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S’mores Sandwich Cookies

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 chantelledoll

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In honor of National S’mores Day on August 10, I decided to bake up a sweet treat for my family. I don’t make time to bake as often as I would like, so it is always nice to have a silly reason to make something new. It also didn’t hurt that, by some miracle, I wound up with two napping children and a quiet house that afternoon.

I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to S’mores treats and deciding what to bake proved to be a bit of a challenge with all the different mouth-watering combinations of graham, chocolate and marshmallow out there. I wasn’t in the mood for cupcakes, and although these beautiful S’mores Macarons jumped out at me right away, I didn’t feel up to attempting macarons for the first time. I then came across these Whoopie Pies with the pretty same layers as the macarons, and it suddenly dawned on me that I had sandwich cookie pans that might make the perfect S’mores inspired treat.

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I found these Wilton sandwich cookie pans Dollarama several months ago and grabbed a couple thinking they would make a cute treat for one of my parties. They have been sitting in my cupboard unused up until now and I was excited to pull them out to attempt my S’mores inspired goodies. The pans were easy to use and I love the uniformity of the cookies provided by them. If you don’t have the pans, however, you could easily just roll out this dough in equal sized balls and bake them up on a cookie sheet.

The graham cracker cookies turned out nice and soft, and work well in combination with the rich chocolate ganache and marshmallow cream frosting. The cookies are as cute as they are tasty, and this recipe is a simple way to recreate the iconic camping treat at home away from the campfire. Heck, I am even thinking of foregoing the traditional S’mores and just bringing along these yummy sandwich cookies on our next camping trip.

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S’mores Sandwich Cookies

Makes 24 filled cookies

Graham Cracker Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I did 3/4 cup white flour and 3/4 whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup salted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg yolks

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup milk chocolate chips
3 Teaspoons heavy cream

Marshmallow Cream Filling

1 Jar Marshmallow Cream
1 cup shortening
1 cup icing sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

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Bake the Graham Cracker Cookies

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Next, add the egg yolks and vanilla and blend.
In a separate bowl, combine your dry ingredients; flour, graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Blend until combined – mixture may seem a bit crumbly, but it will come together after 2 minutes or so.
Press dough into cavities of Wilton Sandwich Cookie pans or roll dough into 1-inch sized balls and space out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 5-6 minutes, until bottoms of cookies are lightly browned. Cool 5 or so minutes on cookie sheet and transfer to wire to completely cool.

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Prepare the chocolate ganache

Pour the chocolate chips and heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Place in fridge to cool and thicken as you prepare the marshmallow cream.

Make the Marshmallow Cream

Blend marshmallow cream with shortening until mixture is smooth and fluffy – about 3 minutes on medium speed using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer.
Add the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla, and beat on low until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes more.

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Assemble your Sandwich Cookies

Spread a layer of chocolate ganache on one side of a cookie.
Using a piping bag, put a swirl of the marsmallow cream on top of the chocolate ganache.
Carefully press your second cookie half onto the top of the marshmallow cream, being carefully not to squish all the filling out.
Set aside for the ganache to fully set.
Repeat with the remaining cookies.

Enjoy!

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Do you have a favorite S’mores inspired treat or sandwich cookie recipe to share? Please share in the comments below. I definitely see more homemade sandwich cookies in my future now that I know how easy they can be!

Everyday Life

Happy 2nd Blog Anniversary to Me!

August 7, 2015August 7, 2015 chantelledoll

Today marks 2 years since I started my blog!. While I haven’t managed to get in as much blogging as I would have liked over the past year, I am still proud of all the projects and parties I have managed to finish and share. My goals for the next few months are to finally get up some of the photos and tips from our Disneyland trip in my newly created Travel section, and to share some of our latest camping adventures. And, as always, I have a fun themed party in the works.

I hope you are enjoying Dolled Up Design and it has given you inspiration for your own parties and DIY projects. This is all a labour of love and there is a ton of time and effort that goes into photographing, editing and writing each post. It means a lot when I get comments or see that I have a new follower on the blog or Facebook page, and I would like to truly thank all who have shown their support.

In case you have missed anything over the past year, I have picked out my 5 favorite posts to share. Click on each link to take you to the post.

Do you have a favorite project or party on Dolled Up Design? I would love to hear in the comments!

By Car, Travel

13 Lessons Learned Camping with Kids and Dogs

August 5, 2015March 17, 2016 chantelledoll

13 Lessons Learned Camping with Kids & Dogs

Last July we got a new (to us) trailer and made many wonderful memories camping in the last half of the summer and into the fall. As the snow has begun to melt, we are all longing for the warmer weather and the chance to get the trailer back out of storage so we can go on some new adventures. Continue reading “13 Lessons Learned Camping with Kids and Dogs” →

Everyday Life, Friday Favorites, Two Legged Fun

For the First Time in Forever

July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 chantelledoll

Okay, well maybe not FOREVER, but it has been over 2 years since my husband and I have actually been out to dinner alone.

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on July 17th and today we are dropping off the kids and checking out a local restaurant. Somewhere without coloring books and crayons, or chicken fingers on the menu!

How is this possible? It is all thanks to My Gym! I enrolled the kids in a weekly class in June and was delighted to discover they also offer a monthly Parent’s Night Out that allows us to drop off the kids for 3 full hours of uninterrupted adult time.

I was hesitant to book the Parent’s Night Out when I first enrolled the kids since they have a history of not liking the activities I sign they up for. Ball Hockey was a big flop for my son last year and my daughter wanted absolutely nothing to do with soccer this Spring. I actually only decided to try My Gym when I came across a half price Groupon – if they ended up absolutely hating it, I wouldn’t feel bad about “wasting” a lot of money.

Well, I am happy to report that they absolutely LOVE My Gym. The instructors are all amazing and my kids are actually excited to go to class each week. They do a variety of gymnastics skills and exercises, with free play and songs thrown in for good measure. The classes are a full hour of activity and my kids always come away with a big smile plastered across both their faces. It is a little pricier then some of the activities I have tried the kids in, but because of how much my kids enjoy it I was happy to start paying full price after our Groupon was used.

One other huge bonus for me is that I have even been able to have my two different aged kids enrolled in the same class! I think this has really helped my youngest get comfortable in a class setting and I love that it keeps things simple for scheduling on my end. And, when their weekly class isn’t enough for them, we have been taking advantage of the Practice and Play sessions. I can see this hour of free gym play being particularly handy come winter rather then paying admissions to other indoor playgrounds.

I am really looking forward to our Parent’s Night Out because I know our kids are in good hands and will be having a ton of fun while we finally enjoy some adult time. It is a Halloween theme and my son is excited to go in costume to play and eat pizza. I know I could have hired a sitter a long time ago to get a night out with my husband, but I have always felt guilty leaving the kids – this seems like the perfect win-win solution for all of us to have a great night.

By Car, Travel

Happy Trails

July 22, 2015July 24, 2015 chantelledoll

It looks like we will be summer vacationing this year after all. 🙂

It has been a couple years now since we have been camping and both my husband and I seem to be missing it more then we expected. My husband has some holiday time to use up and is in need of a break from work, so at the beginning of July he suggested we take a road trip and rent a camping trailer to do some camping along the way. While I didn’t hate the idea, I was not completely sold on the thought of a) spending extended periods of time in a vehicle with my young children and b) spending that kind of money to rent a trailer. We were hoping to plan a fairly inexpensive holiday by camping, but a lot of the trailer rentals we came across cost just as much as a night in a hotel would.

I ended up saying no to the idea, but that apparently didn’t stop my husband from looking and considering other options. I suggested we maybe look at something inexpensive like a tent trailer and that somehow snowballed into us planning a trip across Saskatchewan at the end of the month to purchase a travel trailer. Looking back at my initial concerns, I am still not quite sure how that all worked out; there is still the long road trip with young kids and this option is costing us a whole heck of a lot more money!

Either way, I will admit that I am pretty excited. This is something we have been wanting for a couple years and by buying it now we will have it to enjoy taking the kids camping while they are still young. We did do some tenting when my son was still really young and really enjoyed it, but the tent was already starting to get pretty cramped with 2 adults, 2 dogs and a baby.

We were blessed to have friends lend us their trailer to attempt a camping trip with both kids when my daughter was 1 and we both really liked it and agreed it was the better way to camp now that we had a family.

Back in 2012 we attended the RV show in the hopes of someday buying a trailer, and ended up finding one we really loved the layout of – The Gulf Stream Visa 23CSK. When my husband came across the used 2013 model that we are buying, it was hard not to say no knowing how much we loved this trailer and how few are available on the resale market. We are limited to towing with our SUV and this trailer manages stay lightweight while packing in all the features we wanted.

I am very excited to go pick up our trailer and finally get to see it in person. I have been spending way too much time on Pinterest these past couple weeks looking at trailer hacks and all the neat little storage solutions people have come up with in their limited space. I can’t wait to get my hands on ours and start personalizing it for our needs – and, of course, sharing all my hacks here!

It will be so nice to get away and just spend some quality time with my little family – furry members included. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well and hopefully I will have some good pictures to share with you in a couple weeks after we return from our inaugural trip!

Celebrations, Parties, Party

Watermelon Party Ideas

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 chantelledoll

Are you looking for a fun theme for your next summer playdate or barbeque?

Summer and watermelon just seem to go hand in hand, so I have come up with some cheap and easy watermelon themed ideas to share in my latest guest post at Moms and Munchkins.

Hop on over to see all the Watermelon Party details and even learn how to make my super simple watermelon banner from paper plates.

Celebrations, Gift Ideas

Dinner and Diaper Cakes

July 19, 2015July 24, 2015 chantelledoll

Last week we had the joy of meeting our brand new nephew for the very first time. We made a trip to the hospital the day he was born for some first snuggles and to introduce the kids to their baby cousin. It was a quick visit, and now that mom and baby have had time to settle in at home, I decided to offer to bring the family dinner and their baby gift.

For dinner, I had planned to bring stuffed baked potatoes and steaks to grill, but it ended up being rainy so I opted to bake ham and scalloped potatoes. My sister in law also mentioned they had a bit of a rough first week so I decided to cook up a few other items to leave with them. I ended up making a big container of cut fruit, some no-bake chocolate granola bars, ham and cheddar cheese muffins, a batch of tomato basil soup and a tray of stuffed pasta shells. A good friend of mine stocked my fridge when I was in the hospital having my son and it was one of the best gifts I received. It was nice to -e able to pay that forward to another new mom.

Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Bars from Money Saving Mom

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup from Joyful Healthy Eats

Cheddar Bacon Muffins from Clockwork Lemon (I substituted ham for the bacon)

Chicken-Spinach Stuffed Shells on Just a Pinch Recipes

For the baby gift, I will admit that I totally left it to last minute and it was only half finished when the little guy arrived. I was struggling to come up with the perfect gift for the first time parents and wanted something both cute and useful. There were a lot of small things on their registry they still could use so I decided to go with a bunch of smaller items and assemble them together in a diaper cake.

This was my first attempt at a diaper cake and I was surprised by just how easy it came together. I already had various sized cake pans available, so I used the spiral diaper cake method shown on Fun Baby Shower ideas and more.

It was hard not to completely spoil baby (I miss buying little stuff!) and I may have gone a little overboard with the accessories once I decided on my theme. I had already bought the Finding Nemo outfit from Costco and when my sister in law mentioned they could use more towels and washcloths for baby I was delighted to find the Nemo themed ones on their Babies R Us registry.

I was able to incorporate the hooded towel into the bottom layer of the cake and folded a couple of the washcloths up like seashells on either side of the middle layer of the cake. I also tucked some travel sized lotion and shampoo into the towel because I know they came in handy when my kids were little.

The clear bubble shaped bath toys made cute accessories on the cake hidden amongst orange and green curled ribbons. I found the ribbons at the Dollar Store and knew immediately they would make the perfect seaweed/anemone’s on my sea themed cake.

At the bottom of the cake, a not-so-scary shark peeks out from the front of a rolled up sleeper. When it comes to babies, you can never have too many sleepers.

For the cake topper, I chose another of their registry items – the Plan B Tranquil Turtle. Well, technically, they had registered for the Twilight Turtle, but the sea turtle themed Tranquil Turtle just fit so perfectly with my Nemo theme! My kids have the Twilight Ladybug and Turtle and they have gotten a lot of play. It is by no means a necessary baby item, but I do know it will be enjoyed by baby Colton for years to come.

Other fun items I also included on the cake for baby were a Nemo rattle and a talking Nemo and Friends book.

And I lucked out at Dollarama when I came across these great clownfish, shark and crab themed socks. They are expandable socks that I have purchased with both my kids and really loved. They fit for a long time and are nice and snug to stay on those little feet!

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I had a ton of fun making the diaper cake and it turned out even cuter then I could have imagined. My brother in law and his wife share my love of Disney/Pixar so I knew they would like the theme. None of the items in my gift were particularly special or unique, but I think it all came together for a pretty impressive gift. My 5 year old was beyond excited to bring the final cake to his new cousin.

We are through the baby stage, so I am so glad to have this new little guy in the family. My kids seem pretty enamoured with their new little cousin and I am so excited to watch him grow. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law have been a fantastic Aunt and Uncle to our kids, so I have no doubts that they are going to be absolutely amazing parents!

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Counting Sheep

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 chantelledoll

Better late then never, this past June we managed to knock off on of the item’s from last summer’s bucket; visiting the sheep on Grandma’s farm.

I grew up in a city and my husband grew up on a farm in rural Saskatchewan. Now that our parents have retired, it is funny to see that there has been a switch on both sides. My husband’s parents have sold their farm and now enjoy life in the city, while my mom sold her house last year to move onto the farm with her husband.

I have been a crummy daughter and it has taken me over a year to get out to see my mom’s farm. I purposely waited until the spring/early summer because my mom and her husband raise sheep and I knew there would be plenty of little lambs that the kids would be excited to see.

My youngest has always loved animals, so she was quite happy to see the abundance of sheep. She happily chased them throughout the field, but was never able to get too close before the flock all took off.

Lucky for the kids, my mom’s husband did chase down and catch one of the newest lambs so they could see and pet it up close. It was pretty cute!

There was lots to see and explore on Grandma’s farm and I think my little city kids were happy to be outdoors enjoying the open space.

It was a lovely day with my mom and her husband, and it was great to see exactly how my mom is spending her retirement. I also think it is great that we still have a farm in the family to show the kids and give them a feel of what life is like beyond the city.

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Summer Bucket List 2015

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 chantelledoll

Summer is upon us so I am revisiting and updating our Summer Bucket List. We had a great time last summer and managed to make it through a lot of our list, but it may have been just a bit more ambitious then I expected with two young kids. Quite a few of the items on our list got looked over for long days at the beach and playground.

Items carrying over from last year that I definitely want to attempt include getting out to Grandma’s farm to see the new lambs, going for a paddleboat ride at our lake and visiting a U-pick.

Activities we will be repeating from last year include visits to Fort Edmonton Park and The Edmonton Valley Zoo, beach playdates, exploring new playgrounds and splash parks with friends, and planning another neighbourhood ice cream social.

I am also very excited to have my kids each signed up for a summer camp they’ll love – a week of Princess Academy for my 3 year old and Jedi training for my Star Wars loving 5 year old. If you are in the Edmonton area, check out Mudpie Parties to learn more about these great camps. Camden did the Super Hero one last summer and loved every minute of it, so I know they’re going to have an amazing time. I think I am just as excited as my 3 year old to see which Princesses she gets to meet each day!

What’s on your summer bucket list? Hopefully our list has helped inspire you to get out there and make the most of these warm summer months!

Everyday Life, Two Legged Fun

Playing Around

June 25, 2015July 24, 2015 chantelledoll

Now that it is summer I am finding it a lot easier to keep my kids happy and entertained. If we have nothing planned for the day, I tend to choose a nearby playground to take the kids to so they can run off a bit of steam.

This year I am noticing a big shift when we go to the playground. Both kids are now at an age where I am comfortable with them climbing and discovering on their own, making me more of a spectator then an active participant. They are happy to play together or chase down new friends while I get to take a short break on the bench.

When we are meeting up with our friends, it is so nice to now have a few moments now to actually visit with the other moms. The kids have gotten good at keeping each other happy and entertained and they tend to stick in small packs so it is easy to find them for the all important head counts.

It looks like it is going to be a good summer for all – the kids will be happy to be out exploring and playing, and I will actually get a bit of time to sit and relax!