Banana Boats

November 12, 2011 by

I don’t really need a recipe for Banana Boats. I’ve been making them at camp since I was a Junior Girl Scout. This recipe from the April 2011 issue of All You (original here), however, includes instructions for cooking the treat in the oven. An option for Banana Boats that doesn’t require me to build a fire? Yes please!

Ingredients

  • 4 small bananas
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300ºF.
  2. Slit each banana lengthwise through 1 side of peel, taking care to avoid cutting all the way through banana.
  3. Stuff each slit with chocolate chips and marshmallows.
  4. Wrap each banana in aluminum foil, place upright on a baking sheet.
  5. Bake until chocolate and marshmallows have melted, 10 to 15 minutes.
  6. Unwrap and serve immediately.

Variations

  • For a bit of crunch, add chopped salted peanuts to the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
  • Or, add drizzled caramel so it resembles the popular British dessert Banoffee Pie.
  • You can use milk chocolate for a sweeter taste, or bittersweet for a stronger flavor.
  • Instead of buying chips, you can chop up a 4-oz candy bar.

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S’mores Cookies Bars

October 22, 2011 by

A recipe from the May 2011 issue of All You (original here). The note with the recipe explains, “Graham cracker crumbs, marshmallow topping, and milk chocolate chips baked into a bar is a fun twist on this iconic graham cracker dessert.”

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups marshmallow topping (such as Marshmallow Fluff)
  • 2 cups milk-chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides.
  3. Mist foil with cooking spray.
  4. In a bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; mix well.
  5. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes.
  6. Beat in eggs until well combined.
  7. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly beat flour mixture into butter mixture.
  8. Divide dough in half.
  9. Press half of dough into pan until dough is uniform and flat.
  10. Spread with marshmallow topping and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
  11. Scatter remaining dough over in clumps. Don’t worry about covering the top; marshmallow and chocolate chips should peek through.
  12. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
  13. Place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Remove from pan, peel off foil and cut into bars. To make it easier to cut the bars, cover and refrigerate them for at least an hour or up to overnight. Use the foil overhang to remove them from the pan. Peel off foil, place on a cutting board and slice.

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S’mores Snackin’ Cups

December 22, 2010 by

Want s’mores, but don’t have a campfire handy? This oven-warmed treat is an easy alternative (and a good bit less messy). S’mores Snackin’ Cups, another Girl Scourt recipe, are the twenty-second of my 25 Cookies of Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1 (14-ounce) package graham crackers
  • 6 Herskey’s chocolate bars
  • ½ (10.5-ounce) bag mini-marshmallows

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
  2. Line two muffin pans with muffin cups, or spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Break the graham crackers into pieces and place a layer in the bottom of each muffin cup.
  4. Break up the chocolate bars and put a layer on top of the crackers.
  5. Add another layer of crackers and chocolate.
  6. Evenly distribute the marshmallows over each muffin cup.
  7. Bake in preheated oven until the chocolate melts and marshmallows brown slightly.

Variations

  • Make one giant pan of S’mores by layering treats in a cast iron skillet or pie plate and then baking according to the instructions.
  • Substitute Teddy Grahams and chocolate chips for fun alternative.
  • For the original campfire version, use a cast iron skillet. Place the skillet in a corner of the campfire, rotating the pan ¼ turn every 3 minutes, until the chocolate is melted and the marshmallows are golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Time Required: 20 minutes

Servings: about 2 dozen

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