Giant Marshmallow S'mores

giant marshmallow S'more...
crusty gooey roasted giant marshmallow and soft milk chocolate 
between crispy honey Graham crackers...what's not to love?

Food stuff here in the US are getting bigger and bigger to lure consumers like magpies who are attracted to bright shiny new things. Being a magpie myself, I just couldn't resist getting a bag when I saw it at Walmart two weeks ago. These giant roasters are really really big. I roasted one,skewered in a barbecue stick, on the stove top fire and sandwiched it in one halved piece of Graham cracker together with 6 squares of Hershey's milk chocolate bar. That's a lot of marshmallow and chocolate. I was in sugar heaven but could only eat one at a time...it's filling and satisfying. And delicious!

they're huge


what you'll need for a sugar high moment: 
giant marshmallow, Graham crackers, barbecue stick, Hershey's milk chocolate 
*milk chocolate is best for S'mores because it softens faster 
and tastes better than dark chocolate


roast marshmallow over stove top fire, place on top of Graham cracker 
and chocolate, top with another Graham cracker, press lightly, 
let chocolate soften, then take a big bite

S'more Macarons

sweet and crunchy graham cookies filled with spicy chipotle ganache

While browsing for recipes that have shishito peppers, I found one that uses the red mildly hot ones in a ganache filling for S'more Macarons. I adapted the recipe adding ground chipotle for extra zing. The cookies are crunchy, sweet and delightfully spicy.

unlike the regular green fruits these mildly hot but sweet shishito peppers emerge from the same plant early on with a red tint and becomes bright red when fully ripe, the fruits are shorter at 1 inch

S'more Macaronsmakes about 25 cookie sandwiches
macarons
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup confectioner's sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt

ganache
6 tablespoons heavy cream
2 finely chopped red shishito peppers, optional
½ - ¾ teaspoon ground chipotle, more or less to taste
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
¾ cup milk chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

• Make the macarons: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with cinnamon and stir to combine. Place ground graham crackers on a cookie sheet and bake, stirring once, until toasted and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool, then put graham cracker mixture into food processor with confectioner's sugar. Grind to a fine powder, set aside.
• Finely grind brown sugar in a blender, set aside.
• In a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Slowly add brown sugar, and continue mixing to a glossy medium soft peaks.
• Gently fold graham cracker mixture into meringue in two or three additions. Once combined, continue to fold until batter has deflated to a glossy, homogeneous mixture with soft peaks.
• Transfer batter into a disposable pastry bag, snip off the tip. On a parchment lined baking sheet/s, pipe even-sized rounds about 1 to 1½ inches in diameter and ¼ inch high, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart. When baking sheet is filled, firmly bang cookie sheet on a flat surface twice. If any peaks are still sticking up, pat peak gently with a lightly moistened fingertip. Allow to sit for 60 - 90 minutes for the cookies to settle slightly. Bake cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 10 - 14 minutes until cookies are firm on top and just starting to brown on the edges. Cool on cookie sheets.

• Make the ganache: Place chopped chocolates in a glass bowl. In a small saucepan heat cream and spices to scalding and pour over chopped chocolate. [If using shishito, use 7 tablespoons of cream, heat cream, peppers, and spices to scalding then let steep for 30 minutes, reheat to scalding then strain cream before adding to chocolate.] Let sit for 3 minutes. Using a spatula, mix until cream and chocolate are combined. Leave on the kitchen counter for 1 hour or until firm with a frosting-like consistency.

• Assemble the cookies: Pairing cookies of similar size, create 2 rows of tops and bottoms. Pipe about 1 teaspoon of ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie and place its partner on top. Refrigerate a few minutes before serving. Cookies can be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.