Homemade S’mores

Last year, I attended a chocolate tasting event where I learned about chocolate production from growing the beans to making bars. The event was hosted by Slow Food Austin, and the presentation was about farmer-owned, organic Kallari chocolate. Because Kallari is a cooperative of owners in Ecuador, they’re able to pay themselves a living wage. They are “committed to community viability and economic growth, through knowledge sharing, the preservation of Kichwa cultural traditions and natural resource conservation.” They make the highest quality chocolate by choosing the heirloom cacao domesticated by their ancestors. “Our unique cocoa varietals permit Kallari to make a world-class chocolate with less than half the sugar, a shorter roasting time, and minimal refining compared to standard chocolate.” It’s been a year and a half since I attended that event, but I remembered how delicious the chocolate was. It has a smooth, fruity flavor and lacks the bitterness common in other high cacao percentage chocolates. So, when Kallari contacted me recently about receiving some samples, I was thrilled to accept. I was also thrilled to learn that they are now planning to make chocolate chips. They just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to begin this new part of their business, and I can’t wait to find the bags of their chocolate chips on store shelves. The chocolate I received was 70%, 75%, and 85% cacao, and those are the types of chocolates they’ll use in the chips. Next, I had the tough job of deciding how to use those lovely chocolate bars. I turned to my copy of Chocolate Obsession by Michael Recchiuti for inspiration which has page after beautiful page of decadent, gourmet chocolate confections. And, what did I pick? I skipped over all those stunning, fancy treats when I saw the Homemade S’mores. 

The graham crackers are made with a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, and I had some graham flour on hand and used that. The dough was rolled and cut into squares, and the squares were dusted with cinnamon sugar to which a pinch of cloves and a little salt were added. I made the marshmallows vegetarian, as I’ve done before, by using xanthan gum rather than gelatin. The first time I tried that, I thought the marshmallows were a little softer than ones made with gelatin. So this time, I added a tiny bit more xanthan gum, and they did set up a little firmer. Another difference I’ve found with marshmallows made with xanthan gum is that they don’t keep quite as well. They seem to get softer each day. You’ll want to use them within a few days whereas marshmallows with gelatin will last well for about a week depending on the humidity. I cut the marshmallows just smaller than the graham cracker squares and broke the chocolate into similar-sized squares. Although they’re just s’mores, they are kind of dressed-up s’mores since they’re assembled in the kitchen. You could stack the chocolate and marshmallow on one cracker, place it under the broiler to toast, and then top with another cracker. But, I pulled out my trusty kitchen torch. I waved the flame over the chocolate to warm it before setting the marshmallow square on it. Then, I toasted the marshmallow and sandwiched it with the second cracker. 

Over the course of a few days, we rigorously tasted (another tough job) all three chocolates in the s’mores. They were all fabulous. We couldn’t pick a favorite. And, I’m not even a huge chocoholic. My preference is usually for a medium-level of cacao percentage in a chocolate, but the Kallari 85% bar is delightfully smooth with hints of vanilla. When their chocolate chips become available, the cookies I make will be on a whole new level. 

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