Graham Cookie S'mores - forget camping!

(Graham cracker cookies with chunks of chocolate, sandwiched with chocolate marshmallows - recipe in post)

After making Marshmallows last week (see: Marshmallow Ghosts), I discovered something I hadn't quite anticipated: just how much The Boyfriend loves them. Actually, I think he learned this as well, having never had homemade marshmallows before.
After two days the entire batch had vanished, and like a puppy he was asking for more. How did I make them, he asked, was it hard? Did I have enough ingredients to do it again?

Since he had liked them so much, they became a topic of conversation with friends over the weekend. And, as I'm sure you're aware, it's hard to talk for very long about marshmallows without the subject of S'mores coming up. S'mores, and of course, graham crackers. I don't remember who's idea it was, but the discussion culminated with the conclusion that graham cracker cookies should be made, and sandwiched with chocolate marshmallows - and since I don't remember who thought of it, I'll go ahead and take all of the credit.*

There were a few different ways to go about this, I realized - using graham crackers in a regular cookie recipe, or using graham cracker dough to make cookies. I went with the latter option, and the results verged on perfection.

Graham Crackers/Graham Cookies
(Cracker recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks, Nancy Silverston)
(Notes in parenthesis on how to make these vegan)

2.5 Cups, plus 2 TBSP, whole wheat pastry flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
3/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
7 TBSP unsalted butter, cubed and frozen (can be replaced with 3 oz. coconut oil)
1/3 cup honey (or agave or maple syrup)
5 TBSP whole milk (or milk substitute)
2 TBSP vanilla extract

(For the cookies): 1 cup chocolate, chopped or in chip form

for sprinkling over the top:
3 TBSP sugar
1-2 tsp. Cinnamon


Method:
In your food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon with a few pulses. Drop the cubes of chilled butter in, and pulse again until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, or sand.
In a small bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients, then add them to the dry and continue to pulse just until the dough comes together.
Pour/scoop the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap - if the dough is crumble and not holding together on its own, press it into a ball with your hands. Lay another layer of plastic wrap on top, and flatten the dough out to about a 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

To make graham crackers:
Tear off half of the dough to work with, and keep the rest in the fridge. On a floured surface, and using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/8th of an inch thick. Cut the dough (I found a pizza cutter very helpful, here) into squares or rectangles, as you like. For a more classic look, make 8x4 inch rectangles and mark lines down the center, lengthwise and across.
Using a fork or toothpick, poke a couple rows of holes down the center of each cracker - this will keep the crackers from rising too much in the oven.
Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon-sugar, and lay the crackers on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 1/2-3/4 inch space between them. Refrigerate again for at least 1 hour. Again, it's important the dough be chilled.
Preheat oven to 350f., with the rack in the middle or upper position.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating halfway through to ensure even browning. They'll puff up during the baking, then fall again. They're done when the edges start to turn dark (but not burn). Let them cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Repeat process with the rest of the dough, and any scraps.


(For classic S'mores, just make the crackers and save the chocolate for sandwiching!)

To make graham cookies:
Preheat oven to 350f.
Knead chocolate into the dough, then roll into 1-2 TBSP sized balls. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Leave lots of space between the cookies - I suggest no more than 4 or 5 per sheet.
Bake on the middle rack for 12-15 minutes. The cookies should still be soft in the middle, but darkening slightly around the edges. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a metal rack.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.



Once I'd finished the cookies, I moved on to making the chocolate marshmallows.
I used the same basic recipe given in my Marshmallow post, but added 1.5 TBSP cocoa powder and 1oz melted chocolate. If I make these again (who am I kidding... when I make this again) I intend to double, if not tripple, the amount of chocolate.

I poured most of the fluff into a thoroughly dusted pan, to make regular square marshmallows, and the rest I piped directly onto half of the cookies. I then topped these each with another cookie, and found myself with the obvious dilemma of how to toast the marshmallow - can you really call it a S'more if the marshmallow isn't toasted? Using a lighter, I went around the edges of each cookie, which worked fine but wasn't much surface area to work with. In the future, I would simple roast marshmallows on the stove and sandwich them between the cookies the old fashioned way.



Although they don't taste exactly like a classic S'more (something about the way the chocolate melts to combine with the hot marshmallow...) these were seriously delicious in their own right. I especially liked microwaving them for 6-8 seconds so the cookie was soft and the marshmallow ooey-gooey - again, this wouldn't be necessary with the marshmallows freshly toasted.
The cookies have some crunch, but are definitely cookies and not crackers. In fact, they're downright tender if you warm them slightly. They would be fantastic on their own, or with a spread of peanut butter or Nutella, and are not overly sweet, which I like.



Ahh, sometimes I amaze myself with my own awesomeness.



*Special thanks to: Jeff, Eva, Kirk, Jenny, and of course The Boyfriend.