Day 89 - S'more Cupcakes

Tomorrow I have book club and wanted to make something yummy to share with the ladies so as I was dreaming up what to make I saw a container of Nutella on the counter . . . hmm, what can I create with this delicious spread?

Yesterday I spread some on a graham cracker and made a little snack for Quinn and I and as we were eating them I said something about how we could get some marshmallow fluff and add that and it would be like a s'more - So once I thought back to that and since I tend to make a lot of cupcakes I decided to make s'more cupcakes tonight!

First I made a batch of Duncan Hines Swiss chocolate cupcakes (I normally would bake from scratch, but I already had box of cake mix and it was almost 9 o'clock by this point, so I decided to take a short cut).

Next I found a recipe for marshmallow frosting.

Ingredients:

Marshmallow Frosting:
2 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons water
1 tbsp light corn syrup
½ tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 cup mini-marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract

The finishing touch:
Nutella
Graham crackers

To make the frosting I brought some water to a simmer (not boiling) and set a glass bowl over it (not touching the water) and into that bowl I combined the egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup, cream of tartar and salt then whisked it continuously for about 5 minutes.

Once the sugar was completely dissolved and the mixture was warm to the touch it was ready to be whipped



I added in the vanilla and mixed it at medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until soft peaks held, while the mixture was still warm I turned the speed down and added the marshmallows (these need to be at room temperature or even a bit warmer so they melt completely)



After mixing at medium speed for about 3 more minutes the marshmallows were melted into the frosting and the consistency was just right

While the mixer was going I turned my attention back to the cupcakes, which had cooled a bit by this point and I cut out a small groove from the center of each cupcakes to make room for about a teaspoon of Nutella

Next I frosted each cupcake with the marshmallow frosting and then rolled the edges in graham crackers crumbs



Once I finished the cupcakes I thought it would be fun to toast the marshmallow frosting so I got out my cooking torch (yes I have one and I love it!) and gave each cupcake a little flame.



I love how these little treats turned out - the Nutella in the center was a nice surprise and the frosting really did taste like marshmallow. Next time I will add the graham cracker just before serving because as they sat in the fridge over night they absorbed some moisture and didn't have that crunch I was hoping for, but the flavor was still there and the s'more cupcakes have me thinking up some other fun desserts - like s'more brownie bars . . . I am sure those will come soon!

Other Firsts: Quinn got me this nifty cupcake carrier for Christmas and tonight I used it for the first time, to store the cupcakes in the refrigerator over night and this will make it so easy to take them with me to book club tomorrow.