So I am lucky enough to be apart of this go around of the Edible Word. Co-  hosted by Cath of A Blithe Palate and Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness. Last time we reviewed a cookbook, which of course I loved, but this time the book was well, more book than recipes. Which I was so happy about. I am always looking for books to read. My buddy Cookie Baker Lynn keeps me in books from time to time, and of course, I was in a book (shameless self promotion), but I was running out of things to read.

Then along came “Confections of a Closet Master Baker” by Gesine Bullock-Prado. I puffy heart this book. It was a quick read and a good one. I think it is a must read for those who are considering a career change in life to the world of baking. This is Gesine’s memoir of going from her mundane life in LA to becoming a baker in VT.

Now the idea was for us to create a recipe inspired by the book. I love this idea, seriously, what fun! There was a chapter that I identified with very much so in the book. Ironically, I identified in the opposite way of the author. She grew up in what one would call a uber healthy household. You know the house. You probably had one in your neighborhood. The one where they had no sugar in the house, and prunes were considered…nature’s candy (no, that would be nature’s laxative!). And even worse, they gave you raisins at Halloween (also nature’s candy). The chapter was about her enjoying the contraband that her friend Stacy Coleman ( the enabler she is) introduced her to. The Coleman’s pretty much were my family…in the food sense that is.
I lived in the house of contraband. The house of sugared cereals (that the neighborkid was not allowed to eat…my mom didn’t know this though). House of candy (usually Brach’s pick a mix), cookies (both homemade and store bought), cake, cinnamon rolls, chips, soda, etc…, every dentists nightmare. Now before my mother comes at yells at us, we did get healthy-ish meals for our main meals. But we did have the junk. Oh we had the junk.

Since the chapter is called Ode to the Oreo. It got me thinking about the contraband I grew up with. Now I know I am going a little Sandra Lee with this one and duh, these are not hard to make, but darn it all they are tasty. I always make Peanut Butter Captain Crunch Marshmallow Treats for when I go to book club. This time I decided to add two of the contraband items together. Cocoa Krispies and Oreo cookies. Um. Wow, who knew these would turn out soooo good.

So if you aspire to become a master baker, or just want a fun foodie read, this is your book.

Oreo-Cocoa Krispies Treats

3 TBSP unsalted butter
10 ounces mini marshmallows (fresh, not the stale ones hiding in the back of your pantry that you forgot about)
4 cups Cocoa Krispies Cereal
3 cups roughly crushed but not pulverized Oreo cookies

Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking pan. Or be lazy like me and spray it with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.

Over low heat melt 3 TBSP in a large pot (I like to use my stock pot because I am a messy person).

Once butter has melted, add marshmallows. Continue to cook over low heat while they melt. It may take a little time. Don’t turn up the heat to try and make it go quicker, you could end up with burned marshmallows or your treats could end up too hard once they firm up.

When most of the marshmallows have melted and they resemble marshmallow crème with a few lumps, remove from heat and add the cereal and cookies.

Using a wooden spoon, stir, stir, stir some more, until all the cereal is fully coated and other parts of the pot are not hogging all the marshmallows (so evenly coated).

Pour into prepared baking pan. Take a rubber spatula and either spray it with non-stick spray or simply get some water on it (I just put mine under the faucet real quick). Using the spatula, press the cereal/marshmallow mixture down into the pan, attempting to create a flat, even surface.

Cover with foil and let sit for a few hours to firm up.

Take foil off. Place wax paper down that is a little bit longer than the baking pan. Flip the pan over onto the wax paper. Cut into squares. Some would say 2-inch. But whatever size you would like works. You can also use cookie cutters to make them fun shaped.

So I’ve got a few letters I feel I need to pass on to people. No, these aren’t crazy emails from the loons that write me from time to time. These are ones I feel the need to write to others.

Dear Nordstroms,

Though I do enjoy your store (a little too much my husband and credit card may say), you might want to consider retraining your staff in tact.
For when trying on flats this last week (since I am injured in the ankle AGAIN and cannot wear heals) it was not the best move by your sales associate to point to my stomach and say “oh of course, with you this far along” to my statement of “it hard to get used to flats but I need to”. Let us keep in mind I was not wearing anything baggy and he was putting the shoe on the foot that is wrapped in tape. He was however smart enough to ask if I wanted another sales associate. Um, yeah.
If that was not bad enough, I then walked over to purses, only to have the belly pointed at again and a comment about me being a new mom.

Sincerely,
The very not pregnant Peabody

Dear Teenage Boy behind me in traffic,

Don’t bother to rev up your faded black piece of shit Honda. You really don’t want to bring attention to that thing. Girls like doors that don’t have duct tape on them.

Sincerely,
Peabody (who drives a slightly better piece of shit than you, but is smart enough not to rev it)

Dear Husband,

Thanks so much for finally being able to locate the dishwasher. I am beyond pleased that you have learned how to place your dishes on top of the dishwasher. However, if you just look down, there is this thing called a door on it. It opens. You can actually place dishes inside it. What a concept.

Love,
Your always wonderful and sexy (even in those green sweatpants) wife Peabody

P.S. Though please refrain from being helpful and putting the dishes away. I never find them for weeks.

Okay, I am sure I have a few more in me, but you people have lives (well, some of you ). So awhile back when it was too hot to bake I made some no bake cookies from a cookbook called Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year by Julia M. Usher. I had planned to do more from it and never did because the weather wanted to reach the 100′s.

From the cover of the book, I was a little scared. Four beautifully decorated cookies. I am not a good decorator. Period. End of story. So though it was lovely, I thought to myself, what on Earth am I going to make from this. Lucky for me the those are on the cover for the mere fact that they are cute. And once you open it up there is a myriad of cookies to chose from. Some to be decorated and some not so much. Some that are decorative, but not hard to do, like these really cute meringue ghost to make for Halloween (there is some really great Halloween stuff in it!).

Since Summer was coming to an end, I thought I would give on last hurrah from the Fun in the Sun section of the book. There are things like Pina Colada Beach Balls, Lemonade Slices, and Chocolate-Chai Burgers on Sesame Seed Buns (they are macaroons). But what caught my eye were the S’mores Bars.

I was just about to top these babies with marshmallows when my husband came in and asked what they were. I told him. He was all excited till he saw the marshmallows. Then the frown came. He doesn’t like marshmallows. I know. He has issues. So I made them without and just added the marshmallows for the photos. That is why they are a little piled on top. Plus, that way, I got to set them on fire other than putting them under the broiler. It’s always a good day when I get to set something on fire. These are like a nice thick brownie on top of graham cracker crust…so yeah, no brainer, they are good. I would do the full recipe and use the marshmallows (which the whole recipe is here) though. Unless of course, you  have a weird husband too.

If you are a cookie lover/baker you should give this book a look.

Oh, and I guess I should mention this is my 500th post!

S’mores Bars

Graham Cracker Crust

2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (15-17 crackers)…I used 18
1/3  cup granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
Fudge Brownie Filling:

6 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup plus 2 TBSP unsalted butter, chopped into TBSP sized pieces
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups pecan halves, chopped
4 cups (packed) miniature marshmallows

Line a 10 x 15x 2 inch glass baking dish with foil, leaving a 1-inch over hang around the top edge of the pan. Smooth out any big wrinkles in the foils and then lightly coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a small bowl. Gradually add the melted butter until the crumbs just hold together when squeezed in your palm. Press the mixture into an even ¼ inch layer on the bottom of th prepared pan. Run a smooth bottomed measuring cup over the crust to pack and level it.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a large bowl that fists a double boiler. Place the bowl over barely simmering water and stir as needed until the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar, followed by the beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, mixing until smooth. Pour the batter on top of the graham cracker crust and level with a small offset spatula.

Scatter chopped nuts evenly over the batter. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until cake tester inserted in brownie center comes out with dark, damp crumbs on it. Do not overbake. Set on a wire rack and cool completely in the pan.

Distribute the marshmallows evenly over the brownie top. Place the pan under the broiler in the top third of the oven for about 1 minute, or until he marshmallows are puffy and golden brown. Watch carefully and rotate the pan regularly, as the marshmallow can easily burn. Cool until the topping is firm and easily cut without sticking.

Remove the brownies from the pan in one block by gently pulling up on the foil overhang. Place directly on a cutting board. Remove all foil and cut into 2-inch squares. For the neatest cuts, use a sharp knife, wiped clean with a warm, damp cloth between slices.

Adapted from Cookie Swap by Julie M. Usher