S'more, anyone?

A s'more is a Girl Scout tradition.

While the origin of the dessert is unclear, the first recorded version of the recipe can be found in the publication "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts" of 1927.

It is difficult to resist the delectable combination of crunchy graham cracker, silky dark chocolate, and gooey marshmallow.  Our family loves to add peanut butter to this tasty treat...Crazy good!

In late May, our Daisy Troop bridged to Brownies.  We invited families to attend the Bridging Ceremony followed by a picnic dinner.  We have a relatively small troop, but we have incredibly supportive and very involved families.  We were expecting a sizable turnout.  I wanted to make a dessert to share with our guests.  As I was bumping around Pinterest for some ideas,  I could not believe how many different desserts have been inspired by the s'more.  I decided to make mini s'more cupcakes for many different reasons.  For one, they are so cute!  I couldn't imagine a more appropriate treat for this special occasion.

I lined my mini muffin tray with blue liners with white polka dots.  The liners went well with our royal blue Daisy aprons.  I chose a dark chocolate cake mix and my daughters helped me prepare the batter according to the directions on the package.  We baked the mini cupcakes for about 9 or 10 minutes.  We knew they were finished baking when we inserted a toothpick into one, and it came out clean.  

I wanted to dip the cupcakes into ganache and then graham cracker crumbs before topping them with marshmallow.  I used the following ganache recipe:

4oz of bittersweet chocolate (this time I substituted with 1/2c dark chocolate chips)

1/2 cup of heavy cream

Place chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan on the stove.  Watch the cream closely because it may burn.  Once it just comes to a boil, pour the cream over the chocolate.  Whisk until smooth.  Super simple.  Simply scrumptious! 

I let the ganache sit for a couple of minutes before allowing my daughters to dip the cupcakes into the chocolate sauce.  They immediately coated them with graham cracker crumbs and placed them on a cookie sheet.  I was so excited to top the cupcakes with marshmallow.  I envisioned a beautiful creation much like we see on Cupcake Wars each week.  I scooped marshmallow fluff into a sandwich-sized zippie bag.  I snipped the corner with the hopes of neatly piping a dollop on top of each cupcake.  I said neatly...

After making a terrible mess of my kitchen island, I bailed on the marshmallow fluff and vowed never to buy another tub.  Ever.  I spent the next 15 minutes muttering a few choice words under my breath as I washed my hands and cleaned up the sticky mess.  Thankfully I remembered there was a bag of large marshmallows in the pantry.  I cut each marshmallow in half (horizontally) and placed one on the top of each cupcake.  I placed the cookie sheet under the broiler for 1 minute until the marshmallows were the golden brown I desired.  I packed a healthy batch into my cupcake carrier, and we were off to the park for the ceremony. 

These mini s'more cupcakes were a hit.  They packed a big taste in a small bite with relatively little mess.  National S'more Day is August 10th.  Add this s'more-inspired cupcake to your celebration.  Thank you for reading!

Suit Up, Girls! Our Daisy Uniform

Girl Scouts wear uniforms to display the petals, patches, and pins they have worked so hard to earn.  The uniform also unifies the girls by giving them a sense of being part of a team.  Over the years, troop leaders have devised creative uniforms for their troops.  An official Daisy Vest or Tunic and Petals Set is offered by Council shops.  PLEASE check out GSUSA's uniform policy.  I came up with a less expensive and very cute alternative to the official Daisy uniform.

Hobby Lobby sells a royal blue canvas child-sized apron.  Occasionally the aprons can be found on sale.  Otherwise I search the store website for 40% off coupons to use.  I purchased aprons for the girls for less than $2 each.  

I also used a coupon to purchase white puffy paint.  I wrote our troop number in the upper right-hand corner which is where it is placed on an official Daisy vest.  Please note that our troop number was purposely concealed in these photos.  I used the paint to write each girl's name along the edge of the backside of each apron.  I was responsible for adding each petal to the aprons as the girls earned them, so I chose to keep the aprons between meetings.

I decided to make felt petals.  I was able to purchase the different colors of felt from Hobby Lobby for $0.25 each.  I used an image of the petals from the Guide for Daisy Girl Scouts to make a template.  The Daisy Center on the apron above is 1.25" in diameter while the petals are each 1.5" x .75".  Each petal needed an adhesive backing to enable it to be ironed onto the apron.  I used Wonder-Under to accomplish this effect.  This product is available at most craft stores.  For perspective, I bought 5/8 of a yard for $1.24 (this was MORE than enough).  The Financial Literacy leaf and the Cookie Business leaf that are placed below the Daisy Petals Set will be described in a future post. 

DIY Petals
1.  Preheat iron to Cotton setting.
2.  Cut felt rectangle to desired size.
3.  Cut Wonder-Under the same size as felt.
4.  Place rough side of Wonder-Under against felt.
5.  Press for 5-8 seconds with a hot, dry iron.
6.  Let cool.
7.  Trace petal shape onto paper backing.  
8.  Cut.

Iron-On Petals
1.  Preheat iron to Wool setting.
2.  Remove Wonder-Under paper backing from felt petal.
3.  Position petal and cover with damp washcloth.
4.  Press for 10-15 seconds.
 *Petal should be securely adhered to the apron.  If the petal begins to peel away after time, simply repeat these steps.   

I would really enjoy hearing how your girls display their recognitions.  Please share!