S'mores Muffins

Nothing screams summer more than making s'mores with friends and family! Making these super easy desserts is always a favorite childhood (& even adulthood) memory of mine. I don't care how old you are....you are never too old to pull up a chair to a bonfire and make a s'more.

Don't have a bonfire? Well then this recipe is perfect for you! These muffins will give you all the feels of making a s'more over a bonfire, but in the comfort of your kitchen!

What you will need:

- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs (approx. 15 whole crackers)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup marshmallow cream

Now put it all together:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin pan* with liners and spray with non-stick spray. Toss chocolate chips with 2 teaspoons of flour in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Whisk remaining flour, graham crack crumbs (I pulsed the graham crackers in my ninja to get a fine texture), baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, milk, vanilla, and eggs until the mixture is smooth.  Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chip mixture.

3. Divide batter among the muffin tins, filling only 3/4 of the way. Tap bottom of pan on counter to smooth out the batter.  Bake until muffins are slightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Let muffins cool 5 min in the pan and then move to a cooling rack to finish cooling (5 to 10 min).

4. Top each muffins with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of marshmallow cream.  Plop the cream in the middle of the muffin because it will start to spread out from the warmth of the muffin.

If you want to get festive you could grate fresh chocolate over the top of the muffins!

*Recipes says it will make 12 muffins, but my batter came out to 16 muffins. I followed the recipe perfectly and filled each muffin tin 3/4 full.
**Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine.

Double-Chocolate Salted Caramel Muffin

What comes to your mind when you think of February??

Chocolate? Valentines Day? Galentines Day? Snow? Hearts? Chocolate? Candy? Did I mention chocolate?

Well the muffin for this month could not be more perfect! These double-chocolate salted caramel muffins are more than enough to make your crush fall in love with you, well maybe not to that extent, but they're the perfect treat for any Valentines Day party. I made these for a co-workers birthday and they were gone before lunch time.

These muffins take a few extra steps, so make sure you pay attention to the cooking instructions! If you ever mess up a recipe (which I have more than once!) just keep having fun with it! Baking should never be a chore, but something you enjoy. Ready to get baking??

Ingredients Needed:

- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chopped semisweet chocolate (about 2oz), plus more for grating
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup jarred thick dulce de leche*
- Flaky salt

*I couldn't find this specific flavor so I bought 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and stirred in 1/2 tablespoon of caramel extract.

Get Your Bake On:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; once combined stir in chopped chocolate. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, vegetable oil and eggs until smooth.  Pour milk mixture slowly into flour mixture and stir until combined.

3. Divide batter evenly among the tins (approx. 2/3 full).  Bake for about 8-9 minutes, you want the edges to be set, but the center still loose and jiggly. Drop 1 heaping teaspoon of dulce de leche in the middle of each muffin (WORK QUICKLY here!). Return muffins to oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean (Don't insert toothpick into the middle of the muffin where the dulce de leche is).

4.  Finely grate the rest of the semisweet chocolate over the hot muffins and sprinkle with the flaky salt.  Allow muffins to cool for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Make sure to eat one fresh out of the oven--> Delicious!!! To re-warm muffins, toast in a toaster oven for a few minutes or microwave for 30 seconds. Pair with ice cream or with a bowl of yogurt and fresh fruit. If you have any questions comment below!