May Bakin' Friends

Our secret ingredient for May was marshmallows and my Bakin' Friend, Jenifer Mathewson, went beyond the call of duty!  I had seen this recipe or something similar on Pinterest and other sites and wanted to try it out - but she beat me to it!

MARSHMALLOW CRISPY BROWNIE BARS!!!

Can I just say these bars are RIDICULOUSLY GOOD.  Beyond that.  Over the top.  It was love at first bite for me.  They are dense brownies topped with creamy marshmallow and if that isn't enough, the marshmallow layer gets topped with a combination of melted chocolate, peanut butter and crispy rice cereal.  But wait, there's more!  After spreading the chocolate/peanut butter/cereal over all, you then sprinkle this delicious mess of goodness with sweetened, flaked coconut and white chocolate chips!  These bars have something for everyone - and more!

I heated up a few (not all at once!) and put vanilla ice cream on top.  OMG.  My teeth were screaming but that didn't stop me!  Unfortunately, they are all gone :(  But I enjoyed every single bite! 

Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/2011/10/04/marshmallow-crispy-brownie-bars/

Make these people.  You will not be sorry.

Jen, thank you for these wonderful bars.  I will be making them over and over again! 

If you would like to join our group of Bakin' Friends, please go to http://www.stephsbitebybite.com/bakin-friends/ for more information and to sign up.  It's like being in the Dessert-of-the-Month Club!

April Bakin' Friends

Here we are again, time to reveal what we received from our April Bakin' Friend . . . and unfortunately, I dropped the ball and didn't publish this post on time.  Yep, that's me, always a day late and a dollar short!  FAIL!!!

My Bakin' Friend in April was Maya Merrifield and our ingredient for the month was lemon.  I LOVE lemon and Maya did not disappoint!  She sent me

LEMON COCONUT MACAROONS!!!

The box she sent the macs in was so pretty, a white bakery-type box with a clear window lid.  She lined the inside with pink tissue paper which cushioned the macaroons from any damage by the over-zealous postal workers.  Each macaroon was in a little paper cup, placed in a small, clear bag then tied with ribbon.  Such a pretty presentation.  I took pictures and haven't the slightest idea what happened to them.  But I did get a few photos so you can see just how yummy (and pretty) they look!

See the pretty paper on the right side of the plate?  It's origami washi paper and it turns out Maya is originally from Japan.  A nice touch!

On the backside of the paper, she wrote the recipe for these delicious treats.  Some were even dipped in chocolate.  As Maya says, everyone needs a little choco-therapy! 

Maya, thank you again for such yummy and lemony goodies.  I enjoyed every one of them!

If you would like to join our group of Bakin' Friends, please go to http://www.stephsbitebybite.com/bakin-friends/ for more information.