second time's a charm

I love the sections in Cook's Illustrated where they "revisit" a traditional home recipe like chocolate brownies, carrot cake or corn chowder and try to perfect and rejuvenate it.  Sometimes a recipe is just too good to give up on. Such was the case with these bars that Mommy Dearest made for the Christmas cookie plates. She followed the directions perfectly and regardless of what Kraft may say, they did not solidify and ended up leaking over many of our other lovely confections. Caramel Peppermint Crescents? Not a great combination.

The ingredient combo in these bars appealed to most of us but we had a very difficult time prying them off of the plates to actually taste them. I had to come up with a way to remedy the issue because caramel, marshmallow and graham crackers are too high on my list to pass this recipe up. Below is the result. You can view the original recipe for a comparison and you will see in the reviews that several people had the same issue that we did and also felt there was too much chocolate (which I pared down). I am not entirely surprised considering the process and ingredients used in the original recipe would most likely not yield a solid bar unless frozen and then your dentist would be thanking you and your wallet would be crying.

Caramel Crunch Bars

adapted from Kraft
Yield: 24

INGREDIENTS
9 Graham cracker sheets
2 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk any fat content will do, I used one can fat free
1/2 C unsalted butter again, you can use light sticks of butter
1/2 C roasted peanuts I prefer the dry roasted
1 C miniature marshmallows
1 C (3-oz) coarsely crushed pretzels
4 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T melted peanut butter for drizzling optional

DIRECTIONS
Line 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil or grease regular foil generously.
1. Fit 7 1/2 graham cracker sheets along the base of the pan as tightly as possible. Crush up the remaining graham crackers to distribute crumbs between the cracks. This was a particular complaint among the original recipe- people felt the caramel leaked below the crackers and created a sticky mess.
2. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in sweetened condensed milk and turn up heat to medium-high, bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to medium-low to simmer. Stir mixture constantly until it thickens and turns amber in color. Time will vary depending on your stove top but with my gas range it took about 20-25 minutes (a little less if I cooked on medium heat but be careful not to burn and do NOT walk away from the stove).
3. Gently pour and smooth caramel over graham crackers.
4. Press peanuts, marshmallows, pretzels and chocolate over the caramel. To ensure that everything sticks and to give a toasted look to the marshmallows, I will turn on the broiler and put the pan in the oven for 2 min.
5. Drizzle peanut butter over top if desired.

Nutrition: 245 cal, 9g fat, 120mg sod, 38g carb, 32g sugar, 1g fiber, 5g protein

dark treats for dark winter days

In the dead of winter after all of the festivities have passed, a little cloud of sadness sometimes appears as you hope for spring to arrive. This cloud may be a little larger and darker with lake effect snow and blizzard-like winds if you live in the Northeast. Curses on you if you are basking in the glow of Texas sunshine. Or maybe I should say "you are so lucky and beautiful, would you please send me a plane ticket?"

During these long months as the days ever so slowly gain light, we need something to warm our hearts, brains and stomachs. Caramel and chocolate are perfect dead-of-winter flavors and these will most certainly tide you over until the last signs of snow melt away by the end of Mar...{cough}May. I did say that we live in the Northeast.

Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies

from Southern Living Incredible Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS
1 C butter or margarine, softened
1 C sugar
1 C firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 t vanilla extract
2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa I love Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa®
1 t baking soda
1 C chopped pecans, optional
9 oz package of chocolate covered caramels Rolo®s and Caramel Kisses® work well

DIRECTIONS
1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended after each addition.
2. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 30 min.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape one tablespoon dough around each chocolate piece, covering completely, to form balls.
4. If desired, gently press the top of each ball into the chopped pecans. In my world, kids won't touch anything with nuts on it and my lovely grandmother cannot have them so I skipped this step.
5. Place balls, pecan sides up, 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets; cool completely on wire racks.

Nutrition: 114 cal, 5g fat, 37mg sod, 17g carb, 11g sugar, .5g fiber, 2g protein

to the heart of the mallow

I have been away again but this time it was in the name of family, fun and beer. Yeah, sorry about that but we like to drag birthdays out around here. I was finally celebrating Torren's 2-6 by taking him to the Empire BrewFest in Syracuse.  I'll spare you the beer-sniffing details and hoppy diatribes but it was a lot of fun and the five-hour festival went by too fast.  I grew up in the 'burbs out there and most of my family remains in the area so we had some major fam time with Grandmama Sue, Aunts Mar and Potty, my brother Noonie and cousins Anniepants and little Lillie Bean.  The latter of which firmly introduced us to the latest toy trends: Zhu-Zhu Pets and Silly Bandz. The Bandz are huge here in Mass as well but I was hoping they would die out before the school year commenced.  Doesn't look like their intrigue is waning.

We capped off the weekend with a trip to Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown.  Who knew that "beautiful" and "brewery" went together?  It helps when there are acres of open farmland and an amazing architectural homage to Belgian brewing farmhouses. So glad we made the trek. Torren's love for beer rivals mine for baking and we each have been warming up to the other's obsession for a while. I stock our kitchen with crazy must-have appliances and baking pans while forcing him to taste-test my goods as and he fills the corners with a corny keg fridge, car-boys and home brew supplies while having me cap bottles for us to distribute the love.

Not really an excuse but I just haven't been baking up a storm or idling in front of the laptop because both are radiating some major heat and this heatwave isn't going anywhere.  We're ending this marshmallow-on-parade with a high note. I have made these several times with varying ingredients and you cannot go wrong.  Despite the cupcake shape, these are definitely brownies, if perhaps a bit on the thick, cakey side of the brownie spectrum.  I have used other brownie recipes to make these if I wanted to "lighten up" a little bit.  There was not an obvious difference so feel free to play.  My usual go-to are thick and fudgy with no visible crumb. These have a slight crumb but are very rich nonetheless and very s'more-sational.

Heart of Darkness Brownies

adapted from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey
Yield: 24
This is another recipe that can benefit from creativity.  Switch up the nuts: peanuts, macadamia, walnuts.  Change up the candy bars: peanut butter cups, toffee bars, Kit-Kats.  Change out the chocolate chips: white chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter.  Whatever you come up with can be easily substituted.  In this case, I left the caramel off and added peanuts  instead of almonds to continue the s'mores run and avoid a sticky mess on a hot day.

INGREDIENTS
brownie cups
1 1/2 C (3 sticks) unsalted butter (yes, I have used half light butter here in the past without much of a difference so that is up to you)
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 C granulated sugar
1 C firmly packed light brown sugar
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1 C very coarsely chopped raw almonds or pecans, toasted
1 C semisweet/bittersweet chocolate chips
5 full-size (2.07 ounces each) Snickers Candy Bars, cut into small chunks
3 C mini marshmallows

caramel drizzle
6 oz (about 25) unwrapped caramel candies
2 T heavy cream
1 t pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Spray two standard 12-cup muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray, or line them with cupcake liners (way less mess).

brownie cups
1. Melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate together in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir until smooth.
2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl and stir in the sugars, eggs and vanilla.
3. Sift the flour and salt into the chocolate mixture and stir just until combined.
4. Stir in the cooled chopped nuts, chocolate chips, and chunks of candy bar.
5. Fill each cupcake cup halfway with batter. Bake until the surface of the brownies has a glossy, crackled surface, about 20 minutes.
6. Remove the brownies from the oven and top each one with 1/4 cup of the mini marshmallows. Return the brownies to the oven and cook until the marshmallows start the melt and puff up a bit, but not browned too much, about 2 minutes.
7. Transfer to a wire rack to cool just enough to handle, then remove from the cupcake cups, running a knife around the edge of each brownie to loosen it from the cup (this is why the liners are a good idea, trust me.  You can always take them off if you are concerned about aesthetics). Let cool completely on the wire rack.

caramel drizzle
1. While the brownies are cooling, make the caramel drizzle. Combine the caramels, cream, vanilla, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl (or melt in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan). Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If the caramels are not completely melted, continue heating in 30-second increments, stirring until smooth.
2. Drizzle the brownies with melted caramel and let cool completely for the caramel to harden. Do not chill. Serve immediately or store for up to 3 days in a covered container

Nutrition: 456cal, 25g fat, 123mg sod, 56g carb, 44g sugar, 2g fiber, 6g protein

last call for deep, dark chocolate

We are not quite in the season where it is too warm to stomach rich desserts and all you want to do is grab that blue freeze pop from a nearby child's hand and suck it down for yourself.  There is still room for dense shortbread, caramel, chocolate and playing nice with toddlers.  When my Aunt Potty (please don't question the nicknames in this family) put in a request for "something chocolate" way back at Easter I knew I needed something that would satisfy after the already filling dinner but not loom overwhelmingly large like a cake.  I was tired of cute and had already distributed my Cottontails anyway.  I went to my unassuming and refined baking pan: the tart.

Chocolate Caramel Tart

from Saveur
Yield: 8-12 servings (depending on your appetite, this thing is rich!)

INGREDIENTS
crust
1 1⁄2 C all-purpose flour
1⁄4 C plus 1 T dutch-process unsweetened
cocoa powder (if you don't live near the beloved Wegmans, Whole Foods or a cute little one-off market like we have, I would suggest Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa)
1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
10 T unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1⁄2 C plus 2 T confectioners' sugar
2 egg yolks, preferably at room temperature
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

caramel
1 1⁄2 C sugar
3 T light corn syrup
1⁄4 tsp kosher salt
6 T water
6 T unsalted butter
6 T heavy cream
1 T crème fraîche (oh my lord, same as the cocoa, just use sour cream, it will be FINE)

ganache
1⁄2 C heavy cream
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Gray sea salt for garnish (or in my case, chocolate-covered strawberries, the kids I know aren't really into grey sea salt, wonder why?)

DIRECTIONS
crust 
Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
1. Combine flour, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until mixture is pale and fluffy; mix in yolks and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients.
3. Transfer dough to a 9" fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and press dough evenly into bottom and sides of pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Prick the tart shell all over with a fork and bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.

caramel
1. In a 1-qt. saucepan, whisk together sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 6 T water and bring to a boil.
2. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and start to turn color. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber color, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly.
3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and while wearing oven mitts CAREFULLY whisk in butter, cream, and crème fraîche (the mixture will bubble up) until smooth.  Remove pan from heat a Pour caramel into cooled tart shell and let cool slightly; refrigerate until firm, 4–5 hours.

ganache
1. Bring cream to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat.
2. Put chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in hot cream; let sit for 1 minute, then stir slowly with a rubber spatula until smooth.
3. Pour ganache evenly over tart and refrigerate until set, 4–5 hours. Sprinkle tart with sea salt (or dip those delish strawberries in some extra ganache!), slice, and serve chilled.

SERVES 8-12

Nutrition (based on 1/12 of tart): 426cal, 26g fat, 136mg sod, 51g carb, 35g sugar, 1g fiber, 3g protein

getting harder...moving from stout to whiskey

I hope you were able to enjoy a glorious gluttony of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes smothered in a horseradish sauce as we did thanks to Mommy Dearest's culinary prowess and love of the Irish.  Seriously, the table was even decorated like a scene out of Better Homes and Gardens with a fancy tablecloth, candles, favors and little cordials filled with Bailey's (thank you, Father figure).  I told you, there is no slackage on this holiday.

Although we were stuffed after the feast, some were able to indulge in the dessert I brought along as a very small "thank you" to the beautiful evening.  Believe it or not, it is rare that I eat what I make because I have a bit of a tasting-while-making issue and am virtually sick of the confection by the time it comes out of the oven.  In the end, I am a batter lover through and through.  I can't pass up ice cream though (I could be sitting in an igloo in my underwear and still yearn for a scoop of the stuff) so I just grabbed some of that caramel and plopped a bit on top of the vanilla bean ice cream.

Now, before we get to the food, I must wax poetic for a minute.  I slightly adapted the recipe from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks: Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor.  The recipes in this book are purely indulgent and amazingly creative.  Equally as wonderful is the book design.  It's covered in cute borders and polka dots- a perfect complement to the extreme sugar factor of its contents.  I am wholly endorsing buying this book just because it is so fun to look at.  Even better, O'Connor offers great advice on techniques, ingredients and the why's and how's.  It definitely brings out my inner baking nerd.

Sugar-Crusted Brownie Sundaes with Whiskey-Walnut Caramel Sauce

slightly altered from Sticky, Chewy, Messy Gooey by Jill O'Connor
Yield: 22 sundaes

INGREDIENTS
sugar-crusted brownie
3 sticks unsalted butter
2 C sugar plus extra for muffin tins
12 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 large eggs
2 T pure vanilla extract
1/2 C Irish whiskey (optional)
1 C unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

whiskey-walnut caramel sauce
2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C Irish whiskey (this can be altered, Irish for St. Pat's)
1 tsp lemon juice
2 C cream (light or heavy)
1/2 tsp salt
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 C walnuts (pecans would be a good sub, too)

vanilla or dulce de leche ice cream for the side

DIRECTIONS
brownies
1. Brush all but two of the cups of two standard 12-cup muffin tins with melted butter. Spoon about 1 TBSP of sugar into greased cups and shake and tap around to cover the bottom and the sides of the cups completely with a thick coat of sugar. Tap out any excess sugar.
2. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F.
3. Combine the butter and chocolates in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes or heat over stove top and stir until completely melted.
4. Remove from the microwave and stir until completely melted. If the chocolate is not completely melted, continue to microwave for 30 second intervals and stir smooth.
5. In a large bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, 2 cups sugar, and vanilla just until combined. Stir in the chocolate mixture just until combined.
6. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt over the chocolate mixture and fold in just until combined.
7. Spoon about ¼ cup of the batter into each of the prepared cups. (If you run out of batter before you fill all the cups, make sure to wipe out the butter and sugar of any empty cups before baking the brownies, as otherwise they will melt and burn and, in general, make a huge mess.)
8. Bake until the tops of the brownies are firm and a toothpick inserted in the center of a brownie cup comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, 20-25 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
9. When pans are cool enough to handle, run a thing, sharp knife around the edge of the one brownie, then carefully tip it out and catch in your hand. Place the brownie on the wire rack to finish cooling. Continue releasing the brownies, on at a time, form the pans.
Serve slightly warm with ice cream and Whiskey-Walnut Caramel Sauce.

whiskey-walnut caramel sauce
1.  Combine the sugar, whiskey, and lemon juice in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and start to turn color. Increase the heat to high and boil until the syrup turns a deep amber color, 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully, as it can burn quickly.
3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and CAREFULLY pour in the cream and salt.  As mentioned before, the mixture bubbles up and you should wear oven mitts and use a long wooden spoon.  Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the caramel thickens, 5 to 7 minutes. The mixture should be the consistency of very thick cream. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and walnuts.
4. Let boiling sauce cool until it is just warm before serving. To store, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. To reheat the sauce, microwave, uncovered, for about 1 minute on high. Stir until smooth.

assembly
1. Place the brownies on individual servings plates and top with ice cream.
2. Drizzle 1/4 C of warm caramel sauce over the top.
3. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar.

Nutrition with caramel: 513 cal, 32g fat, 81mg sod, 54g carb, 42g sugar, 3g fiber, 5g protein
without caramel: 341 cal, 24g fat, 63mg sod, 33g carb, 25g sugar, 2g fiber, 4g protein 

gimme samoa.

March is not only the month bearing the luck and heavy hangover of St. Patrick's Day, it is the time of year that Girl Scout cookie orders arrive!  That should be a holiday in itself.  I am surprised there isn't a National Girl Scout Day but they should aim for March to boost those cookie sales (like they need to, those things are cookie crack).
Debate: the best Girl Scout cookie.  I have a really difficult time with this but ultimately side with the Samoa (Peanut Butter Sandwich and Tagalong tie for second).  It has the mandatory butter cookie base, a thick caramel congeal, coconut and chocolate.  They are perfect in their half crunchy, half chewy loveliness.  As the boxes have gotten smaller, I am closer and closer to being able to polish off a row or three in a day.  It is probably for the best that we did not order any this year and succumb to the cutie cookie pushers.
Always searching for nutritional info, I discovered that not only are the Girl Scout yummies baked by two companies, they have varying nutritionals, varying names (Samoa = Caramel deLite = LAME, Tagalongs = Peanut Butter Patties) and even varying varieties of cookies (I almost panicked after not seeing info for the above Peanut Butter Sandwiches and realized the other company made them).  Children need consistency, Girl Scouts!  My OCD tendencies need consistency, Girl Scouts!  Come on, let's make up our minds here.  Actually, let's just agree that whatever they made in the 1970s was the best cookie lineup.  After my embarrassingly short stint in Brownies (I failed to bridge to GS) where my mother went from cookie assistant to "Mommy Dearest, head cookie mom and door-to-door driver of half of the troop," the cookies seemed to go all wonky in the flavor department.  Remember those strawberry jam things?  They were OK, I suppose, but my grandma can do way better.  Not a fan of the square animal cookies with the chocolate back.  Then there was a lame version of the lemon cremes, which may still be around.
Getting to the point, replicating these de-lites, har, har, has been done and it is both fun and a bit aggravating if they are not perfect looking.  I have loved cupcakes long before the trend (really, who hasn't?) and wanted to shake things up by making a Samoa one.  Fortunately, the recipe was out there when I searched to see if I would have to experiment.   This recipe takes a little time but is so worth it.  I have made them a couple times, in fact, and the leftovers can be used for new concoctions!  So while you are reading this, think and tell me, what is your preferred Girl Scout cookie?

Samoas® Cupcakes

adapted from Chockylit (via the Chronicle) and Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans
Yield: 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
cupcakes
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg + 1 large yolk (I use 1 1/2 servings liquid egg product)
1 C brown sugar, packed
1/2 C (1 stick) butter, room temp.
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C light sour cream

toasted coconut topping
* Note: this is half of the recipe, if you want the huge mounds of coconut as seen on Chokylit's blog, just double it.
1 egg (1/4 C liquid egg)
5 oz evaporated milk
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C shredded, sweet coconut

caramel 
*I use this caramel recipe any time I need a caramel topping or filling.  It is the best I have found so far.  Heavy cream is a must ( I have tried to sub) sorry for you dieters out there but I guess you wouldn't be making this anyway!
1/4 C water
1 C sugar
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 C heavy cream
1 T butter

chocolate ganache
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (60% cacao)
1 C heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease cupcake pan or insert paper liners.
cupcakes

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg and yolk and sugar until thickened and lightened to a cream color, about 2 minutes.  

3. On low speed, mix in butter and vanilla until blended.  

4. Mix in sour cream until no white streaks remain.  

5. Mix in the flour mixture until it is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

6. Fill liners with about 1/4 C batter, or three-fourths full.

7. Bake for 20-23 minutes, until the tops feel firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

toasted coconut topping 
1. Spread the coconut onto a sheet pan. Toast in a 350 degree oven, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.
2. Crack the egg into a small saucepan and beat lightly to break up.
3. Add milk, sugar, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick, bubbly, and golden, about 15 minutes.
4. Press mixture through a metal sieve and into a bowl to remove any lumps.
5. Add 2 cups of the coconut, reserving the remainder for assembly, stir to combine.
6. Let the mixture cool.

caramel
1. Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the sugar is incorporated.
3. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
5. Do not stir from this point on, but it is important to carefully shake the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.
6. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
7. CAREFULLY pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Wear oven mitts, stand away from the pan, and be careful. The mixture will bubble up significantly.
8. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter and stir until combined.
9. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.
Note: You will have leftover caramel, it stores well refrigerated in an airtight container for about a month.

chocolate ganache
1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and stir until combined.
5. Let cool to room temperature.

assemble
1. Using a small paring knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone. (I have taken the liberty of pushing down the inside of the cupcake before after this step to add more caramel than directed in Step 2)
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon of caramel.
3. Replace the top of the cone.
4. Smooth on a light coating of chocolate ganache.
5. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to harden the ganache.
6. With your hands, press out a disk of the coconut topping and place on top of the cupcake. Press to shape the mixture into a dome.
7. Press in some more plain toasted coconut on top of that.
8. Drizzle the top with lines of ganache. Note that you may have to warm the ganache over a water bath to get it to drizzling consistency.


If you have any question on methods and techniques, the Cupcake Bakeshop Blog is amazing and several of the steps are illustrated with beautiful photography.
These may be better than eating a row of Samoas.

Last note: These things are pretty hefty in the nutrition info.  I have taken the time in the past to calculate it all out and it wasn't pretty.  When I have more time I may do it again but let's just say that if you're worried, cut the thing in half or make minis!  Seriously though, if you've made it this far, I think you can dare to eat one and then go hightail it on the elliptical.