cake. And the best part for me was that it was all leftovers from other projects!

What You Need:
Chocolate Cake Recipe
Caramel Buttercream Icing Recipe
1 cup Pecans (toasted and chopped)
Caramel Sauce (see Caramel Icing Recipe)
Chocolate (melted)

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake

Chocolate? Good. Strawberries? Good. Chocolate AND Strawberries?? Goooooood!

I made this cake as a reward and treat for my friend who had to give up all carbs for the second half of her pregnancy because of gestational diabetes. I thought it a fitting reward.
(The chocolate on the top got a little too thin, which I'll talk about later, and is why it looks a little like the cake is crying chocolate tears.)

What You Need:
Click these links to take you to the recipes.
Chocolate Cake (I used a doctored cake mix)
Strawberry Cake
Chocolate Buttercream Icing
Strawberry Buttercream Icing
4 oz. chocolate
2-4 oz. heavy cream

Homemade Chocolate Graduation Caps

These easy candies make a cute little treat for any graduate - Preschool graduates included.

I made them with a batch of my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups and some chocolate squares.

What You Need:
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups (or Mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups)
Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Candy Melts to make the squares (or Ghiradhelli chocolate squares)
Starburst candy or Flavored Tootsie Rolls
Mini M&Ms
Food-Safe Paintbrush

Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Recipe

I got a recipe similar to this from my aunt in a little book she put together for me for my wedding. I altered it a bit to make it a smaller batch, but I love the texture and flavor of these peanut butter cups.

And if you want, you can also make them in a pie-sized piece. I've made them mini-cupcake size, standard-cupcake size and in those little mini foil pie tins.

What You Need:
1- 12 oz. bag chocolate chips (I recommend milk chocolate.)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter (I prefer crunchy, but whatever you like.)
1 package of graham crackers, crushed (1/3 of a standard box of graham crackers.)
1 cup powdered sugar

Yield: About 3 dozen mini cupcakes, 2-3 of the mini foil pie pans.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Peanut Butter and Chocolate... like a match made in Heaven (or the Reece's factory - either way). It's also one of my baby sister's favorite food combos. And since she's graduating from college tomorrow, I made these for her. (If they make it through airport security.)

What You Need:
Brownie Mix
 - oil, eggs, water (or whatever you need according to the box)
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1 package graham crackers (crushed)
1 cup powdered sugar
6 oz. milk chocolate chips (or candy bars), melted
2 Tbsp. Butter

Chocolate-Banana Cake Recipe

This cake is the combination of two really yummy recipes, and neither is all that hard to make! I took it to a meeting with me, and it was gone within 10 minutes!

What You Need:
My Banana Cake Recipe
My Chocolate Buttercream Recipe
Extra Chocolate for Drizzling

Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars {Egg-Free}

My grandmother gave me this recipe for Chocolate Caramel Cookie bars about 5 years ago, when, after the first bite of them, I realized that I could not live without making them again.

They're rich, buttery and awful for you... and So Darn Good!

What You Need
2 cups old fashioned or quick oats (toasted)
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. vanilla
12 oz. pkg. chocolate chips
1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted & chopped (optional)
14 oz. pkg. caramels (unwrapped)
1/2 cup evaporated milk

**Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a 51-piece cake decorating kit! (Closes Monday, Feb 28)