Hot Chocolate Pudding Cake

For the past week, I've been trying to find words where there are none. I can't help but feel a crushing heartbreak for families, children, and a community I'd never heard of before last Friday. The holidays are a season of reflection and gratitude, and I am so very grateful for the life I am able to live.

I'm thankful I could take this picture. That Santa belly is all him by the way. It's probably from the bits of cookies and whatnot I sneak him. 

This pudding cake started out as a pan of cookie bars. We're making lemonade out of lemons here. Or cake out of cookies. Same thing. You'll need: flour, baking soda, salt, espresso powder, marshmallows, brown sugar, cocoa powder, butter, vanilla extract, sugar, and eggs.

Dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt, espresso) make it into a medium bowl.

Butter and sugars start out in a large bowl. Cream them until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated.

Now, you could sift the cocoa powder into the bowl. Or you could sprinkle a little in, mix, sprinkle a little more in...you get the picture.

Serious chocolate action. It's time for the vanilla.

Add half the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Then add the rest and mix until barely incorporated.

Stir in the marshmallows. They're what make this hot chocolate-y.

You don't have to line the baking pan with parchment paper. I did that when I thought these would turn out more like bars. Just grease the pan like you would normally and spread the batter evenly.

Mostly the marshmallows will melt into the batter, making it super-gooey. But you'll see little bits that get toasted, kind of like it's been over a campfire. The edges get crispy and brownie-like, while the middle is fudgier. Much more my speed. Y'know ice cream probably wouldn't be a bad idea here.

I watched White Christmas two nights ago. One particular song struck a chord with me. When I'm worried and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. It's a sentiment that means more now than ever.

Hot Chocolate Pudding Cake (makes one 9x9 cake)

2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tbs instant espresso powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbs vanilla extract
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 heaping cups miniature marshmallows

• Preheat oven to 375º. Grease a 9x9 pan with nonstick spray.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, espresso, salt, and baking soda. 
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract. Slowly sprinkle in cocoa powder and mix until smooth. 
• Add half the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add the remaining half and stir until just incorporated. Stir in miniature marshmallows.
• Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes or until edges are crispy and middle has set but is still gooey. Let cool in the pan.

Sweet & Salty Fudge

Let's talk about how I've been trying to show you this fudge for like...5 days. Or something. The important part is that I get it to you, right? Because this is good stuff. It's the sort of Christmas decadence worth wearing stretchy pants for. 

It's the kind of thing babies like to get on their fingers and wipe on everything they see.

It's the kind of thing flaky sea salt was made for.

Five ingredients. No candy thermometer. No hassle. You'll need: miniature marshmallows, bittersweet chocolate, unsalted butter, sweetened condensed milk, and flaky sea salt.

Butter, marshmallows, and the condensed milk meet in a medium saucepan. Condensed milk is just luscious. Much more than its name would suggest.

Here we're getting melty and starting to smooth out. Keep stirring until it's completely smooth.

Time for the good stuff. Add your roughly chopped chocolate to the gooey marshmallow mixture. Bittersweet chocolate is really best here because the marshmallows and condensed milk have plenty of sugar.

You can take it off the stove now. The residual heat should be enough to melt the chocolate completely.

Pour that velvety mixture into a pan lined with parchment paper.

Smooth it out with your spatula.

And sprinkle with sea salt. It's kind of the prettiest ever.  Let it chill in the fridge for about an hour.

A note: If you let it sit longer than a day, the salt will kind of melt onto the surface of the fudge. So it won't have that pretty crystal look, but it'll still taste dynamite.

I really shouldn't have put two pieces of fudge on the plate. I feel like that's being deceitful. Because you really can only eat one piece at a time. 

But you can't fault somebody for trying. The depth of really good bittersweet chocolate with a healthy dose of sweet and salt just can't be beat.

Sweet & Salty Fudge (makes about 1 pound of fudge)

Via Coastal Living

3 c miniature marshmallows

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

4 tbs unsalted butter

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

• Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
• In a medium saucepan, combine marshmallows, condensed milk, and butter over medium heat. As marshmallows melt, stir mixture and continue until completely smooth.
• Stir in chocolate and remove from heat. Continue stirring until chocolate has completely melted into the marshmallow mixture.
• Pour mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle sea salt over the fudge. Refrigerate at least an hour before cutting. Store leftovers in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

Strawberry Marshmallows

So we're finally going to talk about these strawberry marshmallows. Look at them. They're a delicate pink with specks of strawberry seeds. They have a tangy bite but are still soft as a down pillow. I just...couldn't find a proper use for them. I had grand dreams of making a toasted marshmallow milkshake, but that didn't quite turn out as I had hoped. I think they'd be a fun twist on s'mores made in the oven. I don't recommend holding these over an open flame because they're likely to just fall off your skewer. But you've made s'mores in the oven right? I kind of almost like it better because the chocolate gets melty, and I have a clinical obsession with melty chocolate. Yeah, melty is one of those technical terms. At any rate I still think these marshmallows are worth sharing because nothing beats a homemade marshmallow.

Peppermint Marshmallows with Peppermint Hot Chocolate

My sister has a critter.  I'm not talking about Grady either.  There's something in her attic that makes little noises that can only be heard when the TV is off and no one else is with you.  She had suspected something was up there for a while, then she got confirmation when they went to get Christmas decorations out of the attic and ornaments were strewn about.  Also up there was an empty bag of jerky treats that had been torn apart.  That's how we ruled out a ghost.  Ghosts don't need jerky.  So we're thinking a raccoon.

I really hope it doesn't decide to take a walk downstairs.

Y'know what you need?  Marshmallows.  Legit homemade marshmallows.  Because guess what?  They're incredibly easy to make.  I know what you're thinking.  "I can buy marshmallows at the store.  Why on God's green earth would I take the time to make them?"  Because they're way freakin' better if you do them yourself.  You may quote me on that.  My only qualification is that you need either a stand mixer (preferable) or at least a hand mixer because this business has to go 12 minutes straight.