Update: This giveaway is now over. The winner of a copy of Melissa’s book, Pioneering Today is Andi Sanders. Congratulations, Andi!
Today’s post is written by guest blogger Melissa K. Norris. Wait until you see what she shares with us!
But first, I have a fun link to share with you! You can vote for which brother you think should win Rhoda’s heart. Even if you have already read For Every Season, you can still vote for the brother you think she should have chosen!
I’ll share the results on my website in the next few weeks. http://www.cindywoodsmall.com/rhodaschoice/
~Cindy
Smores Whoopie Pie Recipe
By Melissa K. Norris
One of my favorite things about summer is getting out into nature, gardening, camping, and s’mores. My husband knows my s’mores addiction and has even baked me some in the oven before on low broil when I was pining away in the middle of January.
There’s little else I love more than seeing my children’s excited and eager faces when they know Mom’s baking. My son has been known to sneak a bite of dough when the anticipation gets the better of him.
And as a parent, I enjoy giving my kids the things they love. Of course, I know too many sugary goodies aren’t good for them. They need balance in their diet and their lives, but that makes the sweet treats even more special.
I often think our heavenly is the same way with us. I imagine He smiles as He puts together just the right ingredients for a special moment. He knows the little things that will brighten our day and waits until just the right moment to pull them out of His cosmic oven and place them before us while still warm from His hand.
I hope you enjoy these whoopee pies and take a moment to think of the special treats God has given you.
Pioneering Today S’mores Whoopie Pies
2 cups flour
¾ cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs (approx. 5 whole graham crackers)
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons melted butter
4 Tablespoons coconut oil (if you don’t have coconut oil, shortening, or all butter works fine)
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
Filling
8 Tablespoons softened butter (1 stick)
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon hot water
1 16 oz. jar marshmallow crème
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together. To make graham cracker crumbs, place broken crackers in a plastic bag. Roll over it with a rolling pin until only small crumbs remain. Cut in butter and coconut oil. Add egg, vanilla, and yogurt and combine well. Using an ice cream scoop, place approximately a tablespoon of batter onto cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes. Don’t over bake. Let cool for 5 minutes on sheet and then transfer to wire cooling racks.
When cookies are completely cooled, prepare filling. To prepare filling, use a hand or stand mixer. Place butter in bowl and beat it until soft and whipped. Slowly add in powdered sugar, a ½ cup at a time. Add in cocoa powder and hot water. Mix until combines. A half a jar at a time, add in marshmallow crème mixing on medium, until filling is completely combined. Use a piping gun or bag to make filling the cookies easier. Place filling on the flat bottom part of the cookie and then place another cookie on top, creating a sandwich. Enjoy!
Melissa K. Norris is a Christian novelist, newspaper columnist, and non-fiction writer. Her stories inspire people to draw closer to God and their pioneer roots. She’s a skilled artisan crafter, creating new traditions from old-time customs for her readers. She found her own little house in the big woods, where she lives with her husband and two children in the Cascade Mountains. Her book, Pioneering Today-Faith and Home the Old Fashioned Way, explains practical and easy methods to cook from scratch, garden, preserve your own food, and see God’s fingerprint in your everyday busy life. Read the first chapter here.
What’s your favorite summer treat? Do you have a special treat moment that God gifted you with?
Book Giveaway
For a chance to win a copy of Melissa’s book, Pioneering Today: Faith and Home the Old Fashioned Way, simply leave a comment at the end of this post.
If you are reading about this giveaway anywhere other than my website, such as on Facebook, in an email, or on Goodreads, please hop on over to my website by clicking here: http://www.cindywoodsmall.com/2013/09/10/smoreswhoopiepie/ and then leave a comment at the bottom of the post under the words “Leave a Reply.”
Only comments left on my website will be entered into the giveaway.
The deadline for this contest is Tuesday, September 17 at noon Eastern Time. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be contacted privately, as well as announced on next week’s post.
As always, please remember that all of my giveaways are limited to US residents only. Please visit my giveaway rules and FAQ page for a complete explanation of the terms and conditions of this giveaway. Also, for your protection against web crawlers gathering your e-mail address for purposes of spamming, please do not put your e-mail address into the body of your comment. Only write it in the field provided. That way it can only be seen by me. Your e-mail address will ONLY be used to contact you if you win. When you leave a comment, you may see a pop-up screen that says your comment has gone to “moderation.” That means it is in a holding place until my daughter-in-law or I approve it. That keeps spammers from being able to post a comment. If you comment while we’re away from our computers, we may not get to it until the next day.
The winner of the blog post titled “Delicious Family Recipe and Cookbook Giveaway” is Carmee Ross. Congratulations, Carmee. You’ve won a copy of The Esh Family Cookbook!