{"id":96290,"date":"2014-03-03T07:00:13","date_gmt":"2014-03-03T12:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=96290"},"modified":"2014-03-11T09:16:21","modified_gmt":"2014-03-11T14:16:21","slug":"make-smore-cupcakes-with-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting-to-survive-six-smore-weeks-of-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/03\/make-smore-cupcakes-with-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting-to-survive-six-smore-weeks-of-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Make S’more Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting to Survive Six S’more Weeks of Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

Has this been the longest winter ever? It’s starting to feel like it. Currently it’s a -21 wind chill outside and I’m starting to convince myself the sun may never come back; summer will always be a distant fond memory.<\/p>\n

Like S’mores. That little campfire treat is one time I put my guard all the way down and say screw it! Gooey marshmallows, melty chocolate (I always splurge and use dark chocolate), and that crispy little graham cracker turn any dull summer night in to an instant memory maker. And right now, as I watch another winter storm swirl around the backyard, I’m clinging to those sweet memories of last summer to keep me warm.<\/p>\n

\"cupcakes<\/a><\/p>\n

Another way to keep warm? Baking, duh! All that batter beating and pre-heating turns the kitchen in to a little den of coziness. A den of coziness with cupcakes!<\/p>\n

And not just any cupcakes, but big, fat S’more cupcakes.<\/p>\n

\"smores<\/a><\/p>\n

And not frosted with just any frosting, but big dollops of homemade chocolate cream cheese frosting.<\/p>\n

\"chocolate<\/a><\/p>\n

Winter just became manageable, folks.<\/p>\n

I’ve made my own frosting for years, and it’s seriously the most simple and least guilt-inducing I’ve ever had. Neufchatel cream cheese, honey, and vanilla is all you need. Those three ingredients beat together to create the most blissful, finger-licking, creamy gob of goodness. Then this time I added cocoa and – you guys – it’s even better!<\/p>\n

\"cream<\/a><\/p>\n

Feel free to lick the beaters, and share this treat with your nearest friend. Immediately! Especially if they’re as cute as these two!<\/p>\n

\"frosting\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the cupcakes, just go with what you know. If you have a favorite lighter vanilla cupcake recipe, then whip it up! We used this recipe for 60-calorie vanilla cupcakes<\/a><\/strong> by chef Curtis Stone. Greek yogurt, whole wheat flour, organic egg whites, and honey help make these cakes wholesome and wholly delish!<\/p>\n

\"chocolate<\/a><\/p>\n

Then the best part of any cupcake – other than devouring them – is the decorating! With the chocolate cream cheese frosting serving as the chocolate layer in our S’more, we finish these cupcakes with crushed graham crackers. And instead of a cherry on top, we place one tiny, cute little marshmallow.<\/p>\n

\"smores<\/a><\/p>\n

You’re snowed in anyway, might as well make the most of these dreary days and bake a batch of winter-approved S’mores!<\/p>\n

S’mores Cupcake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting<\/strong>\"smore<\/a>
\nserves 6<\/em><\/p>\n

INGREDIENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

8 oz. neufchatel cream cheese<\/p>\n

3 Tbsp. honey<\/p>\n

1.5 tsp. vanilla extract<\/p>\n

3\/4 Tbsp. quality cocoa powder<\/p>\n

2 graham crackers<\/p>\n

6 mini marshmallows<\/p>\n

INSTRUCTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Make these vanilla cupcakes<\/a><\/strong>, or the recipe of your choice.<\/p>\n

2. Combine all frosting ingredients together in a bowl and use a hand-mixer to blend until well combined.<\/p>\n

3. Lick the beaters.<\/p>\n

4. Spread any frosting that remains across the six cupcakes.<\/p>\n

5. Crush the graham crackers over the cupcakes. Top each with one marshmallow.<\/p>\n

WARM-UP WINTER WITH THESE RECIPES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicken Taco Soup<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Baked Apple Streusel Doughnuts<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dark Chocolate Brownies<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Recipe by Brandi Koskie; Photos by Kacy Meinecke<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Has this been the longest winter ever? It’s starting to feel like it. Currently it’s a -21 wind chill outside and I’m starting to convince myself the sun may never come back; summer will always be a distant fond memory. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,58],"tags":[3272,4092,454,3976,907,281,4105,1867,428],"class_list":["post-96290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recipes","category-womens-health","tag-baking","tag-cake","tag-chocolate","tag-cream-cheese","tag-cupcakes","tag-desserts","tag-graham-crackers","tag-summer","tag-winter"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96290"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96300,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96290\/revisions\/96300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}