Homeade Mallomars

A deep dark secret of mine is my love for a Mallomar-- A sugar cookie covered with a blob of marshmallow, cloaked in a thin shell of dark chocolate. Sold only in the cool months because of its delicate composition, I realized that this past winter I spent too much time eating test recipes from my book to make room for them, and now the mention of them in a magazine last week set off a deep obsession that needs to be fulfilled.

Like Girl Scout cookies, these tend to last less than 48 hours in our house, but like my other former bad-junk-desert obsessions, there had to be a way to make these organic and homemade.

I decided to make my own version, slanted towards a deconstructed smore. I wanted the cookie base to have more oomph, and a graham cracker cookie would give it some chew and deserved texture.

To make authentic graham crackers, one needs to use graham flour, but since I don't have it on-hand and am positive the local shops would not either, my recipe uses many of the same elements such as molasses and honey for a similar flavor but with basic pantry supplies. Wheat germ gives it a bit of a hearty crunch.

graham cracker dough rounds

The beauty is, after you have cut out all your rounds for a cookie base, you can either re-roll the scraps or just bake them as is, then crumble them up for a graham cracker cookie crust. (perfect for a mini tart )

I pricked them with a fork to keep them from puffing in the center.


first batch eaten by cookie bandits


As for the marshmallow filling, one must make homemade marshmallows. Seems like lots of work, yes its true, but one batch will make a huge supply of fluffy, delicious marshmallows that you can freeze for future summer smores.


peaks of marshmallow goo await their chocolate fate

Last the chocolate glaze is the easiest part, either melted in the microwave or stovetop with a bit of shortening to firm up.

Homemade Mallomars

For Graham Cracker Base:
1 1/2 cups organic all purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon packed organic dark brown sugar
pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons chilled organic unsalted butter, cubed into small pieces
1/4 cup whole organic milk
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

1.Prepare two sheets of parchment paper the size of a baking sheet. Set aside.
2.. In food processor add all dry ingredients. Pulse until mixed.
3. With food processor running, add butter one at a time until mixture looks like coarse meal.
4. In separate bowl, add milk, honey, and molasses together. Pour into food processor and pulse until dough is combined, about 30 seconds-1 minute. The mixture will be very sticky.
5. Scrape dough onto one piece of parchment paper. Cover with second piece and use a rolling pin to roll dough thin, about 1/8" thick. Chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 and cut cookies with 1 1/2 inch circle cutters. Use a fork to prick the centers so they dont get puffy.
7. Bake cookies until darkened around edges, about 11 minutes. Let cool on baking rack.

Marshmallow Filling
*note: When just made, these are piped onto the cookies, but you will have lots left over for the standard square cut size to save for future use.

3 envelopes gelatin
1 cup cup water
1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
2/3 cup organic corn syrup (light from whole foods)
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
for dusting:
powdered sugar

1. In bowl of standing mixer, place gelatin and 1/2 cup of the water, let sit for at least 5 minutes.
2. In small heavy bottom saucepan, mix can sugar, corn syrup, salt and turn on high. Avoid stirring, use candy thermometer until temperature is 240 degrees, (soft ball stage). This takes around 8-10 minutes.
3. Fit standing mixer with whisk. Once mixture reaches 240 degrees, turn standing mixer on low speed, and evenly and slowly pour the hot mixture into the mixer. Immediately increase speed to high and let the magic happen. In about 5 minutes, the mixture will look thick, white, and fluffy, like marshmallow fluff. This is good.
4. Keep beating until mixture has cooled slightly and is thick. (total beating time about 10 minutes).
5. Stop mixer and add scraped vanilla pod and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
6. Fit a piping bag with coupler but no tip. Fill bag with marshmallow and squeeze gently over the cookies on a wire rack. Let the marshmallows set for at least an hour before you make the chocolate coating.
*For extra marshmallow: Line a small casserole or baking pan with plastic wrap, spray with canola oil and add marshmallow to the lined dish. Sift some powdered sugar on top, and let sit overnight to dry out. The next day, fill a glass with hot water. Dip the knife in the water to cut the marshmallows into even squares.
In a small plate, sift powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup. Dip sides of marshmallows in sugar to prevent sticking. Store in airtight container .


Chocolate Coating
12 oz fine dark organic chocolate (about 3 bars)
3 tablespoon organic shortening (Spectrum brand)

1. Chop chocolate into small pieces, place in small glass bowl.
2. Add shortening and microwave on small bursts for 20 seconds at a time until just melted. Stir until resembles a liquid.

3. If using a double boiler, place chocolate and shortening in a larger glass bowl, over a saucepan filled with warm water on medium heat. The water should not touch the chocolate, its just for heating it up indirectly.

4.Using a fork, dip cookie in chocolate, use small offset spatula or spoon to spread over marshmallow. Let chill in refrigerator for a few minutes. Die from kitchen exhaustion and eat 6 to revive your body!