- Affogatos are one of my favorite easy desserts. They start with a scoop of ice cream that is topped with espresso or strong coffee, for a dessert that is hot and cold, sweet and strong. Cookie and Beer put together an indulgent S’mores Affogato with Marshmallow Whipped Cream that is even more decadent than most. It combines mocha ice cream, strong coffee and homemade marshmallow whipped cream, then tops the whole thing off with a dusting of graham cracker crumbs to ensure that you are tasting the full s’mores flavor in every bite. This is a great easy dessert for entertaining because it is fun to serve and easy to eat.
- If you need a snack for game day, you don’t need to look much further than the Stuffed Pretzel Rolls with Beer and Cheese Sauce from Annie’s Eats. These bite-sized rolls start with homemade bread dough that is filled with one of three mixtures: chorizo, caramelized onions or jalapeno poppers. The rolls are baked, then served with a savory-salty beer and cheese sauce that goes with all three of the fillings and makes for a delicious, indulgent snack food.
- I love working with sweet-tart Meyer lemons, and simple recipes are sometimes the best way to show off their unique flavor. Savory Simple‘s Glazed Meyer Lemon Cookies are soft butter cookies that are thooughly infused with the bright flavor of Meyer lemons. The cookie dough uses both lemon zest and lemon juice in it, and the baked gookies are topped with a glaze made from fresh Meyer lemon juice. They’re a lovely cookie to enjoy at the end of winter, as you’re waiting for spring to come around the corner.
- You can rarely go wrong by adding another chocolate chip cookie variation to your repertoire, and Self Proclaimed Foodie‘s Chocolate Toffee Cookies are a good one, if you are looking for a cookie that is soft and chewy, as well as packed with flavor. The cookies start with a basic chocolate chip cookie dough recipe, made with brown sugar instead of white sugar to encourage them to be softer and to help bring out the flavor of the toffee. The better your toffee is, they better your cookies will be, so it is a good idea to pick up a package of toffee (See’s makes some very tasty toffee options) and chop them by hand instead of using prepackaged toffee. This will yield bigger pieces of toffee for a better look and flavor in your finished cookies.
- S’mores are usually a summer food, but there is no reason that you can turn on your stove and make s’mores indoors during the winter. Over at Modern Tiki, I turned some ordinary marshmallows into Toasted Marshmallow Tiki Shot Glasses, by toasting marshmallows and filling them with spiced rum. They’re a really fun, sticky treat to make and they’re always a huge hit if you’re entertaining – particularly if you arm your friends with skewers of their own and let them try their hand at making the marshmallows. Have some graham crackers and chocolate bars on hand so that you can turn the ‘mallows that don’t make it as shots into s’mores.