So, S’Mores. If there is one thing that my non-American friends don’t get (well, besides peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… they don’t really get that either!), it’s s’mores. Yes, we toast (or set on fire) marshmallows, and smoosh the softened marshmallow between graham crackers with part of a Hershey bar. And then try to eat that overload of sweetness without making too much of a mess. Yeah, ok, s’mores are a little odd. Maybe I don’t get them either. 🙂 So I made a new and improved mini-cupcake version for the BBQ Party that I attended last weekend: homemade mini-graham crackers, chocolate mini-cupcakes, from-scratch marshmallow cream and the obligatory piece of a Hershey bar. A “civilized” version of the s’more, if I do say so myself!
Ingredients
for the Graham Crackers
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
for the Chocolate Cupcakes
4 1/2 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
for the frosting and decorating
4 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 Hershey bars, broken into rectangles
You will also need a small round or oblong cookie cutter.
Directions
To make the graham crackers. These can be made up to a week in advance. In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, and honey. Mix on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. In two additions, add the dry ingredients, letting the first fully incorporate before you add the second. Turn the dough out and flatten it into a rectangular shape, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper.
Unwrap the chilled dough, and on a lightly floured surface, roll it out until about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 1 inch round or oblong cookie cutter, cut out cookies and transfer to the baking sheets. Reroll the scraps of dough once, and cut out more cookies (after 2 rounds, the rough starts to get very crumbly and the cookies will be hard). Using a fork, pierce each cookie (this will keep them from rising too much; alternatively, you can use a small cookie cutter to imprint, but not cut all the way through).
Bake the graham crackers, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until they are golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Next, bake your cupcakes. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a mini muffin pan with liners.
In the top part of a double boiler over very hot, but not simmering, water, or in a microwave at medium power, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat or the oven, and let stand, stirring often, until cool.
Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle blade on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. On low speed, beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla.
Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat. Stir about one fourth of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible wisps of whites. Sift half of the flour over the chocolate mixture, and fold in with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour.
Fill the lined mini muffin cups three-quarters full (this is only about 2-3 tablespoons), being careful not to overfill. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 15-18 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Finally, make your marshmallow frosting. Place egg whites, granulated sugar, a pinch of salt and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Whisk mixture for 3 minutes, until whites are warmed and sugar granules feels mostly dissolved. Remove bowl from top of saucepan, then, with an electric mixer, beat egg white mixture on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 4 to 7 minutes longer. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
To assemble: Using a very large round piping tip or the corner snipped off a freezer bag, pipe large dollops of frosting all the chocolate cupcakes. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the dollops so that they look (and smell!) like toasted marshmallows. Garnish with a graham cracker and a rectangle of chocolate. Keep at a cool room temperature for up to a day. After that, you might want to refrigerate them, however they marshmallow topping may not do well in the fridge environment. I suggest just eating the cupcakes quickly.
