Most teenage elves in the Lost Cities live relatively normal lives by perfecting their hairstyles, trading Prattle pins, and playing Tackle Bramble. But for elves like Sophie Foster who are members of the Black Swan, a group that separated themselves from the governing elven Council to try to peacefully improve the world for elves, life consists of the stress of trying to stay ahead of the Neverseen, the Black Swan’s enemy that tries to make their own reforms. Being a part of the Black Swan is overwhelming and stressful. Luckily, elves have many delicious treats that can help make them feel better. Mallowmelt, a “gooey cake that taste[s] like fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies soaked in ice cream and covered in. . . butterscotch,” almost always makes people feel better despite the circumstances (Messenger 134). Cinnacreme, which is the cinnamon equivalent of hot chocolate, tastes like “melted snickerdoodles” and is the perfect dose of comfort (Messenger 262). Although the two following ROCKs (Recipes for One-of-a-kind Characters in the Kitchen) do not compare to the deliciousness of the real elven treats, they are the closest attempt that humans can make and are still scrumptious.
Mallowmelt will take about 1 hour (not including cooling time) to make and will provide 12 servings. Collect the following ingredients for this ROCK:
- ½ cup (115g) butter
- 2 cups (330-335g) butterscotch chips* (divided into 1 cup, ½ cup, ½ cup)
- 2/3 cup (135g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups (220g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups (140g) miniature marshmallows* (divided into 2 cups, 1 cup)
- 2 cups (330-335g) semisweet chocolate chips (divided into 1 cup, 1 cup)
- 1 14oz can (400ml) of sweetened & condensed milk
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch metal baking pan.
- Melt 1 cup of butterscotch chips with the butter and let it cool. A few lumps are okay to avoid over-melting the butterscotch.
- Place the brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl and mix until combined.
- Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and mix until combined.
- When the butterscotch mixture has cooled, pour it into the large bowl with the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until just combined.
- Add the flour mixture, and stir until combined.
- Add 2 cups of marshmallows, 1 cup of chocolate chips, and ½ cup of butterscotch chips to the large bowl, and stir until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with remaining marshmallows, chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips. Drizzle sweetened & condensed milk over the top.*
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set. The top will be browned, but the cake will still be gooey. Cool for 2-3 hours before serving. Then enjoy your mallowmelt!
Butterscotch chips: If you are not a fan of butterscotch (because this recipe calls for a large amount), there are a couple of substitutes. You can replace an equal amount of chocolate chips for some or all of the butterscotch chips (for example, substitute ½ cup extra chocolate chips for the ½ cup butterscotch used in Step 7). You can also only include the one cup of butterscotch that is melted in Step 2 and exclude the rest, without substituting chocolate chips. Another option (which I have not tested) is melting one cup of chocolate chips in Step 2 instead of butterscotch.
Mini Marshmallows: If you don’t have mini marshmallows, you can use normal marshmallows. Just cut every marshmallow into 12-16 pieces. They will be sticky, so rolling them in powdered or granulated sugar helps keep them separated and evenly distributed. This does take some time, however. Do not substitute marshmallow cream in this recipe.
Sweetened & Condensed Milk: Do not pour all of the milk onto the cake. Although the recipe says to use the whole 14 oz (400ml), I would eyeball how much you add, and this is best done by drizzling the milk over the cake. You want the top of your cake to be covered but slightly visible. If too much milk is added, the mallowmelt might need a little more time to bake. It may be more gooey than cake-like but will still be edible and taste delicious!
Cinnacreme will take about 20 minutes and make two servings. Collect the following ingredients:
- 1 cup half-and-half (divided ¼ cup, ¾ cup)*
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/8 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup mini marshmallows*
- Whipped cream or extra mini marshmallows (optional for topping)
- Add ¼ cup half-and-half, the white chocolate chips, and the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Set the pan on the stove at low heat. Stir until the chocolate melts.
- Add the remaining ¾ cup half-and-half, the whole milk, salt, and ground cinnamon. Stir until combined.
- Add mini marshmallows. Stir constantly over low heat until melted.
- Pour into mugs and top with extra mini marshmallows or whipped cream. Enjoy!
Half-and-half: Half-and-half is simply half whole milk and half heavy cream. If you don’t have half-and-half, mix ½ cup of whole milk with ½ cup heavy cream for this recipe. If you substitute 1 cup of whole milk instead for the 1 cup of half-and-half, the cinnacreme will basically taste the same but it will not be as thick and creamy.
Mini Marshmallows: See note on mini marshmallows for the mallowmelt. However, here you can substitute an equal amount of marshmallow cream, which takes a little less time to melt than marshmallows and still gives the same creamy taste.
Works Cited:
“Cinnacreme.” Lost Cities Keeper Wiki, lost-cities-keeper.fandom.com/wiki/Cinnacreme.
Messenger, Shannon. “Chapter Fifteen.” Keeper of the Lost Cities, New York, Aladdin, 2010, pp. 134.
Messenger, Shannon. “Chapter Twenty-Eight.” Keeper of the Lost Cities: Lodestar, New York, Aladdin, 2016, pp. 262.
Messenger, Shannon. “Mallowmelt.” Shannon Messenger, Public Advertising Agency, shannonmessenger.com/keeper-of-lost-cities/recipes.html.
Photo Credit: Suja Brane