While looking for more Valentine goody ideas I came across these really cute Heart Shaped S’mores on the Neiman Marcus website.
The tiny s’mores are made by a local bakery right here in San Francisco called Two Hearts Bakery. I decided to make my own variation of these little bite-sized s’more hearts. My version is bigger, about 3 1/2 to 4 inches each. Because I made a larger cookie I made the marshmallows thinner to make them easier to bite into.
Speaking of the marshmallows, I decided that marshmallows are so much better when toasted so I pulled out my little culinary torch and toasted up the marshmallow hearts before inserting them between two buttery, crunchy homemade heart-shaped graham crackers that I had dunked in dark chocolate…whew… and for a little extra flair (the Neiman Marcus s’mores are topped with a tiny piece of gold leaf) I stenciled on a swirly design with a dusting of edible gold luster dust.
These s’mores are such a fun treat to give to all your favorite Valentines. Here is how you can make your own:
Marshmallows: Marshmallows need to dry out overnight, so make them the night before you will be assembling the cookies. You can find the recipe for the marshmallows here.
Prepare a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil, dust with powdered sugar and set aside. I used a half-sheet pan so I could get a nice thin layer of marshmallow to cut-out. Make the marshmallow as directed and transfer to the prepared half-sheet pan using wet hands to smooth the sticky marshmallow evenly into the pan.
Dust the top with more powdered sugar and let sit overnight to dry out. The next day, turn the pan over onto a powdered sugar dusted cutting board. Carefully peel off the aluminum foil. Spray a 3″ heart-shaped cookie cutter with Pam and cut out heart shapes from the marshmallow and set aside. (save all those marshmallow remnants for hot-cocoa or make some rocky-road fudge.)
Graham Crackers: You can find the recipe for the Graham Crackers here.
After making the dough, roll it out flat to around 1/4″ thickness and freeze until firm. Using a 3″ heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out hearts from the dough.
Re-roll, freeze and re-cut until you have all your hearts finished. Return the cut-out hearts to the freezer until solid, about 1/2 hour.
While the hearts are freezing, go ahead and preheat the oven. After the oven is preheated, bake the heart cookies for around 10-12 minutes. Watch carefully, you only want them to be nice and lightly brown, not black! Let the cookies cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate: I used Guittard Dark Chocolate Candy Melts for my cookies because it doesn’t require tempering and it dries to a nice shiny, crisp finish that doesn’t easily melt after it has dried.
Melt the candy in a double boiler over lightly simmering water until melted and smooth. Don’t let it get too hot or it will become thick and lumpy.
Using a fork, dunk the graham cracker hearts into the melted chocolate, letting the excess drip back into the bowl and transfer to a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. When all the cookies are covered with chocolate, place baking sheet into fridge to set up the chocolate for around 15 or 20 minutes.
Decorate: After the chocolate on the cookies has chilled and set, you can decorate the tops of the hearts. I used a simple swirl stencil and some gold luster dust.
Place the stencil on top of the cookie and lightly pounce a brush with luster dust over the stencil. Pull the stencil straight up when finished. Continue until all cookie tops are decorated.
Assembly: Arrange all chocolate-dipped cookies so that each “top” has a corresponding “bottom. Turn all the bottoms upside down. If you are using a culinary torch, make sure that it is adjusted to the on position and ready to use. Take a marshmallow heart, place on a heat-proof plate and lightly toast the sides and top.
Use a metal spatula to quickly transfer the toasted marshmallow to the upside-down “bottom” cookie. Top with the top decorated cookie and lightly press down to adhere. Continue on with all cookies until finished, then place in fridge to set, around 15 minutes. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Packaging Idea: Use a decorative punch to create a lacy border on pieces of waxed paper or tissue paper. Place a layer of waxed paper in a cello bag then add a s’more. Top with another piece of waxed paper, then another s’more. Tie with a pink ribbon and add a cute tag! Happy Valentine’s Day!
