Campfire Cups

Campfire Cups
(Brownies with a Graham Cracker Crust and Marshmallows on Top)

Sometimes in life, we have to add new challenges to things we’re good at in order to become even better at them. I’ve come to a point in baking where I typically don’t want to make something simple, or that I’ve made in the past. In making new things, I really like combining elements of past recipes together, and of course, it is always fun making things completely different from anything I’ve made before. These campfire cups were a combination of a few things I’ve made in the past. I have been making graham cracker crust like I did in these for a family favorite, “Mystery Bars” (also known as seven layer bars to most of the world), since I was a little girl. The chocolate part is a brownie, which I, along with every other American baker, am very used to making. And I toasted the marshmallows on top the same way I have for sweet potato casserole in the past.

However, none of that was a challenge, given that I was very comfortable with every individual part of this new treat. For me, the challenge was making something pretty. You see, most of the time, the things I make taste good, but I’m typically not too concerned with how things look. But now that I have a food blog, I figured maybe I should be. So before I made these, I decided I wanted to make something cute (and of course, delicious!). And if I do say so myself, I think I succeeded.

Part one, making the graham cracker crust

Ingredients:

8 graham crackers
4 tbsp melted butter

1. Put ½ tsp butter at the bottom of each individual mini muffin cup

2. Crush the graham crackers

(It’s graham crackers vs. bio book. Who shall emerge victorious?)

(And the winner is,.. bio book! shocker…)

3. Place about ½ tbsp of graham cracker crumbs in each muffin cup, over the butter.

4. Use a spoon to pat the graham cracker crumbs in to the butter.
5. If you have any graham cracker crumbs leftover, you can save them and sprinkle them on top of the brownie batter.

Part 2: making the brownie part

Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
AND 96 mini marshmallows to put on top (4 per campfire cup).

Yield: 24 mini muffin-sized cups

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a mini muffin pan (or two, if possible)
2. In a large bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar until smooth.
3. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract.
4. Mix in the flour, salt and cocoa powder until well-combined.

5. Put about 1 tbsp of brownie batter in each mini muffin cup, on top of the graham cracker crust.

6. If you have any graham cracker crumbs leftover, you can sprinkle them on top now.
7. Put them in the oven for 8 minutes
8. Remove from oven and put 4 mini marshmallows per cup on top.

9. Bake for 6-8 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the brownie comes out dry.

Aren’t they just adorbs?!

How YOU can customize these:

-Add peanut butter into the graham cracker crust or brownie batter (or both!)
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top.
- Use blonde brownie batter instead of the traditional brownie batter.

If you want to challenge yourself, I highly recommend you do so with chocolate…and when in doubt, bake!
<3 Dena