I received my products complimentary from Influenster and Hershey's, for testing purposes in exchange for my honest review. If you are interested in receiving free products to try and review, send me your email via my contact tab and I will send you an invite. I do not get to choose the products I'm sent (or reimbursed for), it's all a mystery and all part of the fun of it.
My mission - to make and review 2 recipes from www.hersheyland.com. My first recipe I choose was; HERSHEY'S S'mores Dipper Treats. I choose this specific recipe because I figured it looked like a bite size s’more as well as simple to make (we all need simple in our life sometimes, right?). Well, it was super easy to execute and delicious. Very much kid approved. Actually, so kid approved that mine asked to replace cupcakes for her birthday with these - so if that doesn't tell you something, I don't know what will! They taste like bite size s'mores. These would be great for get-togethers, backyard barbecues, birthdays, or anytime in between. It's the perfect finger-food dessert snack.
As far as the recipe, I did do a few different things that may make executing it easier for ya’. When looking at recipes I was aiming for quick, easy and simple to clean up -- this one fit the bill. So I will jot the recipe down below with what I did differently inserted in. For more recipes that sound equally family approved, check out hersheyland.com for more recipes. It's a website based on Hershey brands and also explores their products, recipes, crafts, and more -- so the name 'Hersheyland' fit's pretty perfectly.Â
HERSHEY'S S'mores Dipper Treats, Recipe
My input is in the parenthesis and colored text (if you can't see colors well, it's also the indented bullets in bold) in the instructions below. I didn't want to rewrite the recipe but add my input from that step. I'd also add that these will likely need to be eaten in about 24 hours after making them. Graham crackers get stale pretty quickly after opening them. I put them in a plastic container in the refrigerator to set and left them overnight. I'd say they're best right after they're made but the chocolate is still sort of melty if you're looking to make a cute display (like on the white plate above). I waited until the next day out of the fridge to plate it and photograph. We're about 48-ish hours in and the graham cracker is starting to get slightly stale and the marshmallows aren't as fresh. We'll finish them off today. Also know that uncovered, graham crackers just go stale quickly - so you'll want to keep them covered.Â
Ingredients
3 - Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar's, 1.55 oz each
3/4 - cup miniature marshmallows (honestly, I didn't even measure this out - just had the bag nearby)
6 -Â full size graham cracker sheets (8 come to an enclosed package, if you reserve some of your chocolate you'll have enough chocolate for a pack)
Colored sprinkles, nonpareils... (I used mostly Cupcake Gems, Pearlescent Sugar since I'm not crazy about sprinkles but the kid loves em')
Kitchen List
- Cookie Sheet
- Wax paper (I used parchment paper as that's what I keep in my kitchen)
- Small microwave safe bowl
- Small rubber scraper
- skewer (optional)
- Plastic sandwich bag
- Scissors
Instructions
- Line cookie sheet or tray with wax or parchment paper. Break graham crackers into sections and set aside.Â
- Remove wrappers from chocolate bars; break into pieces. Place chocolate pieces in deep narrow microwave-safe container (such as 1-cup glass measuring cup). Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds; stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
- I used a skewer to stir the chocolate so I would keep the most amount of chocolate in the bowl. The chocolate will finish melting as you stir. Make sure not to nuke your chocolate in the microwave. I used a small bowl and warmed about a bar and a half at a time. Then as I needed more chocolate, I'd warm more. Set your skewer aside, you'll need it again if/when you need to warm your chocolate. Work quickly.Â
- Working with about 8 sections at a time, dip each graham cracker section about half way into melted chocolate. Shake gently and scrape cracker bottom on edge of container to remove excess chocolate. Place on prepared tray. Place 3 to 4 miniature marshmallows on chocolate. Continue until all graham sections have been dipped.
- I worked with about 4 at a time. I tried to not coat the back of the graham cracker, I think the benefit of using a small bowl. I tried keeping the chocolate on one side of the bowl and dipped the front of the cracker in the chocolate and scraped the back if needed. The next step will tell you to add sprinkles, I did that after I added marshmallows because the chocolate was sort of setting and I don't know how well the sprinkles would have stuck.Â
- Drizzle remaining melted chocolate over graham cracker sections. Add colored sprinkles or nonpareils, if desired. Allow chocolate to firm. Store in cool, dry place. Makes 24 dippers.
- So, I tried "drizzling" this chocolate... it was NOT happening. It was too thick. So, I reheated it. Nothing. I took the skewer and tried to blop it on the marshmallows and it looked, well, ridiculous. So, if I could really give any input on this recipe - it would be to rewrite this step - which I'm going to do... NOW:Â
- "Pipe remaining chocolate over graham crackers: Fold over top of sandwich bag. Scrape bowl with a small spatula into a plastic sandwich bag. Push the chocolate down and twist bag closed, pushing chocolate into the bottom corner. When the chocolate is in the corner, cut a tiny tip off of the corner of the bag. Pipe the chocolate onto marshmallows while pushing chocolate out of the bag and twisting the opposite end of the bag at the same time. Allow chocolate to firm (I put mine in the refrigerator). Store in cool, dry place. Makes 24 dippers."
- BOOM - that's probably the biggest feedback I have for that recipe. The Hershey's bar chocolate doesn't seem to "MELT" in the microwave like it would with a double boiler. At least I couldn't get it to drizzle. I was afraid I was going to burn it. So, I had to pipe it on from a sandwich bag. Not hard, very easy to do. But if you don't bake, it may not have crossed your mind.Â
For the second recipe, I choose KIT KAT® Coffee Chiller - not only for my love of Kit Kat's but for coffee, too. This ends up as a super sweet treat.
I collected all the ingredients to make this and of course waited several days after collecting them and IÂ almost didn't have enough ice cream... We almost ate it all. Ooops. Annnnnnywho. I choose this recipe mainly because it was fast, simple, and sounded good - luckily, it is. Lately, these days... IÂ need simple recipes in the kitchen. I don't want anything too over complicated and especially anything that will cause a huge mess in the kitchen. This recipe fit that mold.
Kit Kat Coffee Chillers make a nice cold, sweet treat. It's not quite the consistency of a milkshake (but possibly could have been if I used more ice cream). My ice cream also softened quite a bit sitting on the counter looking pretty for photos. The kit-kat bits make for an interesting texture but it's not bad. If I had used my own cold brew and not an iced coffee drink, it probably wouldn't have been quite as sweet! Definitely good as a small drink (maybe to share) instead of a large snack.Â
As far as the recipe is concerned, I didn't use quite as much Kit Kat as was called for. The recipe calls for 2 (1.5 oz each) Kit Kat bars. I broke open a king bar - broke off 4 bars/pieces (which equals one bar) and put two bars in the blender to blend and two to the side for garnish. That was plenty for me. I actually dunked the two bars into the drink, as pictured above.  Whipped cream and sprinkles, nonpareils, or crushed Kit Kat would make a pretty garnish. BUT, I'm NOT a sprinkle person and I actually drank it - so... NO SPRINKLES, for me. And I didn't have whipped cream on hand.
This could also make a great adult concoction or coffee-chocolatey martini with some Baileys, Godiva Liqueur, or my new fav Butter Pecan Moonshine (Ole Smokey brand) and mixed with a smooth vodka like Ketel One, Grey Goose, or Titos. Hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere by my watch.
Hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere by my watch.
KIT KAT® Coffee Chiller Recipe
As mentioned prior, I used less Kit-Kat - but it's up to you to determine how much to use in your drink.Â
Ingredients
2 - Kit Kat Milk Chocolate Bars, 1.5 oz each, unwrappedÂ
3/4 cup - Cold brewed coffee (*don't be like me unless you want it really sweet and use an iced coffee drink)
2 cup - Coffee Ice cream (I used Breyer's and that was one of the only coffee flavors my local grocery store had)
Whipped Cream, optional
Rainbow nonpareils or sprinkles, optional
Kit Kat bars chopped for garnish
Kitchen List
- Blender
- Measuring cup
- Mugs/cups
Instructions
- Break chocolate bars into pieces; place in blender container. Cover; blend until bars become fine crumbs.
- Add coffee and about half the ice cream; cover and blend until smooth. Add remaining ice cream. Cover, blending until smooth. Pour into glasses. Garnish with whipped cream and nonpareils, if desired. Top with additional chopped candy bar pieces.
There are a plethora of recipes as well as crafts on the hersheyland.com website - from easy, beginner to intermediate and advanced. IÂ choose the easy route this time as IÂ wanted something fast as well as easy to clean up. When I have some more time on my hands, IÂ will try one of the harder recipes. Let me know if you try or have tried any of the recipes, which one it was and your take on it. I'd love to know!