bourbon salted caramel banana s'mores

 

it's that time of year again.. s'more EVERYTHING! remember last years caramel s'more pie?! this year i am keeping things more traditional but taking it to a whole new level: homemade graham crackers AND homemade bourbon salted caramel. this blog post features two similar but different s'mores. one for the adults (which includes a little bourbon + toasted coconut) & one for the kids! i can't even describe how much better homemade graham crackers taste! they do take a little bit of effort to make, but it will pay off in the end.

i finished off each s'more with one of ghirardelli's chocolate SQUARES. they come in all sorts of flavours & fillings like dark chocolate mint, dark chocolate rasepberry & dark chocolate bourbon caramel. they are seriously the perfect shape for campfire s'mores & allow for a gooey, sweet center. for the bourbon s'more i used ghirardelli's new dark chocolate bourbon caramel & it has quite the bourbon kick! for the kids i used ghirardelli's classic milk chocolate caramel square. both of these squares were my inspiration for the two recipes!

p.s. @thefeedfeed is running a contest this month for the ultimate s'more recipe using ghirardelli's SQUARES. i can't wait to see what you make! the possibilities are endless.

ingredients

for the bourbon salted caramel

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

for the salted caramel

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

for the graham crackers

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

for the bourbon caramel banana s'mores

for the caramel banana s'mores

directions

  • for the bourbon salted caramel: in a saucepot add the sugar and water over medium high heat. do NOT stir while bringing mixture to a boil. continue to boil until the sugar turns a deep amber colour (approximately 5 minutes). be sure not to burn the caramel, it will go from a deep amber to burnt VERY quickly. remove from heat and immediately whisk in the heavy cream, butter, bourbon & sea salt. cool to room temperature before serving. store in the fridge covered for up to two weeks.

  • for the salted caramel: in a saucepot add the sugar and water over medium high heat. do NOT stir while bringing mixture to a boil. continue to boil until the sugar turns a deep amber colour (approximately 5 minutes). be sure not to burn the caramel, it will go from a deep amber to burnt VERY quickly. remove from heat and immediately whisk in the heavy cream, butter, vanilla & sea salt. cool to room temperature before serving. store in the fridge covered for up to two weeks.

  • for the graham crackers: in the bowl of a standmixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter, sugar & honey. add in the milk, vanilla & molasses until incorporated. sift in the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, cinnamon & baking soda. mix until dough comes together. shape into a disk & refridgerate for two hours. when ready to roll out, heavily flour the surface & roll to 1/4 inch thick. cut into desired square or rectangular shape & poke holes using a fork. bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. let cool before serving.

  • for the bourbon caramel banana s'mores: layer graham cracker with toasted marshmallow, drizzle with bourbon salted caramel, sprinkle with toasted coconut chips, layer sliced banana & finished off with ghirardelli's dark chocolate bourbon caramel square. eat open faced or sandwiched together with an additional graham cracker.

  • for the caramel banana s'mores:layer graham cracker with toasted marshmallow, drizzle with salted caramel, layer sliced banana & finished off with ghirardelli's milk chocolate caramel square. eat open faced or sandwiched together with an additional graham cracker.

this post was created in partnership with ghirardelli chocolate! thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog. xo

peach coconut cobbler

 

as promised, i am getting us ready for peach season! summer peaches picked straight from the tree don't compare to any other peaches out there. they are just so juicy & sweet. we always get a big bushel from the local orchard everytime. aside from eating them fresh, i also love making classic desserts with them like pies, crumbles, cakes & cobblers! for this cobbler recipe i did a little coconut twist to things because the flavours of peaches & coconut go together so well. i did a simple peach filling with a coconut infused topping, but i incorporated lorann oils coconut bakery emulsion into both layers. it is not over powering, but the subtleness of the coconut emulsion with the peaches really brings all the flavours together. i always keep the skin of my peaches on as it is where the nutrients are & it gives the cooked peaches a gorgeous red hue. i seriously can't wait for you to try this cobbler! it won't make it through the day.

xo

ingredients

for the peach filling

for the coconut cobbler

directions

for the peach filling

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a large mixing bowl toss together peaches, raw sugar, cornstarch, coconut emulsion & vanilla.
  • pour into desired baking dish (i used a 12 inch round skillet) & set aside while you prepare the topping.

for the coconut cobbler

  • in a large mixing bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder, shredded coconut & raw sugar. stir until well combined.
  • add in the cubed butter & work in with your hands until a pea sized crumb mixture is formed.
  • add the coconut emulsion, vanilla extract & coconut milk.
  • stir until the batter begins to clump.
  • evenly dispurse over the peach filling & bake for 45-55 minutes.

this post was created in partnership with LorAnn Oils. they make the best extracts & emulsions available.  find the featured two-fold madagascar vanilla extract here & the coconut emulsion here. thank you for supporting the brands that help me do what i love! xo

matcha milk tea boba

 

in the summer months, the iced drinks never stop flowing in modest house. iced teas, iced coffees, iced lattes & so on! when we are feeling a little more fancy then usual we treat ourself to a bubble tea! today, i am sharing the recipe for a matcha milk tea boba made with aiya matcha's matcha powder, boba black tapioca pearls & nut milk. it is similar to a matcha latte but with the addition of the tapioca pearls. to find the correct boba black tapioca for bubble tea i went to an asian market where i even found the oversized bubble tea straws! perfect for sipping up every last drop of tea. however, if you have trouble finding the correct tapioca, the drink taste amazing even as a milk tea. enjoy!

ingredients

(makes two milk teas)

  • 2 cups unsweetened nut milk
  • 1 tablespoon aiya matcha powder
  • 3 tablespoons raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup cooked black boba tapioca
  • 1 cup ice, for serving

directions

  • in a cocktail shaker add the milk, matcha powder, honey & vanilla. shake well.
  • in a glass add desired amount of tapioca & fill the rest with ice.
  • strain matcha mixture over the tapioca & ice.
  • sip away!