I decided to bake a smores cake because it is a summer treat and I am tired of cold weather and want it to be sunny and warm. I have also put out our patio furniture, hoping to hurry nice weather! So if it rains the next ten days, it is my fault! 😉

Cake ingredients

• Chocolate cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350. (325 if using non stick coated pans)
• Combine eggs, oil, buttermilk and Greek yogurt. Add cake mix and chocolate chips. Blend well.
• Spray two cake pans with baking spray
• Divide batter evenly into each (I used a one cup measuring cup to do so)
• Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center basically comes out clean
• Cool completely

Toasted marshmallows

• Place marshmallows on a tray lined with toin foil and sprayed with Pam. Broil on high for a few minutes. Set aside.

Chocolate buttercream ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups butter (softened)
• Heaping half cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbs Greek yogurt
• 3 cups powdered yogurt

Directions

• Beat butter 2 minutes
• Beat in cocoa, vanilla and Greek yogurt
• Slowly blend in powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

Assembly

• Place one cake layer, flat side down, on cake plate



• Spread a thin layer of buttercream on top



• Gently press down a few toasted marshmallows



• Place second cake layer, flat side down on top of buttercream/marshmallows



• Frost with remainder of frosting
• Gently press remaining toasted marshmallows on top.



• Store in covered container

Rob and I are going to see a middle school production of the “Lion King”. My goddaughter Lyndsey is working on the set design and we are looking forward to seeing her work. I never come empty handed to anything, so I am making two kinds of cookies – chocolate chip and chocolate cookies with Reese’s pieces and peanut butter chips. The chocolate ones are for Lyndsey, who loves peanut butter and the regular chocolate chip are for Sara, her sister and my other goddaughter, who hates peanut butter. So here are the Lyndsey cookies. Sara’s cookies are on another blog entry.

Ingredients

1 cup of butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup baking cocoa

3/4 cup cake flour (you can add 3/4 tbs cornstarch and 3/4 cup all purpose flour if you don’t have cake flour)

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tbs cornstarch

1 cup Reese’s pieces

1 cup peanut butter chips

Direction- cream sugar, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Fold in Reese’s and chips. Scoop into 1/4 cup dough. Chill. Preheat oven to 410 degrees. Line cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger mounds of dough, eight to a sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes. Cool completely.

Store in covered container.

When I make cookies (or any treat for that matter), I say “the bigger the better.”. And these cookies are no exception! I use my ice cream scoop to scoop out 1/4 cup of cookie dough and then I chilled it. I find it much easier to scoop then chill, as opposed to chilling the dough and then trying to scoop it out. Also, then you can just plop the ready made cookie dough mounds on your sheet. These are for my goddaughter Sara (I made her sister Lyndsey, my other goddaughter peanut butter chip cookies and Sara hates peanut butter).

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened to room temp.

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups cake flour (or you can use 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 1 1/2 tbs cornstarch)

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tbs cornstarch

3/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. fold in dry ingredients. Stir in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill. Preheat oven to 410 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Remove from sheet and cool completely.

Store in covered container.