The Bombs

I’ll admit it, I’ve been lazy.

Two weeks ago, I was on a roll. I was divulged in finals work, I was writing and baking non-stop and my bedroom was surprisingly clean. I was like the Energizer Bunny on crack. Then I went on vacation. Sweet vacation. I swore while lying on the beach I would write about s’mores. I argued while drinking a strawberry daiquiri that I would finish editing my cheesecake photos. Well, I lied. I did none of that. In fact, I forgot about it all entirely.

When I returned from vacation, during my downtime at work, I didn’t write. Instead I read about Zayn leaving One Direction, or Buzzfeed articles about lasagna. I figured I needed a break and I treated myself to it.

Today is the start of my last quarter as an undergraduate and I couldn’t feel more motivated to write. My personal challenge is to cover all the sweets I’ve been baking up, but I don’t know how realistic that is considering I get distracted easily. But, right now, I’ve got my Enya blasting and I’m ready to write about s’mores.

Most of friends could tell you that I am a s’more addict. No matter the time of the year, I will always eat a s’more. I have mastered the microwave s’more, the broiled s’more, the baked s’more, literally any s’more possibility I’ve tried. My passion for s’mores has extended into many Gilly items being s’more theme, or at least drafted as so.

The following recipe derived from Sarah and Evan’s anniversary order, which you can read about here. When Sarah contacted me about her anniversary, we decided to go with mini s’more tarts. So all week I kept saying oh yeah s’more tarts, blah blah chocolate. I was wrong. I was so delightfully wrong.

These were not s’more tarts. They were bombs. S’more bombs of joy.

I should have realized. I mean, I used a muffin pan! This recipe comes from Love & Olive Oil. While she used a mini-muffin pan, I went straight for the big boys. I started this recipe by making the crust which was a simple graham cracker crust. I pulsed some honey-graham crackers from Trader Joes and mixed with some cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter and pressed into the muffin pan with paper liners. I used a shot glass (classy) to press the crust firmly in the cups. I baked them for 5-6 minutes, or until they started to brown.

Then I made the ganache, or filling. This recipe called for 12oz of milk and 12oz of dark chocolate. I used my faithful Trader Joes “Pound Plus” bars because they are awesome. The recipe also calls for 1 cup of heavy cream. Basically, on a low heat, add the cream and chocolate and stir. I usually let it rest for a few minutes and then take my wooden spoon and just mix until it is one creamy mixture. Once mixed, add the ganache to the cups. I did this by pouring straight from the saucepan, but if that seems too intimidating you can use a piping bag, a ¼ cup measurer or simply a spoon!

After that, place the pan into the refrigerator for at least an hour. During this time, I cleaned my dishes and poured whatever leftover ganache I had into a mason jar to keep as a hot-fudge sauce. I also scraped the bowl for leftover chocolate and had myself a merry ol’ time.

Next was the marshmallow top. I understand that making your own marshmallow can seem intimidating. But it really isn’t! It’s quite fun and when you see your finished product you will feel so accomplished. I highly encourage you try this out, but if you don’t want to, that’s cool!

To make the marshmallow topping you will need the following things, 1. One packet of unflavored gelatin, 2. Cold water, 3. Granulated sugar, 4. Corn syrup, 5. Vanilla, and 6. A candy thermometer.

To begin, placed ¼ cup of water into a glass bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Take the sugar, ¼ cup of water, ¼ cup of corn syrup and place into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Place the remaining corn syrup in your mixture and heat up the glass bowl of gelatin/water in the microwave for 10 seconds, or until it’s melted. Add to the mixer. Drizzle in the sugar from the saucepan and increase the mixer to medium-high and mix for five minutes. After 5 minutes, add the vanilla and beat on the highest speed for another 5 minutes until the mixture is glossy and tripled in volume.

If you do not want to make your own marshmallow topping, take some marshmallow fluff and dollop onto the liners.

Immediately add to a piping bag and pipe in circles over the liners. Allow to set for 30 minutes at room temperature. Toast the marshmallows with a kitchen torch or using your ovens broiler.

Allow the bombs to set for at least 30 more minutes…if you can wait that long.

When I took a bite of these bombs, delight exploded into my mouth. The center is so soft, the topping is sticky and the crust is crunchy. It was the perfect combination. When I let the chocolate harden, the center became like a giant thick candy bar and I was even happier. I ended up heating up some leftovers to get a melty center. Delicious!

Check out the recipe by Love & Olive Oil.

S'Mores Bombs
recipe adapted from Love & Olive Oil
Ingredients:

For Crust:

• 1/2 box (12 cookies) graham crackers, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups crumbs)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For Chocolate Layer:

• 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream

For Marshmallow Topping:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from 1 packet)
• 1/2 cup cold water, divided
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 24-count mini cupcake pans with paper liners.
2. To prepare crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add butter and stir with a fork until mixture resembles wet sand. Firmly press 1/2 tablespoon of crumb mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup (tip: a standard size shot glass is the perfect size for this task, and makes it much less tedious than using your fingers). Bake crusts for 4 to 5 minutes or until set. Let cool.
3. Combine chopped chocolates and cream in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Divide chocolate mixture among cups, filling each one almost to the top. Tap pans gently on the counter to remove air bubbles and level surface. Refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. To prepare marshmallow topping, place 1/4 cup cold water in a small dish. Sprinkle gelatin over and let sit for 5 minutes to soften.
5. Combine sugar, remaining 1/4 cup water, and 1/4 cup corn syrup in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, and boil until mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
6. Place remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer. Microwave gelatin mixture on high for 5 to 10 seconds or until completely melted, then add to bowl with corn syrup. Turn mixer to low speed, and slowly drizzle in hot sugar syrup. When all the syrup has been added, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and mix for 5 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat on the highest speed for another 5 minutes, until marshmallow is opaque, glossy, and tripled in volume.
7. Transfer marshmallow to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe heaping dollops of marshmallow onto each tart. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes to allow the marshmallow to set, then gently toast marshmallow with a kitchen torch, or place under the broiler for a few seconds until golden brown (be careful not to set the papers on fire). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to firm up again. While tarts are best enjoyed the day they are made, they will keep perfectly fine in the refrigerator for up to two days.