I have never before been tempted to make homemade graham crackers. Too much work when you can just buy them! Now I live in a country with no graham crackers, so okay, it's time I made my own.
And while I'm at it, why not make marshmallow fluff from scratch too? Why not.
I loved the nutty, honey flavored grahams. Nate was less impressed because these come out a lot softer than a regular graham. Of course I could have baked them longer to achieve more crunch but I like things soft.
The marshmallow fluff was so simple and tastes far better than the store bought stuff. It's also much easier to work with because it's less sticky and clingy.
In the end these don't taste like a s'more slow-roasted over an open fire. But they are a fun stay-at-home treat when no burning wood is near.
Campfire Bars
Taken from Sweetened with Honey
Graham Crackers
yields about 25 (depending on the size)
for the crackers:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
-sift together both flours, the salt, and cinnamon into a bowl. Set aside
-in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar, and honey. Beat until fluffy. About 4 minutes
-Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, beating until just combined after each addition. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling, or for up to 2 days. (At this point you could also freeze for up to 2 months, and defrost before rolling and continuing onto the next step)
-Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
-Unwrap the dough and place between two sheets of parchment paper. On a clean work surface, roll out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use any cookie cutter you please and cut out the graham crackers. Place on cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart. I poked mine with a fork to give it the appearance of a graham cracker. Bake until golden brown. About 10-14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. They should snap at a crisp when cooled.
-Gather up dough scraps, re-roll, and cut to make more cookies. You can store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Marshmallow Fluff
yields a-lot =) (I halved the recipe and it was enough for the bars)
for the fluff:
3 egg whites, at room temperature
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
-in the bowl of a stand mixture, fitted with the whisk attachment, add egg whites, corn syrup, and salt.
-with your mixer on high speed, whisk for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and the volume has almost doubled.
-on low speed, add powdered sugar and mix until well blended. Add vanilla extract just until well blended.
Use immediately or refrigerate in a covered container for up to two weeks.
for the assembly:
3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips, for dipping
-on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, place half of the graham crackers bottom side up. Pipe marshmallow fluff on the graham cracker fluff (I just filled a piping bag, or you could use a large ziplock bag) and top with the remaining graham cracker. Place in freezer for about 30 minutes to harden.
-Using a double broiler, or microwave, melt the chocolate chips until just melted. Let cool a little bit.
-with the cookies still in the freezer, take two or three out at a time and dip in chocolate. Immediately place back in freezer. Continue until all bars are dipped. Freeze until chocolate is hard.
-Keep in airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks.
