Samoa Bars

Samoa/Samoas/Caramel deLites, whatever you want to call them, they are one of my favorite Girl Scout Cookies. While I always manage to eat a few (or a few boxes) every year, I love that are are so many recipes out there that play homage to these little guys. Here are a few of favorites that I've come across on pinterest lately:

Mini Baked Samoa Donuts
Samoa Popcorn
And finally my favorite, Samoa Bars. Foodologie's picture was so drool worthy that I needed to try to bake some!

Cookie, Caramel, Coconut, and Chocolate, these 4 C words combine to create one pretty amazing bar. The process of making them is somewhat time consuming as you have to wait for the cookies to cool before you top them with the caramel, then you have to wait for the caramel/coconut mixture to set before you cut them, and then finally as your patience is running out and your stomach is screaming at you to just shove one in your mouth already, you have to wait for the damn chocolate to harden. Is it worth it? Absolutely! The soft cookie base combines with the chewy caramels and the smooth chocolate drizzle to create an overly decadent treat.  I cut my bars as small as I could without them crumbling as they are so rich. One cookie goes a long way, even for a sugar junkie like myself.

If you're feeling ambitious and have a hankering for Girl Scout Cookies give this recipe a try! I give these 4 1/2 noms out of 5! (1/2 a star was taken off as they give me wicked bad heartburn. Maybe I'm just getting old and can't handle the same amount of sugar I used to!)

S'mores Trail Mix

I haven't been blogging enough lately, but rest assured that I have still been pinning and creating! I've got a bit of a backlog going. The weather has finally heated up in New Hampshire, so I'm attempting to spend more time outside and less by my computer. It'll be winter again and I'll be subjected to the apartment with Mac, Mike, and a snuggie soon enough. Lots of granola activities until then. Fishing, hiking, and swimming require snacks. I knew a hike up Mount Elmore in Vermont would require some munchies, so I found a s'mores trail mix to make and bring along.

The Verdict: With just five ingredients, this is the easiest snack to assemble to ensure you don't pass out half way up a mountain. The almonds are the redeeming factor to this not so healthy trail mix. But with my logic, if you're going on four hour hike, you can afford to chow down on sugary goodies. The original recipe calls for chocolate covered pretzels, but I substituted with chocolate animal crackers. Not a bad idea when enjoying in 80+ degree weather. I also doubled it for Mike and Mac to bring along fishing. This is best enjoyed on the same day you make it as the marshmallows can go a bit stale when combined with the other ingredients. This is winner though, so pin and bring this along on your next summer activity. 

Snacks on a Plane: Cake Batter Puppy Chow!

I recently went to Sevilla, Spain to visit a friend from college who is teaching English there. It's not so easy or fast getting from Manchester, New Hampshire to Europe. My trip began with a bus ride down to Boston followed by a flight to Miami, then onto Madrid, where i caught my final flight to Sevilla! I knew I would need snacks to keep me going during this  15+ hour journey and I've flown enough to know that what they give you on the plane isn't always going to cut it (see above picture for the interesting piece of cake i got with my in-flight meal!), so I decided to make a batch of The Girl Who Ate Everything's Cake Batter Muddy Buddy to snack on throughout my trip.

The Verdict: This Cake Batter Puppy Chow (I've renamed it because my pup Macaroni helped make this) is a super simple treat to assemble and even easier to scarf down. I had all the ingredients on hand and made it in about 15 minutes. One word of caution, make sure you thoroughly seal the container before you shake it all up or you will end up with a good amount of powder sugar/cake mix on your floor and you'll need a tiny wiener dog to help clean that up. This treat is a little messy to eat, so make sure you have a napkin nearby or a pair of jeans you don't mind getting dirty. Head over to Christy's blog for the recipe and make sure you pin this one on your treat board!