I had hoped to title this post “Redemption Is Mine!” or “Third Time’s a Charm!” Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
See I’m not the kind of person who, after failing at something, just wipes their hands clean of the whole situation and moves on. I HAVE to get it right or it’ll be on my mind day and night.
(My Mom likes to tell the story of how I locked myself in my bedroom when I was 2 and refused to come out until I learned how to tie my shoes. Hmph! I showed those laces! 
)
Since failing miserably at my second attempt at making Gnudi, after a successful first attempt, I was on a mission to end on a high note. Come hell or high water, I was GOING to master those naked, cheesy ravioli again!
Instead of making the same recipe for a third time though, I consulted my Everyday Pasta cook book by Giada De Laurentiis (adore) for a new one to try.
Ricotta Gnudi in Parmesan Broth looked good to me!
The recipe started out similar to the original one – combining ricotta and parmesan cheeses, eggs & spices together before stirring in flour.
I shaped the dough into 3-sided dumplings with two spoons, then dredged them in more flour before dropping them into gently simmering water to cook for 4 minutes. As a final touch, warm, reduced chicken broth was drizzled on top, along with a pinch of parmesan cheese.
Here’s what Giada’s gnudi looked like…
And here’s what mine looked like…
BAHAHAHAHA! Mmmmmyeah. Not the same. At all. They tasted worse than they looked, too! Flavorless, and gummy to boot. DANGITALL!! WHYYYY??
I think, despite everything telling me not to…I give up. I’m waving the proverbial white flag. You win, Gnudi. YOU WIIIIIIN! 
At least I had some delicious fruit salad to soothe myself with.
Fresh raspberries, strawberries & a nectarine took away a bit of the sting…
but what REALLY helped were…TWIX BALLS!!!!
3 ingredients + 3 steps = candy balls that taste exactly like a Twix candy bar!
These babies were supposed to come out tasting like S’mores – you know, everyone’s favorite campfire treat – but after I combined melted chocolate,
marshmallow fluff,
chopped chocolate chips & graham cracker crumbs,
then rolled the dough into balls,
and dunked them in more crushed graham crackers…
There was no denying their uber-rich, Twix-like taste. 
Twix Balls
Yields 14 balls
Ingredients:
6oz milk chocolate chips, divided
1 1/4 cup marshmallow fluff
5 graham cracker sheets, divided
Directions:
1. Melt 4oz chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring after each increment, until fully melted. Stir marshmallow fluff into melted chocolate in two batches. Set aside and let cool for 10 minutes.
2. Roughly chop up remaining chocolate chips, then place three graham cracker sheets in a large, ziploc bag and crush until fine. Stir chopped chocolate chips & graham cracker crumbs into cooled chocolate/marshmallow mixture. You may need to use your hands to fully incorporate graham cracker crumbs. Roll the dough into 14 balls and place the balls on a plate.
3. Crush remaining graham cracker sheets in the ziploc bag then empty the crumbs into a flat tin or dish. Roll each ball around in the crumbs, then place them back onto the plate and into the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to harden.
Seriously – I can’t believe how much these taste like the candy bar! Crayzee!
The graham crackers mimic the taste of caramel and provide the cookie crunch, while the chewy chocolate is just mindblowingly mouthwatering. I figure it’s only appropriate to have two too, to (ha!) keep it as close to the real thing as possible. You understand.
Alrighty! After I clean up my disaster of a kitchen, Ben and I are off on a nice, long walk.
Have a good evening!
What a great easy recipe! I might have to make those this weekend! YUM!
love reading your blog
those twix balls sound delish, but if you were still looking for more of a “s’more” flavor, we always do this really easy treat around the holidays….marshmallow on a stick, dunk in melted chocolate, roll in crushed graham crackers. pretty tasty and super easy.
That is a fantastic idea! I’ll have to remember that…
Oh no! I guess gnudi is simply not meant to be.
The Twix Balls look amazing though!
gah. can’t wait to eat these! off to make them in 3….2…..1….GO!
[...] Twix Balls (from Iowa Girl Eats) makes 14 [...]
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Hi Iowa Girl! I love your blog. I wanted to offer a little advice on your gnudi troubles. Since I am an Italian girl who grew up learning all my Nana’s secrets for great Italian home cooking, I might be able to help. Gnudi can be very difficult to work with in the heat. Because the fluffy consistency of the cheese can be tampered with by the heat and humidity, it is expected that gnudi made in the summertime may not always turn out. I noticed that the first time you made this recipe was in February, when the temperatures are much cooler and there’s a lot less humidity. I live in the South and our summers are brutally hot and humid. I’ve seen many a batch of gnudi fall flat in the warm months. I wouldn’t give up on the recipe. Wait until the weather cools and there is less humidity. I think you’ll have a lot more luck.
Are you saying in the recipe 1 (one) quarter cup of Marshmallow creme or 1 and 1/4 cups?
1 and 1/4 cups.