Homemade S’mores

Last year, I attended a chocolate tasting event where I learned about chocolate production from growing the beans to making bars. The event was hosted by Slow Food Austin, and the presentation was about farmer-owned, organic Kallari chocolate. Because Kallari is a cooperative of owners in Ecuador, they’re able to pay themselves a living wage. They are “committed to community viability and economic growth, through knowledge sharing, the preservation of Kichwa cultural traditions and natural resource conservation.” They make the highest quality chocolate by choosing the heirloom cacao domesticated by their ancestors. “Our unique cocoa varietals permit Kallari to make a world-class chocolate with less than half the sugar, a shorter roasting time, and minimal refining compared to standard chocolate.” It’s been a year and a half since I attended that event, but I remembered how delicious the chocolate was. It has a smooth, fruity flavor and lacks the bitterness common in other high cacao percentage chocolates. So, when Kallari contacted me recently about receiving some samples, I was thrilled to accept. I was also thrilled to learn that they are now planning to make chocolate chips. They just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to begin this new part of their business, and I can’t wait to find the bags of their chocolate chips on store shelves. The chocolate I received was 70%, 75%, and 85% cacao, and those are the types of chocolates they’ll use in the chips. Next, I had the tough job of deciding how to use those lovely chocolate bars. I turned to my copy of Chocolate Obsession by Michael Recchiuti for inspiration which has page after beautiful page of decadent, gourmet chocolate confections. And, what did I pick? I skipped over all those stunning, fancy treats when I saw the Homemade S’mores. 

The graham crackers are made with a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, and I had some graham flour on hand and used that. The dough was rolled and cut into squares, and the squares were dusted with cinnamon sugar to which a pinch of cloves and a little salt were added. I made the marshmallows vegetarian, as I’ve done before, by using xanthan gum rather than gelatin. The first time I tried that, I thought the marshmallows were a little softer than ones made with gelatin. So this time, I added a tiny bit more xanthan gum, and they did set up a little firmer. Another difference I’ve found with marshmallows made with xanthan gum is that they don’t keep quite as well. They seem to get softer each day. You’ll want to use them within a few days whereas marshmallows with gelatin will last well for about a week depending on the humidity. I cut the marshmallows just smaller than the graham cracker squares and broke the chocolate into similar-sized squares. Although they’re just s’mores, they are kind of dressed-up s’mores since they’re assembled in the kitchen. You could stack the chocolate and marshmallow on one cracker, place it under the broiler to toast, and then top with another cracker. But, I pulled out my trusty kitchen torch. I waved the flame over the chocolate to warm it before setting the marshmallow square on it. Then, I toasted the marshmallow and sandwiched it with the second cracker. 

Over the course of a few days, we rigorously tasted (another tough job) all three chocolates in the s’mores. They were all fabulous. We couldn’t pick a favorite. And, I’m not even a huge chocoholic. My preference is usually for a medium-level of cacao percentage in a chocolate, but the Kallari 85% bar is delightfully smooth with hints of vanilla. When their chocolate chips become available, the cookies I make will be on a whole new level. 

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White Hot Chocolate with Vegetarian Marshmallows

Since I made the decision to avoid using gelatin, I had wanted to make homemade marshmallows with a vegetarian alternative. Then, I received a kitchen torch, and the desire to toast homemade marshmallows catapulted this project to the top of the list. I knew there was a vegetarian version of marshmallows made with xanthan gum in Demolition Desserts, but I had read that they don’t set up as firm as marshmallows made with gelatin. I decided to try them anyway. Once I had gelatin-free marshmallows and the ability to toast them, it seemed natural to then float them on top of some rich and delicious hot chocolate. I took a few cues from Ina for the technique and whipped up a white hot chocolate with a little espresso to balance the sweetness and some Kahlua to reinforce the coffee flavor with an alcoholic edge. A sprinkle of cocoa powder before floating the marshmallow added a bit of dark chocolate flavor too.

So, to make vegetarian marshmallows, the process is the same as for making ones with gelatin only instead of dissolving gelatin in a hot sugar syrup, xanthan gum is added after the hot syrup is incorporated into the egg whites. Water, cream of tartar, sugar, corn syrup, and half a vanilla bean were placed in saucepan over high heat and brought to a boil. The heat was reduced to medium, and a candy thermometer was attached to the pan. The syrup was cooked until it reached 248 degrees F, and meanwhile, three egg whites were being mixed in a stand mixer with the whip attachment. The hot syrup was added to the egg whites while mixing, and as soon as all the syrup was added, one and a half teaspoons of xanthan gum was added. You get the same, glossy, sticky meringue. That is then transferred to a cornstarch-sprinkled pan and left to set. I cut some marshmallows into heart shapes, and they did seem softer and a little gooey-er than marshmallows I had made with gelatin in the past. They held their shape well enough for floating on hot chocolate though. For the hot chocolate, I chopped four ounces of white chocolate and heated two cups of milk to a simmer. I poured the hot milk over the white chocolate and whisked until it melted. I poured that mixture through a sieve, just like Ina, into a small, heat-proof pitcher. Then, I added one tablespoon instant espresso, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a splash of Kahlua. After pouring into two mugs, I topped each with a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a toasted marshmallow.

I have to say I was very pleased with the slightly bitter edges of the toasted marshmallow in combination with the sweet, white chocolate. The resulting color of the hot chocolate itself with the added espresso and Kahlua isn’t exactly a beautiful shade of off-white, but the flavor made up for the unremarkable looks.

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S’mores Cookies

Last week, I was planning to bake cookies for some friends, and I wanted to come up with something their kids would really like. I asked Kurt what kind of cookies I should bake. His answer, shockingly, was chocolate chip. You should know that anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances, when asked what type of cookie should be baked, Kurt’s answer will be chocolate chip. And, he backed up that predictable response by informing me that everyone likes chocolate chip and surely that would make the kids happy. Well, he had a point, but I also wanted to offer something a little bit different and fun. I went searching through both paper and digital files and found these s’mores cookies that I bookmarked from a cookie slideshow. I thought they definitely qualified as fun. They’re also really easy to make. The cookie base has whole wheat flour and ground oats that give it a graham cracker vibe, and the toasted marshmallow topping looks as good as it tastes.

The cookie dough was started in a food processor by first pulsing the oats until finely ground. All purpose and whole wheat flours were added with cinnamon, baking soda, and salt, and that was pulsed to combine. In a separate bowl, butter was mixed with brown sugar and an egg, and then the flour mixture was added. The cookies were shaped by the tablespoon on baking sheets and topped with squares of chocolate. I used milk chocolate thinking that kids probably prefer that to darker chocolate. The cookies baked for about thirteen minutes, and then each was topped with a marshmallow cut in half. One baking sheet at a time was placed under the broiler for a minute or so to toast the marshmallows.

The chocolate squares don’t actually melt into the cookies. They keep their shape and are good bases for the half marshmallow toppers. When you cut the marshmallows, placing the halves sticky side down prevents them from falling off the cookies when you move the baking sheet to the oven. With such easy preparation and a classic flavor combination like this, it’s a keeper of a recipe. Of course, I made chocolate chip cookies too which made Kurt very happy, but I thought the s’mores cookies were the better of the two.

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Smore Brownies

These unbelievable brownies come from Demolition Desserts by Elizabeth Falkner. Falkner states that she approaches dessert as an art form. Indeed. By taking familiar tastes and reconfiguring them, she creates unique, ingenious, edible works. The book displays many of her plated desserts from Citizen Cake in San Francisco and a few simpler offerings as well. It includes explanations about the desserts and how they were invented, suggestions for simplifying each one, and of course, beautiful photography. It also offers ingredient amounts by weight as well as by volume. The Smore Brownies are made with homemade marshmallows, homemade graham crackers, and chunks of chocolate mixed into a rich brownie batter. I prepared the marshmallows and graham crackers on Saturday and baked the brownies on Sunday so as to spread out the tasks involved.

I had used her recipe for homemade marshmallows before, and they are too delicious for words. Homemade graham crackers are also so far beyond the manufactured type it’s difficult to explain. So, we found ourselves on Saturday night with these marshmallows, graham crackers, and some really good chocolate. By happy coincidence, we had used our grill on Saturday and there were hot coals just outside our door. What were we to do with this situation? I only wish my nieces could have visited as they are smores connoisseurs, and these were possibly the best ever smooshed together.

For the brownies, I used a 60% Callebaut chocolate which was melted and mixed into the batter and an El Rey milk chocolate that was added as chunks. I made the marshmallows a little thin this time and cut them into triangles. For the graham crackers, I broke them into small pieces to be folded into the mixture. As it bakes, the brownies puff up nicely and form a crackly top. I learned that chilling them before cutting is a good idea. The soft inner texture with the gooey marshmallows makes cutting a little challenging, but once chilled it’s much easier.

As usual, I brought the brownies to work this morning. I think they disappeared in under five minutes. It is a very rich brownie, and it’s completely irresistible.

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