Tag: marshmallow

Nutella S’mores Bars

The minute I took these bars out of the oven a combination of warm graham and vanilla filled the room and drove me crazy. Up till now I’ve never once made anything with the s’mores theme. I’m not sure why, except that I never really especially liked the original all that much to begin with. The marshmallow is too bulky, the chocolate is mediocre, and the graham crackers are usually stale or soggy. One look at these cooling on the counter and I’m pretty sure I’ve fixed all that. Just enough marshmallow oozes out from the folds of the nubbly crust, and although I can’t see it, I know there’s a thick layer of Nutella underneath. And Nutella never disappoints.

I took my first bite somewhere in the middle of the photo session and all I can say is, even if you don’t have any arguments with the originals, I know you’ll love these. There’s a chewy, almost butterscotch quality to the crust and crumb topping. On the inside the marshmallow and Nutella are gooey and taste just like what you’d hope for. The flavors of graham and vanilla linger in your mouth even after you’ve finished the last bite. That’s probably because the crust sticks to your teeth a little bit…in the very best way. Don’t let August pass you by without making a batch of these.

What You Will Need

9 full sized graham crackers (1 sleeve, about 5 oz)
1 cup + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks (1/2 lb) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste (or extract)
1 cup Nutella
1/2 of a 7 oz jar of marshmallow fluff

Instructions

Set the oven to 350F
Grind the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Process until the mixture is very finely pulverized, with no lumps.
Mix the cracker meal with the flour and salt and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla bean paste and blend well.
Add in the flour and mix until just combined.
Press 2/3 of the dough into a lightly greased or parchment lined 8×8 square baking pan. Using your fingers, spread the dough evenly across the pan.
Spread the Nutella over the dough.
Using a small spoon, dollop the marshmallow fluff evenly across the Nutella. You don’t need to spread it out, but try to get small dollops evenly distributed across the entire surface.
Crumble the remaining 1/3 of the dough over the top. Use your fingertips to break it apart into small pieces and scatter it evenly across the surface. Some of the marshmallow will peek through.
Bake for about 35 minutes until lightly golden and puffed up a bit. You can check it with a toothpick, there should be no wet dough sticking to it.
Let cool before cutting if you want neat squares, but these are pretty amazing while they are still warm.

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http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/08/nutella-smores-bars.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

Chocolate Marshmallows (Instant Hot Cocoa!)

These chocolate marshmallows are the coolest things. Float them in a big mug of steaming milk and they make instant thick rich hot cocoa as they melt. Set them out on a dessert tray, package them up in cellophane bags as gifts, or eat them just like candy.

This year I’ve got the candy making bug, and marshmallows are some of the easiest to do. They were originally made by whipping up the sap from the marshmallow plant, and they’re one of the earliest examples of candy making, dating back to the Egyptians. In 1948 somebody came up with a machine that extruded the confection into the cylinder form we know now. I think marshmallows are so much more luscious when you hand cut them from a giant slab of the stuff, like I did.

The basic marshmallow confection is created when you whip a boiled sugar and corn syrup mixture with gelatin. The process is easy but takes over 10 minutes of whipping, so a stand mixer comes in very handy. You can do it with a hand held mixer, but it takes more effort. The second half of the project, which is fun for kids to help with, is the slicing and dicing of the bouncy, plushy marshmallow slab. The cubes get dusted in cocoa/sugar so they don’t stick to each other, and then they’re ready to eat. All I did was add dark cocoa powder to the basic marshmallow formula to came up with this fun variation.

What You Will Need

4 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa for dusting

Instructions

Line a 9×13 baking pan with plastic wrap leaving overhanging ends so you can easily lift out the marshmallows after they’ve firmed up. Brush or spray the wrap with oil so the marshmallows won’t stick.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, put 3/4 cup of water. Sprinkle the gelatin over it and let it sit. .
In a medium saucepan, put the sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Begin heating it, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then stop stirring and let the sugar syrup come up to 238 degrees. It will boil for a while before it gets there. Take off the heat and add the cocoa powder. Mix to combine well.
Then, with the mixer on low, slowly pour the hot syrup into the gelatin. Gradually increase the speed until it is on high. Beat on high for about 12 minutes until the mixture is stiff. Beat in the vanilla.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish, smoothing it out evenly.
Let sit, uncovered, for 3 hours (or overnight)
Mix the remaining cup of confectioner’s sugar with the 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for dusting. Sift to combine well. Turn out the marshmallow block onto a surface covered with the sugar/cocoa mixture. Peel off the paper and dust the whole top surface with the sugar/cocoa as well.
Slice the marshmallows into squares using a sharp, oiled knife or pizza cutter. They will resist a bit, but keep at it. As you cut each strip, turn it to coat the cut ends with sugar/cocoa, and as you cut each individual marshmallow, do the same. All the sides should be well coated and not sticky.
Store in an airtight container.

Notes

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http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/12/chocolate-marshmallows.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

I think the most compelling argument for making these Chocolate Marshmallows is that they make fabulous hot cocoa, and all you have to do is microwave a mug of milk.

Marshmallow Pops- Ingredients:

Marshmallow Pops- Directions: