Sticky Gooey Chocolate Marshmallow Sandwiches - Smores(ish)

After a recent trip to Scotland where I introduced the boys to the joy of toasting marshmallows over a fire, we've been using more at home.

L, whose never been bothered by his allergies before, came home from Cubs a bit upset as they'd made Smores one evening. Had they told me in advance I would have sent in safe biscuits, chocolate and marshmallows so he could be included, but when he'd joined a few weeks earlier, they told me they don't do a snack while the boys are there. I've asked them to let me know when there are exceptions again!

Having just come home to an empty biscuit tin after a chilly winter walk, I thought I'd try our own variation...

Cinnamon Cookies (You could skip this step and use any suitable biscuits, I would have used Free From digestives but have run out)

100g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

100g Soft Brown Sugar

1tbsp Golden Syrup

1tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

150g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

*Apologies for lack of images, my App crashed overtime I tried to upload more

Whisk all ingredients, except flour, together until light and fluffy.

Add flour and whisk again until well combined.

Place scoops of mixture onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake at 180ºC for 12mins.

Leave on tray to cool for a few minuted before moving as very soft.

Cool until easy to handle

Assembly

Top the base of a cookie with marshmallows (I used sliced giant ones) and suitable chocolate.

Repeat for number you are making.

Put back in oven for 1-2minutes, until chocolate is melted (but still holding it's shape) and marshmallows squishy.

Top with another cookie.

Leave to cool slightly or warm cookie will crumble.

Serve on a plate to grateful children...

Waffle Biscuits

I like to keep recipes as simple as possible for people who are new to baking, so I've stripped down my usual waffle recipe even further to make these crunchy, crispy biscuits. Perfect with ice cream or as a snack on their own.

I've been after a proper cast iron Krumkake pan for years, but second hand ones are rare and new they are only available in Scandanavia/Holland and are expensive to ship. When I spotted this in Lakeland a few weeks ago at quarter of the price I had seen them at before, I couldn't resist.

I added spices to these, but it can easily be left out for a plainer biscuit. I might try a savour cracker too.

Made 24

1 Cup Gluten Free Self Raising Flour (or plain flour, plus 1tsp Baking Powder)

1tbsp Caster Sugar

1 1/2tbsp Vegetable Oil

1/2tsp Vanilla Paste (or extract)

1/2 - 1tsp Mixed Spice (optional)

1 Cup Milk Substitute

Heat waffle press on a medium heat.

Put flour, sugar, oil, vanilla and spice in a bowl.

Pour in the milk substitute.

Gradually mix to a smooth batter with a balloon whisk.

Place 1 tablespoon of batter into the centre of a hot waffle cone press.

Close lid to flatten. Flip pan over after 1-2 minutes.

After a minute on the other side open to check colour.

Keep turning frequently until desired colour reached and crisp when removed.

If they colour too quickly, turn down the heat.

Leave to cool (unless, like me you have boys eating them as soon as they go on the plate!)

Will stay crisp in a tin for upto a week (I only know this as one of the cones I made last week got forgotten about, then we went away and Mini Monster found it still crispy last night!).

Black Forest Cookies

Ages ago I ordered some flavoured icing sugars from Sugar and Crumb, then put them away somewhere and forgot about them. I rediscovered them yesterday while I was looking for something else. 

I thought the black cherry flavour would pair perfectly with the slightly wrinkled cherries in the fridge. You could make them with unflavoured icing sugar too for a more subtle flavour.

100g Dairy and Soya Free Spread

85g Black Cherry Flavoured Icing Sugar (or unflavoured icing sugar)

15g Golden Syrup

20g Cocoa Powder

130g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

20g Dark Chocolate Chips

120g Chopped Fresh Cherries (or a pack of dried sour cherries)

Put the spread, sugar and syrup in a bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy.

Whisk in the cocoa powder (I find this saves having to sieve it).

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined.

Place spoonfuls (or ice cream scoops) onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Flatten slightly and bake for 12-15mins at 180ºC.

Leave for a couple of minutes on the tray to firm up before moving to a cooling rack.

Chocolate Sandwich Biscuits (Bourbons)

I still can't drive and for the last few weeks, because of roadworks,  the bus hasn't been running through the village so I'm feeling a bit isolated. I can't just pop out to the shop, so when the boys had been talking about how to decorate my Birthday cake, I had to see what I could find to add to my online food order. I found candles, sparklers and a cake board, but not the wheat free sprinkles I'd been after. But I did spot a pack of biscuit cutters (I have a bit of a weakness for biscuit cutters)... What better excuse than a birthday present to myself!

Biscuits

105g Gluten Free Plain Flour (I used white bread flour)

30g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

15g Cocoa Powder

60g Caster Sugar (plus extra tsp for sprinkling)

60mls Dairy & Soya Free Margarine

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract or Paste

30mls Milk Substitute

Cream Filling

100g Icing Sugar

50g Dairy and Soya Free Margarine

2tbsp Cocoa Powder

25g Melted Dairy and Soya Free Chocolate (cooled slightly)

Put dry ingredients in a bowl.

Oops, managed to post this one wrong way up!

Add the margarine (chop if using hard margarine such as Stork).

Rub in margarine until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Add the milk substitute and bring together with a blunt knife.

Use your hand to knead lightly into a smooth ball.

Roll out to about 3-4mm thick and cut into desired shapes.

I sprinkled mine with a little caster sugar for the authentic Bourbon look.

Bake at 180ºC for 12-15mins. Leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Whisk the margarine, cocoa and icing sugar until creamy, add the melted chocolate and continue to whisk until evenly mixed.

When the biscuits are cool, fill with cream and sandwich together.

You don't have to pipe in filling, spreading with a knife works too.

I even managed to sneak one with a coffee before they all got eaten!

Chocolate Caramel Fingers

I'm not very good at doing nothing. After a weekend of being unwell and mostly neglecting my children, I wanted to make them a treat on the Monday. Still not feeling great, I didn't really want to bake. I got this idea, in a round about way, from a fellow judge from the Free From Food Awards. She'd tried a chocolate bar last week that had puffed amaranth in and said it tasted like a Blue Riband. 

I tried puffing some, slightly out of date, amaranth I had in the cupboard, in the same way I would pop corn. That didn't work. Then I found a box of gluten free crispbreads in the  snack box and thought of making chocolate wafer bars.

Sort of followed this for a toffee recipe but the 'cream' you use may affect the hardness at this temperature. I used about half this quantity, but it made far too much so I used the rest for making pecan toffees. 

Makes 10

200g Dairy & Soya Free Chocolate

10 Gluten Free Crispbreads (I used Amisa, but Le Pain de Fleurs have a large variety & would work too)

1/2 cup (100g) Dairy & Soya Free Margarine

1 cup (plus a bit more) (160g) Soft Light Brown Sugar

1/2 cup (150g) Golden Syrup

1 cup (225mls) Dairy & Soya Free Cream (or milk substitute)

1/2 tsp Vanilla Paste or extract

Make the toffee according to the above instructions.

Line a tin with foil and grease well.

Lay out wafers in the base of the tin.

Pour over toffee to form a thin layer, spread evenly to edges if necessary.

When set, but still slightly warm, cut crispbreads along centre to form two rows. Stack one on top of the other to form a double layer. 

Put another layer of greased foil over the top and press down with another tin to flatten and stick the layers together.

Cut into fingers with a sharp knife.

Coat each one in melted chocolate and leave to set on greaseproof paper.

Decorate by marking with a fork. 

Or drizzle with melted white dairy & soya free chocolate.

Boys were home in time to help with the decorating,
just didn't like waiting for chocolate to set!

Chestnut & Quinoa Biscuits

Thought I'd try something different today. Mainly because I just noticed my chestnut flour is about to go out of date, but also because I know not everyone can tolerate oats so I'm experimenting with different 'flakes'. I often find rice flakes too crispy in a biscuit recipe, I've run out of millet flakes, and I'm trying to find new ways to use quinoa flakes, that disguises the strong flavour.

These worked brilliantly, I think adding quinoa to a biscuit brought out more of a nutty taste, complimented by the sweet, earthiness of the chestnut flour. 

Crispy and 'nutty' as they are.

Filled with chestnut spread & drizzled with chocolate.

This made 15 biscuits (plus the bit I tested in the microwave before baking and the raw mix I ate...)

85g Dairy & Soya Free Margarine (I used hard Stork as I wanted a crisper biscuit)

50g Light Brown Sugar (any would work, will just alter the colour)

35g Date Syrup (would probably work with golden syrup, but I'd use a bit less)

50g Chestnut Flour

50g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour

50g Quinoa Flakes

Melt margarine, sugar and syrup together in the microwave (or in a small pan).

Add flours & flakes and mix well.

Roll into walnut sized balls.

Flatten slightly (I might try them a little thinner next time - and with less sugar).

Bake at 180ºc for 10 minutes, remove from oven to cool if you want a soft cookie, or turn the temperature down to 160ºc and bake for another 10 minutes for a crispier biscuit. This is what I did, although, some did brown a little more on the edges than I wanted, but my oven is not baking evenly at the moment. I might just try 20 minutes at 160ºc next time.

Remove from the oven to cool.

Eat them plain, or fill with chestnut spread and drizzle with melted chocolate.