S’mores with Homemade Graham Cookies

Everyone loves s’mores, the iconic campfire treat. The earliest reference to them was in the Girl Scouts handbook, in 1927. Of course, they were gooey and yummy, and all the girls wanted some more.

Nowadays, we don’t need to wait for a campfire to enjoy s’mores, or even a backyard grill. We can build s’mores right in the kitchen using the microwave or toaster oven.

The bigger challenge (for me) more recently has been the quality of the three elements we use for s’mores. With the great luxury of Dandies Vegan Marshmallows (and of course fabulous vegan chocolate), the weak link has been the graham crackers.

Yes, the commercial brands are vegan, but the ingredients are not so tempting. Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers (for example) are made with white flour, soybean oil, and artificial flavor. Even Mi-Del (a brand available at health food stores), made with whole grain flour, contains soybean oil. Not so great.

S’mores have been calling my name all summer, so I though it was time to get in there and make my own graham cookies.

Yes, I’m calling these cookies rather than crackers, because without oil, they’re a bit more chewy than they are strictly crispy.

The dough is fun to make, and incredibly fast (ready in about 5 minutes!) without requiring so much as a mixer. I could hardly believe my eyes – out of the oven in 15 minutes.

And oh my goodness…delicious!

S’MORES WITH HOMEMADE GRAHAM COOKIES

Servings: makes approximately 18 to 20 cookies
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1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon sucanat (or unrefined sugar)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon, plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon, plus 1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon nondairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

vegan dark chocolate pieces, or semi-sweet chocolate chips
vegan marshmallows

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, sucanat, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (water through vanilla) together. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and combine well.

Form a ball of dough with your hands. Place the ball on the prepared cookie sheet. Place a large sheet of wax paper on top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough into an even, very thin sheet of dough, about as thick as pie crust would be.

Carefully remove the wax paper. Using a pizza cutter, cut into graham cracker shaped squares. Bake 12-15 minutes (12 for soft, 15 for crispier). Remove from oven, and transfer to a cooling rack.

Toaster Oven S’mores:

Preheat to 350 degrees. Place up to six graham cookies on baking tray. Top each graham square with chocolate, and one large (or several small) marshmallow(s). Bake until the marshmallows begin to puff up or turn golden brown (around 6 minutes). Remove from oven and top each s’more with a second graham cookie.

Microwave S’mores:

On a microwave-safe plate, place one graham cookie. Top with chocolate, and one large (or several small) marshmallow(s). Microwave for about 10-15 seconds, or until marshmallows puff up. Carefully remove the plate from the microwave, and top with a second graham cookie.

(Inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie)