s'mores!!

you need 3 things to make s'mores - and why not make them all ?  because the process can easily take all day? yeah, well. i did this over 2 afternoons and most of it with the kids.. and it was FUN.  

 

Yesterday I made Marshmallows with the kids - it was way simpler than i thought it would be .. you just have to listen to your candy thermometer and then let the stand mixer do the rest

 

• 3 T of unflavored gelatin (1 box of 4 package Knox = 3T)
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup chilled filtered water
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp real vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup powder sugar
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• non-stick spray

Directions:

1.  Chill whisk attachment and mixer bowl. (just stick it in the fridge, though honestly I'm not sure this was really necessary)

2.  Dissolve 3 T of gelatin into 1/2 cup of chilled water.  (yes, it gets all hard and weird) 

3. In a pan on the stove, combine sugar, 1/2 cup water, and salt. 

4. Heat, stirring occasionally, with a candy thermometer in the solution.  

5. watch the thermometer closely and remove from heat when it reaches 'soft ball'(about 235 degrees)

6. remove the mixer bowl & whisk from the fridge & put the weird hard gelatin-water mixture in the bowl.  

7. turn on the mixer and slowly pour the hot sugar solution into the mixing bowl 

8. mix/whisk at a fairly high speed for 10-15 mins - until it looks like a thick marshmallow cream & has about doubled in size

9. while the mixer is going - mix powdered sugar and corn starch in a small bowl, spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray, and then coat with the sugar/cornstarch mixture.  

10. once the marshmallow cream looks done pour it into the pan (spread evenly), sprinkle remaining cornstarch/sugar mixture on top. 

11. let set up for at least a couple hours - then dump out onto a cutting board and cut up the marshmallows (i used kitchen scissors) coat the cut sides with more powdered sugar (i just threw them back in the 9x13 pan and rolled them around a bit and there was enough to coat them)

Now for the Chocolate chips...

These are amazing, in their own way. in some ways, they don't even taste like chocolate, in another way, they are so rich and yummy.  I got the recipe here. But her pictures and everything are with butter, though it says you can use coconut oil - and I did, the pictures don't do me much good cause the coconut oil melted almost immediately.  anyway.

1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar (i used half coconut sugar, half raw sugar)
1 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract  

combine coconut oil, sugar, and cocoa powder - make up some sort of double boiler - the original recipe used a glass jar, i used a stainless steel mixing bowl - then let everything melt together, stirring occasionally for about 10 mins. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and pour the melty chocolatey mixture into the pan.  Place in the fridge until it hardens, then break up your 'chocolate chips' and enjoy! 

Graham Crackers (Gluten and Dairy free!) 

Alright, last but not least .. I started with this recipe - for the most part, i stuck to it - except, of course, i made it dairy free.  And i really don't like having to go back and read through a really long blog post looking for a recipe when i don't follow the instructions anyway, so here is what i did.  (...and it worked fabulously, by the way - and i think the  blogger that developed this recipe has convinced me that i need a good kitchen scale) 

1/2 cup + 2 tbs sorghum flour

1/3 cup + 1 tbs brown rice flour
1/3 - 1tbs cup tapioca flour
1/3 cup + 2 tbs sweet rice flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons cold (so, solid) coconut oil (i used 2 tbs unrefined and 5 tbs refined - didn't want them to taste too coconuty)
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons water
cinnamon sugar (for sprinkling) 

Combine dry ingredients - cut in coconut oil, like you would butter.  until the flours are crumbly - if its warm and it looks wet - put it in the fridge then try again.  Once you've got a sandy looking flour mixture with no large clumps - add in 3tbs of water and the honey and mix until you can form a ball - put the ball in the fridge for 15 mins and preheat the oven to 325.  After the dough ball is cool again, split it in half (leave half in the fridge) and roll out on a sheet of parchment paper with another piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top (this gluten free thing can be sticky, but this wasn't too bad).  peel off the top paper, cut the crackers/cookies to the size you want (no need to separate, just make a cut) sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and get them in the oven - if at any point they start to melt or get hard to work with, well before they are in the oven, just put them back in the fridge.  bake 15-20 mins, then repeat with the 2nd half of the dough.   

Somehow, i managed to not take a picture of the final product with the homemade chocolate chips, so i guess this will do .. to make the s'mores - you're pretty much going to have to use a toaster oven.  The microwave doesn't really work as the homemade chocolate chips and marshmallows melt really quickly.  These marshmallows are also not suitable for roasting on a stick over an open flame.. at least i don't think they are - i think they would melt off the stick before they really toasted.  The chocolate chips melt quickly in the toaster oven too and the marshmallows go from normal to melted and burnt in, literally, a few seconds, so watch it carefully.