The Candid Appetite

Where Cooking Meets Photography

Marshmallow

Fluffernutter Cookie Sandwiches

Fluffernutters are my childhood. Literally, my entire childhood. If I had to choose one thing I loved as a kid, it would be fluffernutters. (Well that would be my sweet pick, if I had to choose a savory it would be tater tots. Tater tots all the way). If you’re not familiar with fluffernutters, allow me to explain this marvelous invention to you. They are sandwiches made with white bread, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff. Delicious right? I think I’ve mentioned on several occasions that my mamma isn’t much of a baker. Somewhere out there, at this very moment, my mamma is saying, “Yes, Jonathan. You’ve already mentioned that I didn’t bake anything for you and your sisters when you were little, on several occasions. Any chance you get. Stop telling the whole world I can’t bake!” I’m sorry mamma, but it’s true, and if it makes you feel any better, it’s not really the whole world. It’s like a few people here and there. Anyhow, my mamma didn’t really bake when my sisters and I were kids. Have I told you that? She didn’t at all. Cut and bake cookies, do those count? Anyhow, she did however, make us a few treats here and there, like jell-o (hmmmm), Rice Krispies treats (yummm) and lastly, flutternutters (coma inducing deliciousness).

The fluffernutters that my mamma would make my sisters and I, however, weren’t the traditional kind I described earlier. Unfortunately she didn’t make us whole sandwiches because I think she knew it would basically be a sugar rush and we’d be jumping off the walls for hours if she had. Whomp whomp. She’s a smart woman. She knew what she was doing. Instead, she’d take two ritz crackers, spread creamy peanut butter on one, and marshmallow fluff on the other, and then sandwich them together. It was the best thing on the planet. I could eat like fifty of them. I even think one time I challenged myself to see if I could actually eat fifty in one sitting. I only got to like eight, but needless to say, I’m still trying to challenge myself. I’m up to like nine now. It’s going to take me a while. 

This past week, I wanted to bring back a bit of my childhood, so I came up with these cookie sandwiches. Mostly I just wanted an excuse to eat marshmallow fluff and peanut butter straight out of the jar without getting caught. I did that for a while before I realized I needed to save some for the cookies. Darn you cookies (but not really because you’re super delicious and I just want to keep you all to myself). I’m trying to devise a plan that would allow me to eat all these cookie sandwiches without giving my mom or doctor a coronary. So far, I got nothing. Until then, if you need me, I’ll be tucked away in a corner sneaking a cookie sandwich here and there, trying my best to outdo my record for most fluffernutters eaten in one sitting. 

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S’MORES Cupcakes

You stick a jumbo marshmallow, perhaps even two, onto a wooden stick. Sit by a campfire and roast it to your heart’s content. The marshmallows get a little burnt and gooey. You stick them in between two graham crackers, and some Hershey’s chocolate. The hot marshmallow melts the thin chocolate perfectly. You squeeze your sandwich so that the marshmallow and melted chocolate ooze out on all sides. Quickly, you lick the delicious runny confection. Why? Because you don’t think anyone is looking, but more importantly, perhaps because you don’t care. That’s the effect this creation has on people. Sitting around the blazing fire, surrounded by the people you love, all is forgotten, all expect this heavenly treat at the moment. You devour your first one, quickly realizing that you’ve gotten sad for no immediate reason you can comprehend, other than the fact that it hits you, you’ve eaten it too fast. Your mind is made up. You’ll need another, this time to savor it slowly. To eat it slower and enjoy each of these simple yet complex flavors. Individually you wouldn’t think much of these ingredients, but together they work in unison. As if the world is saying, “These three products” just go hand in hand. They were meant to be together. Like some sort of “Big Love” creation. A threesome that the world accepts, without a doubt or criticism.

What am I talking about? S’mores of course. That childhood classic that makes the summer and the unbearable heat enjoyable. Those trips to the beach, when the sun sets, are worth every golden ray of heat, because you know at the end there is a chance, a high possibility, that there will be s’mores to enjoy. As an adult, I’m not afraid to admit that I’m still addicted to these. Something so deliciously simple, gets me every time. I can’t resist them; I’ll never turn one down. What can be better than a simple S’more on a cool evening? Well how about a S’mores cupcake? Yes, I think that is better.

The other day my sisters were over and they wanted something sweet. For one of the few times in history, I didn’t have anything baked and ready for them. I hadn’t had a chance to make anything, what with school, projects, shooting and developing. After hearing a lecture as to why I should always have something on hand. And hearing a spiel that was something along the lines of, “What kind of Bake Monster are you? To not have anything sweet here is ridiculous!” They challenged me to make something for them. The rules: I had to make something delicious, with only ingredients that I had on hand already. I couldn’t go to the market, or look at recipes. I had nothing better to do, and I really did want to bake something, so I accepted. What I came up with: S’mores cupcakes that they devoured in a matter of minutes. At the end of the day the girls walked away with a box full to take home. If  I didn’t love them so much, I would say I was duped into making some desserts for them to take home for later, not really for a fun challenge. They were just looking for something to take with them, and not leave any for me. Their enthusiasm and awesome feedback, made it all okay. I think I’ll keep them…I wont trade them in just yet.

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