RECIPE: S'MORES SKILLET PIE

National S’mores Day! It is the perfect day to make this recipe which has all the components of backyard s’mores complete with homemade graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. If you want to make this recipe faster- just use store bought graham crackers— but let me assure you that these graham crackers are worth the work and you might want to ;make them on their own.

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SKILLET S’MORES PIE

For the homemade graham crackers:

2 cups whole wheat flour plus more for dusting (not stoneground or white whole wheat flour)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons butter -softened

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

3 tablespoons whole milk

1/3 cup honey

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 For the pie:  

1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg (room temperature)

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/3 cups milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

2 full-sheets homemade graham crackers

1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar together.

Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until incorporated and a soft dough forms, about 2 minutes.

Add the milk, honey and vanilla extract. The dough should be sticky and soft.

Divide the dough in two discs and wrap both in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

To roll and bake the dough:

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper and place one ball of dough in the center.

Pat into a 5-by-6-inch rectangle, sprinkle with flour, flip, and dust again, Working from the center out and adding more flour as needed, roll the dough until roughly 15-by-11 inches and very thin.

Slide onto am aluminum baking sheet and brush away excess flour. Repeat with remaining dough.

For grocery store look-alike, score each sheet of dough into twelve 2 1/4-by-4 3/4-inch rectangles and dock with a bamboo skewer or the narrow end of a chopstick. Otherwise leave the dough uncut.

Bake until crackers and firm and darkened, about 10-12 minutes. Immediately cut along the prescored lines with a knife or cut into free-form shapes using a pizza wheel. Cool to room temperature directly on the baking sheets.

In an 8 or 9-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the white sugar and brown sugar until smooth.

Remove from heat and allow the skillet to cool for 5 minutes.

Add in the vanilla and egg. Mix until combined. Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and 1 cup of the chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Smooth around the skillet making the center higher than the edges.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and crumble the graham cracker sheets into crumbs and place on top. Add the reserved 1/3 cup chocolate chips. Press the miniature marshmallows into the cookie. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cooked through and golden around the edges (it should still be soft and slightly under-baked in the center).

Remove and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and loosen the pie from the skillet. Remove to a platter or cake plate. Slice and serve warm.

RECIPE: EASY NO KNEAD HOMEMADE BREAD A LA JACQUES PEPIN

Everyone learned to bake bread during the pandemic—- except me. The main reason I did not is because I will typically make biscuits, cornbread, or yeast rolls if I want to make a bread so I just never got into it. That is, until I saw Jacques Pepin make it on social media… then I just had to try it.

This is Jacques’ No-Knead Bread recipe— with a slight change. I wrote the recipe while he was talking viewers through it in a video… the first time I made it, I followed his ingredients and instructions to the letter. The second time- and since then, I dissolved a teaspoon of honey in the water before adding it to the flour. I think it adds a nice, subtle flavor and gives the yeast a friend to play with.

I am absolutely addicted to this bread and the people I have gifted with it call it “that bread” as in - “when can we get some more of that bread?” I think you will like it and it is super easy. I might allow the dough to rise overnight in the fridge as Jacques often does but more often, I’ll bake it during the day so I’ll have leftovers to toast for breakfast.

Note- it has a beautifully crunchy top. If you wrap it (even hours later) with plastic wrap, the top will lose its crunch.

JACQUES PEPIN NO-KNEAD BREAD

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon honey

 

DIRECTIONS:

In a glass bowl add flour, salt, and yeast. Whisk together to combine.

Add honey to warm water and stir to dissolve. Add to the flour mixture, combining with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to proof for 2 hours in a warm spot in your kitchen.

After 2 hours, the dough will have doubled and have some bubbles on the top. Use a spoon to punch down the dough.  

Oil bottom, top, and sides of a 4-quart oven proof pan with a lid. (or you can line it with a piece of parchment paper- which is what I did)

Add the dough to the pan. Cover and allow to proof for 3 more hours at room temperature (or overnight in the refrigerator).

Preheat oven to 425 F˚ degrees.

Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake for 30 minutes with the lid off.

Notes: Chef let his rest in the pan for 30 minutes before cutting. I did not as I wanted a hot slice right out of the oven. Also, this dough does not rise a lot and perhaps is not as beautiful as those domed sourdough loaves we all have seen on social media- it’s more like a peasant bread but it is so very good.

RECIPE: STRAWBERRY SCONES FOR THE ROYAL WEDDING!

Ohhh, I love strawberries... and these scrumptious little scones are perfect for strawberries in so many ways.... Serve them piping hot and fresh from the oven with butter, cream, and jam or sliced for strawberry shortcake. Either way, these scones are simple to make and you can substitute the strawberries for all kinds of savory and sweet options. Read the directions carefully because the fresh strawberries make the dough a little tricky. Not hard, just easy to mess up if you are not careful when mixing in the strawberries. The batter can get too wet if you mix for more than a couple of seconds. That said, the fresh strawberries make these scones so perfect for spring and summer entertaining. Enjoy!

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FRESH STRAWBERRY SCONES

1 cup fresh strawberries, diced (use very fresh strawberries, not really juicy ones)

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar plus more for sprinkling, if desired

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 ½ sticks very cold unsalted butter, diced

2 eggs, beaten (make sure eggs are cold so you don’t melt the butter)

½ cup less 1 teaspoon heavy cream (make sure it is cold)

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Egg Wash: 1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons of milk or water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Spread the fresh strawberries out on a paper towel after you dice them and allow them to dry out a bit. This way, some of the juice is absorbed before you put them into the batter. If the berries are too juicy, the batter becomes too wet. Allow the berries to “dry” for at least an hour first before adding to the batter. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

In the large bowl of your mixer, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, and baking powder, salt, and lemon zest on the lowest speed of your mixer; add the cold butter until the butter is the size of peas. Crack the eggs into a bowl, one at a time; add the cold cream, vanilla, and lemon juice. Lightly whisk the eggs with a fork to combine and slowly pour into the flour mixture. The batter will quickly combine. As soon as it comes together, stop the mixer. Don’t over beat. Now, quickly toss the strawberries with the remaining flour and add to the mixture. Turn on the mixer for approximately 10 seconds to incorporate the berries. Be very careful; if you mix it too much, the strawberries will make the batter too wet. If you have strawberries left in the bottom of the mixer, just dump them out with the batter and work them in when you roll out the dough.

Dump the dough out onto a well floured surface. Before you touch it, I find it helps to rinse your hands with cold water so the heat from your hands does not melt the butter. Flour your hands, the rolling pin, and the biscuit cutter. Working quickly, roll the dough out to about ¾ inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter, cut the dough into circles. Place the dough onto the baking pan lined with parchment paper and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until the tops are browned. If the scones are large, you may need to increase the baking time.

These scones are best eaten hot from the oven. And you can add a classic Confectioners’ sugar glaze if you like but they are wonderful without. 

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