This past weekend we went to the mountains and I promised the kids that we could have smores! They could not wait to try the gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate sandwich! I certainly cannot deny them this right of childhood to enjoy a smore roasted over a fire in the mountains.
But!! I also did not want feed them known inflammatory ingredients in the traditionally prepared smores. Let’s just look at the nasty in marshmallows alone. No thank you! Three different kinds of sugar, two kinds of corn, artificial flavor, and food dye. Yup, no, I will pass! The Graham crackers have gluten, soy, and canola oil, again... I will pass.
So… what is the solution to this “problem”? Make your own! It is SUPER easy and saves little bodies and brains from the harm of the above products!
Step number one was to batch cook some cookies to stand in place of the Graham crackers. I chose almond flour and chocolate chip! This one I could do ahead of time and store in the freezer!
Step number two was to prepare the marshmallows. This step needed to be done less than 3 days in advance of our trip date. They need one night to dry out. But you don’t want them sitting too long.
Step number three was to source high-quality organic dark chocolate. We usually use HU or Alter Eco bought from Thrive Market. But, that did not work out this time, so I purchased Trader Joe’s Organic 73% Dark Chocolate.
After a morning spent hiking up and down the mountain, and a yummy dinner packed from home, a treat was in order!
Marshmallows
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water 1/4 cup Great Lakes Gelatin 3/4 cup honey 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt
Put it all together:
Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the gelatin. Whisk a bit to incorporate and set aside to let bloom.
Pour the other 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup honey, into a small saucepan and whisk to combine.
Slowly bring the water and honey to a boil while stirring. Use a kitchen thermometer to reach a temperature of 240F. If you don’t have a thermometer, allow the liquid to boil for 8 minutes, stirring constantly.
Turn on the mixer with the water/gelatin mixture to medium speed and whisk, slowly while pouring the honey/water mixture into the bowl.
When honey is added, turn the mixer to high and whisk for another 10-15 minutes or until it forms stiff marshmallow cream consistency.
Add the vanilla during the last 2 minutes of mixing.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust arrowroot powder (optional). Spread the marshmallow cream out over the parchment.
Let the marshmallow dry overnight at room temperature. Cut with a well-oiled knife the next morning. Store at room temp in a scaled container!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here you can choose your own adventure! Find your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe! There are tons (most are duplicates) on the web! I honestly don’t remember the version I chose for the scores, but I know it had the following ingredients:
almond flour, eggs, maple syrup, Enjoy Life chocolate chips, coconut oil
I just don’t remember the ratios. You can’t go wrong with a search query of “paleo chocolate chip cookies”
Chocolate
When it comes to chocolate... You want to be choosy! Avoid low-quality milk, or non-organic chocolate. Chocolate is very high in metals. Choosing organic chocolate is important because cocoa beans are also highly sprayed with pesticides. You definitely do not want the little peanuts, eating Hershey’s Milk Chocolate! Loaded with metals and pesticide residue.
Look for 70% + dark chocolate and brands like: HU Alter Eco Pure 7
The strategy!
ONE: Place one cookie on a plate with one dark chocolate square on top of the cookie.
TWO: Roast one marshmallow over a hot fire. It will melt very quickly, so be careful!
THREE: Place the hot marshmallow on top of the chocolate and top it with a second cookie.
FOUR: Gobble it up!
Now, don’t be afraid to let your kiddos indulge in this traditional treat. Just make sure you are not giving them inflammatory ingredients that irritate their systems.
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