I recently came across a picture of some delicious looking Valentine S’mores. Apparently they were sold at Williams-Sonoma a couple of years ago, so I sadly was a little late in this discovery. Being a s’mores lover, it was definitely a treat I had to try making.
I combined a couple of my favorite s’mores recipes to come up with a similar treat. I used my favorite homemade graham cracker recipe with x & o cookie cutters, dipped those in chocolate, and then used the frosting from the s’mores cupcakes as the filling. These little Valentine treats are so yummy. And so messy! They didn’t turn out quite as picture perfect as I had planned them in my head – but they definitely were as delicious as I thought they would be. (And no, that’s not salt on the chocolate – although that would be an excellent idea if you wanted to sprinkle a little sea salt on them, I took these pictures on my porch while it was snowing and they got snow covered!)
Valentine S’mores
For the graham crackers:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for working
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup un-toasted wheat germ
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
Preheat oven to 350º. Whisk flours, wheat germ, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl; set aside.
Put butter, brown sugar, and honey into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add the flour mixture, and mix until combined. (If it’s too dry and not sticking together, add water, a little at a time, until the dough can stick together – but don’t get it too wet).
Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface. Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Save your scraps to re-roll. Transfer cutouts to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper {the crackers do not expand much, they can be close together, but not touching}.
Bake, rotating halfway through, until dark golden brown, 8-12 minutes. Let cool on sheet 5 minutes; transfer crackers to wire racks to cool completely.
Repeat with your scraps.
For the chocolate:
1 cup chocolate chips* (milk, semi or dark – your choice)
1 tsp. vegetable oil*
In a microwavable bowl, stir together the chocolate chips and vegetable oil. Microwave on medium high, stirring every 30 seconds, until the chips are almost melted, you should still be able to see some small lumps. Stir until completely smooth. (Do not over-heat or the mixture will become thick and dry). If the mixture seems a little thick, add a bit more vegetable oil to thin out. Place a graham cracker in chocolate, making sure to coat both sides. Remove with 2 forks, letting excess chocolate drip off. Place on wax paper to set.
* You may need to double or triple this, depending on how big your crackers are.
For the filling:
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a bowl set over a pan of a few inches of simmering water. (Note: Use your clean, dry mixing bowl to avoid dirtying two bowls.) Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in the vanilla until combined.
To assemble: Place one chocolate dipped graham cracker upside down. Use a piping bag to pipe filling on the cracker. Top with another chocolate dipped graham cracker.
Keep refrigerated or frozen, filling will ooze out a little.
xo. Manda
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