S'more Brownies? Yes, please.

Last week at work, we had a department picnic. Being new to the department, I wasn't sure how that would go for the gluten free folks, so I planned to attend the picnic for the social time and eat food from home in my office. Thanks to some gluten free co-workers, I had gluten free hot dogs on Udi's buns for the main event and chocolate chunk macaroons for dessert. It really didn't bother me this time around to be surrounded with food I couldn't eat. Instead, one dessert in particular inspired me. 


I had heard the buzz about s'more brownies a while ago, and while intrigued, I was never motivated to try them. After seeing them in person, however, I had to give it a whirl. I got the recipe from the lovely lady who made them, and it would have been easy to convert the original recipe to gluten free. However, because A. I didn't have a ton of time this weekend and B. I didn't need to have 35 brownies in my house, I improvised.


I got a box of Smoreables gluten free "graham" style cookies, the Gluten Free Pantry brownie mix, and a bag of marshmallows and went to work. I greased and 8 by 8 glass pan with butter and placed a layer of Smoreables on the bottom. I mixed the brownies as directed and spread that over the Smoreables. I baked the brownies as instructed on the box and, when they were done, topped them with marshmallows. I put them under the broiler for about 30 seconds until they were toasty but not burned. I caught mine at the last possible minute. They toasted faster than I expected!

The result was a sweet, sticky, delicious treat (exactly how a s'more should taste). They were too sweet and sticky for Ben's taste, but my friend and I enjoyed them. I'm glad I didn't make the 9 x 13 sized batch... I couldn't stay out of them!


So, for an easy sweet treat that looks impressive, tastes delicious, and takes less than an hour (including baking time) keep these in mind. I know I'll be contributing a batch to the fall cookouts I attend!


Note: These are a disaster to cut when they are still warm. You won't want to, but you really should wait until they are room temperature (or really close to it). 

Tastes Like... Sunshine and Lemonade!

Last month I FINALLY made it to Cherbourg Bakery in Bexley. They've been on my radar for months now, but Bexley might as well be in another state considering how seldom I'm in that part of town. I can tell you, though, that after my trip to Cherbourg, I'll be trekking to Bexley more often!

This place has been getting great reviews and is known for their lemon bars. I've never been a huge fan of lemon bars, but I had to try them. If you'd like to see pictures of all the amazing tasty treats I'm about to describe, go to the Cherbourg Bakery Web site (see the link above). We took a couple pics but they don't do the goodies justice... and the Web site is beautiful, so you should go there anyway. (And order some treats online while you're there!)

Back to the lemon bars: I can only describe the taste as "sunshine and lemonade." When I told my family this, my dad responded with "I didn't know sunshine had a taste." Well, it does and it's delicious.

Besides the lemon bars, I can personally vouch for the sugar cookies with buttercream icing (perhaps the best buttercream icing ever), the madeleines (inexplicably good), the parmesan biscuit/rolls (savory goodness), and the carrot muffins. If you live near or pass through Bexley/Columbus/Ohio, I'd say it is worth visiting this little bakery. Be warned though... they seem to sell out, so don't wait until they're about to close!