Dessert Wars Entry- Nutella Smore Cupcakes

Dessert is my favorite part of any meal and no matter when I'm eating I have to end with something sweet. When I heard about the new blog Dessert Wars I was super excited. The first challenge starting in January is to make a dessert with Nutella. I surfed through tons of recipes and then decided I wanted to try and create something original. For this reason, I didn't google Nutella, Smore or Cupcake together. I'm sure someone may have thought of it first but I'm living in my own dessert denial that I was the first to think of it.

The bottom of the cupcake, much like a true campfire smore, is made from graham crackers. Specifically 1 cup of honey graham crackers and 1/4 Cup of melted unsalted butter, combined and then pressed into the bottom of the cupcake liner. I'm sure it would be just as delicious with cinnamon or chocolate graham crackers.
The "cake" part of the cupcake is almost pure Nutella. I wanted the middle to taste like a melted Nutella candy bar. It's a very dense cake. 1 Cup of Nutella mixed with 2 eggs then combine with 3/4 Cup of all purpose flour. Spoon approx 1/4 Cup of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Then comes the fun part. Cut 6 large marshmallows in half. You'll need to toast the cut side until slightly melted so it sticks to the top of the cupcake and then toast the top of the marshmallow to your desired meltiness. I like my marshmallows really burnt. YUM! I used my creme brulee torch for this but you could always use a kabob stick and your stove.

I served these at a Game Night I hosted last night. Really yummy with the Nutella flavor a prominent part of the cupcake.
I had such fun with this project. Deciding what to create and then learning how to put together the ingredients so they baked well together. My biggest hurdle was the photography. I can't decide if I'm the problem or my camera is the problem; we don't have the best relationship but it's a work in progress. LOL
Would you like to enter Dessert Wars or try one of the awesome Nutella recipes?
Here's the link http://www.dessert-wars.com/2011/01/januarys-theme-go-nuts-using-nutella.html
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-Endless Vanilla and Cinnamon Extract

-Unlimited Layers: A Recipe for Turning Your Passion into Profits

-$50 Gift Certificate to Theme Kitchen

-$50 Coupon Redeemable for Organic Valley Products

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