S’more Easter Fun

I felt that Easter was upon us more so than ever this year due to my recent Europe trip. All of the towns we visited in Germany and Austria we covered in Easter paraphernalia. Every shop window was Easter themed and there was even a special Easter section in the massive Christmas store we went to. Though I was reminded of Easter everywhere on my trip, it was also the downfall of my Lenten promises. They went out the door real fast when I was presented with spaeztle, german chocolate, and bread served at every meal. Oh well, better luck next year!

In church this morning, the priest asked the little kiddies what happens on Easter. One little boy shot his hand up and said, “The day the easter bunny comes!” Another kid said, “an Easter egg hunt!” All good answers of course, but not the one he was looking for. When I think of Easter, I think of two things: eating so much of whatever I gave up for lent that I give myself a stomach ache and picnicking in the park. Growing up, my old neighborhood used to have an annual potluck picnic at Osage park in Danville. We played soccer and softball, ate ham and other goodies, and hunted for Easter eggs. Conor and I have tried to recreate this the past two years with our own friends and it feels like Easter is back to normal.

We had a very gourmet ham.

Some easter eggs.

Some not-so-good looking treats (made by none other than moi).

Played some home run derby.

Swinggg and a miss. The next pitch was for sure a home run though.

 

And just hung out with some of my favorite people. You gotta love that hair.

Miss Jenna.

Now Jenna, if you like bunny ears so much, why don’t you wear them?

For my contribution to the potluck, I made some Smore Peeps Brownies with my leftover peeps from the peep baskets, and though delicious, they didn’t look so yummy- quite the opposite actually. Appearance-wise, these were a FAIL. The only reason I am still going to tell you about them is because they passed the taste test. And I think you can make them look better; just keep the broiling of the peeps to a minimum! So grab your peeps from your Easter basket, and you can whip up some of these:

Smore Peeps Brownies

Recipe Adapted from the Food Network

Crust:

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• Pinch salt

Brownie:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped or in squares
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large cold eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

• 1 box peeps
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs

Start by pre-heating the oven to 325 degrees. While the oven is pre-heating, place your butter in an 8×8 pan and stick it in the oven to melt. Once melted, add in the graham cracker crumbs and a pinch of salt and pack the mixture down in the pan for the crust.

Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

While the crust is baking, let’s get started on the brownies. Melt your butter and chocolate together in the microwave for 2 minutes, then stir, and 1 minute more. Or, you can melt in a double boiler on the stovetop. In a medium bowl, add the sugars, the salt, and vanilla together, Mix in the eggs, then slowly add the chocolate mixture.

Slowly fold in the flour last and beat until fluffy.

Once your crust is out of the oven, pour the brownie batter on top of the crust. Bake in the oven for about 40-45 minutes, still on 325 degrees. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean, take the brownies out of the oven.

Place your peeps, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs on top.

Turn the oven to broil and broil for andywhere from 1-5 minutes. Keep an eye on it! More so than I did! These suckers were burnt in 2 minutes flat.

There is no way to tell that there are peeps on top anymore! Maybe you can do better than I. That’s a challenge.

Happy Easter to all! How did you celebrate the day?