Crafty Cookery

My housemates have been toasting marshmallows and making s’mores every weekend since mid-May and I’ve been either sitting on the sidelines treat free or staying away altogether. Tonight I finally felt well enough to make cane sugar free marshmallows, though I still need to make gluten free “graham” crackers and agave sweetened chocolate bars. I’m not sure how well my marshmallows will toast up but I’m willing to try it!

The marshmallows taste more like agave nectar than anything else so if light corn syrup isn’t a concern for you, it can be substituted for agave syrup. I’d like to try adding a 1/4 teaspoon of almond, orange or raspberry extract/flavoring to slightly change the taste of the marshmallows. Food coloring would also be a fun addition. Nikki suggested red, white and blue ones for Independence Day. 🙂

I used a silicon “brownie” pan (it has 24 small squares) to chill the marshmallows in instead of an 8×8 square baking pan. Each square held one tablespoon of mallow. The leftover mallow I spread out in the bottom of a bread pan. Next time I’ll use a second brownie pan. Silicon ice cube trays would work as well, especially if you want fun shapes.

S'mores with GF "Graham" Cracker, Hersey's chocolate & Agave Marshmallow

Prepare 8×8 square baking dish with oil and dust with cornstarch. In a mixing bowl, combine agave, vanilla and salt. In a small bowl, add cold water and sprinkle the powdered gelatin evenly over the water. Let stand one minute. Heat the bowl of gelatin in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirring it at 10 second intervals. Using an electric mixer on high speed, mix together the agave, vanilla and salt. Slowly add the gelatin and mix until white, frothy and more than tripled in volume. Spoon into the prepared pan(s), sprinkle the tops with more cornstarch and chill for 3 to 4 hours in the refrigerator or overnight. Remove from pan and dust with more cornstarch.

This recipe was created solely as a vehicle for pomegranate molasses. I saw the molasses in the Asian market and less than a week later had to go back and buy a bottle of it. My first attempt at creating this recipe wasn’t quite right so I left out a few ingredients and this time they were perfect. The brownies are chewy and fruity and the addition of pistachios and figs add to the overall Persian flare as well as increasing the layers of flavors and textures. I may have to try these at a later date using honey instead of agave nectar.

8 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
2 eggs
1 cup date sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup margarine
2 Tbs sour pomegranate molasses
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup dried figs, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350* F. Prepare a 9” square baking pan with margarine and date sugar. Combine the chocolate and margarine in a double boiler until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in the pomegranate molasses, baking soda and salt. Stir in the date sugar, eggs and agave nectar. Mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the batter is thick and glossy. Add nuts and figs if desired and mix until evenly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a baking rack. Serve once cool.

This is a classic Scottish dessert that I gave a dairy free twist with whipped coconut cream. For a low fat version, replace whipped coconut cream with non-fat Greek yogurt.

1 15oz can coconut milk, chilled
2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
3/4 cup steel cut oatmeal
2 Tbs honey
2 Tbs Scotch or whiskey

Chill the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Preheat oven to 300* F. Spread oats out on a parchment covered cookie sheet and bake until toasted (10-15 minutes), stirring once or twice. Punch a hole in the bottom of the coconut milk can and drain off the coconut water. Open the top of the can and spoon the coconut cream into a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer, whisk coconut milk until the consistency of whipped cream. Add the honey and alcohol to the coconut cream and whip until thoroughly combined. In dessert glasses, layer raspberries and coconut cream, sprinkling toasted oats on top. Serves 4.