S’mores cups

I live in the city. Literally, right downtown, surrounded by enormous buildings. As a result, I don’t get to enjoy traditional s’mores in the comfort of my back yard, because I don’t have a back yard. I don’t even have a front yard. In fact, the nearest patch of grass is three blocks away, and they don’t allow humans on it. So, the only other s’mores making option I have is to roast marshmallows over an open flame in my apartment. But I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.

That’s where s’mores cups come into play. The same thing you love about s’mores, minus the inevitable sticky marshmallow and melted chocolate fingers. They’re comprised of only six ingredients and come together within a matter of minutes. And chances are, they’ll make you feel a little less sad about not having a back yard.

If you can’t find graham flour, you can make your own with whole wheat flour, wheat bran and wheat germ. Add 2/3 cup of wheat flour to a plastic bag. Measure out 1/3 cup of wheat bran and discard 1 1/2 teaspoons of the bran; add it to the bag. Finally, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of wheat germ and shake the bag to combine. Voilà! You now have 1 cup of graham flour.

You can bake these in any type of pan you desire. I’ve made them in a square pan, a round pan, 4″ spring form pans – the only adjustment you’ll have to make is the baking time. For an 8X8 pan I had to bake them for about 20-25 minutes.

S’MORES CUPS

2 cups graham flour 3/4 cup sucanat 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

14 tbsp vegan butter, cold 1 cup vegan marshmallows 3/4 cup mini chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Lightly oil a 12 and 6 cup muffin pan; sprinkle with flour and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sucanat and salt. Cut in the butter, using a pastry cutter, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press 3 tablespoons of the crumble into each muffin well; tightly pack and press up the sides a bit. Bake at 350˚F for 4-5 minutes.

Using a sharp knife, quarter the marshmallows. Divide the marshmallow pieces and chocolate chunks evenly between the prepared muffin wells. Lightly sprinkle the fine crumbles over the toppings, then top with bigger crumbs (you may need to press the small crumbs together to create larger, pea-sized crumbs). Bake at 350˚F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool in pans for 30 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an air tight container for up to five days.

Yield: 18 cups