Smores Cookies

These cookies were made by a great friend of mine. NO they aren't really healthy but ohhhh so good!

SMORES COOKIES

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 ½ cups flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows
3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces
1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed. Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight (I did one batch right away and another after chilling overnight and found there was no difference.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. I used one 11x17 pan and one 9x13 pan but you can really use any sized pans you want. Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). I used 16 graham cracker squares on one pan and 10 squares on another. You may have to add or remove graham crackers according to how much dough you have. If you want your cookies thicker you will use more dough and less graham crackers.

Place tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. I averaged about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per graham cracker square as seen in the picture above. Press down slightly with fingertips.

Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want depending how much chocolate flavor you want.

Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool. For clean cutting make sure cookies are completely cool and cut with a sharp knife.

I think I got about 27 cookies or so out of one batch! Enjoy!

Raised Beds and Cold Frames

Here in New Hampshire the weather is still very unpredictable everyday. One day it could be in the 90's the next day in the 50's.  So using a Cold Frame is the perfect solution to being able to start your garden and keep it safe from frost.

COLD FRAME: n.  An unheated outdoor structure consisting of a wooden or concrete frame and a top of glass or clear plastic, used for protecting and acclimatizing seedlings and plants.

Just like finding supplies to make your raised bed you could spend tons of money to create your cold frame.  But let me help you out with that.  You can install your cold frame right over your raised beds.

I just used a couple of scrap pieces of lumber that we had laying around to make and simple "A" frame shape, you can choose to either put in the center support or leave it out. You then attach the bottom of the "A" to your raised bed.  At this point you can go ahead and plant your veggies/flowers/herbs.  Make sure to water them well. If you are going to place a irrigation system into your bed you would also place that now.

Once the beds are set up the way that you like you now attach the plastic. Make sure that you get pieces that are wider and longer than your bed. Place the center of the plastic at the tops of the "A" frames and drape over both sides, like a tent.  We then stapled the plastic to the frame of the raised bed and then up each of the "A" frame, leaving the ends open at this point.

Now that you have everything attached except the ends you have a decision to make, how to close the ends. I opted to use duct tape and folded the plastic like the ends of a present. This way if it is a really hot day I can open up the ends so that the plants won't burn.