Guest Post: Salted Caramel S’mores {AIP + Paleo}
Is there anything better than a cool evening spent outside around a warm fire? Laughing and making memories with friends and family, and of course, enjoying some S’mores. As the ultimate campfire treat, s’mores are an American classic dessert. And for good reason, they are everything you want in a handheld treat. Rich bitter chocolate, fluffy sweet toasted marshmallows, crunchy buttery graham crackers, and in this case even caramel sauce. Not only does our latest guest post recipe have all these components, but they also managed to make them AIP and Paleo friendly! This is Salted Caramel S’mores.
Don’t forget to visit our other AIP recipes, and dessert recipes for more inspired ideas!
Guest Post: Salted Caramel S’mores {AIP + Paleo}
Some may say s’mores are a summer food, but I say the perfect time is actually fall. Gathered around a bonfire, camping in the cooler, not-so-humid weather…enjoying s’mores is as much about the setting as it is the food. But since turning to the Autoimmune Paleo diet to help heal my Hashimoto’s symptoms, leaky gut and more, I thought I was saying “goodbye” to these ooey-gooey delights. Marshmallows? Sure I could make those on AIP. But graham crackers? Chocolate? These, I thought, were surely relics of a bygone era.
But not so. With plenty of tweaking and patience, I have created a s’more that’s not only drool-worthy, but also a creative spin on the classic! And, of course, it is free from all grains, refined sugars and dairy.
This one takes a few steps, but I promise you they are worth it. You’ll make enough here for feeding between 4-6 people s’mores. For that special occasion, it is totally worth it.
The steps you choose to make these is largely up to you. You’ll have, when finished: graham crackers, caramel sauce, carob chocolate bars, and salted caramel marshmallows. But you don’t necessarily need to follow a strict path for getting these goodies done. What I find works best is to work in phases.
I start by putting the coconut oil needed for the graham crackers in the fridge (it needs to be solid). While that hardens up, I make the chocolate bars, which are easy peasy and take just a few minutes to come together. Then, once those are in the freezer, I return to the graham crackers. This way, as they are baking, I’m starting on either the marshmallows or caramel sauce. But if some other plan of attack works for you, do it! If you have time one day just to make the marshmallows, by all means do, and begin the other parts on a different day or time. By no means does this need to come together in one go, though it certainly can, as I will attest to.
If you are making this in one go, I suggest that while you’re waiting for your coconut oil to harden, you are using the already-melted coconut oil to your advantage by making the carob chocolate bars. Not so long ago, I bought chocolate bar molds and they are really useful here if you want a bonafide chocolate bar shape. If you don’t have molds, you can just use a small pan or even sheet pan. Whisk together melted / softened coconut oil, coconut butter, maple syrup if you want it a little sweet (I’ve made it without and it’s still yummy), a swirl of vanilla extract for mellowing and a bit of sea salt (chocolate without sea salt is like coffee without creamer, to me…essential). Mix till it’s all one consistency, then pour into mold of choice. Pop this in your freezer. (Once hardened, you can store there until ready to use or move to fridge).
You can turn your attention to the graham crackers now, or the other components. For the crackers, I find chopping the coconut oil before adding it to the dry ingredients to be a huge improvement over trying to chop it into itty pieces inside the bowl.
Once your dough is ready, you’ll want to use your hands, not a rolling pin, to get into shape. I, for one, try to avoid rolling pins for all but that one time a year I’m making Christmas cookies with my daughter. Here, I find gentle fingertips work equally well without the frustration of dough sticking to parchment paper (in spite of dusting it dutifully with flour).
Those crackers don’t take long in the oven, so the caramel sauce is the better choice to make next. This, incidentally, is my favorite piece of this whole recipe. The ooey gooey sauce is perfect for topping ice cream or fruit, and it keeps really well in the freezer longer term. I have a propensity for sauces; anything can embellish or enhance a simpler food or recipe.
Finally, the marshmallows. While basic is certainly good, I am very happy with the way these came out. You actually can taste the savoriness the salt lends, and the caramel flavor balanced this beautifully (surely I am not alone in believing that salt + caramel are a heaven-made match).
The graham crackers are a bit more soft than crunchy, but they provide a buttery surround for the super soft marshmallow. The chocolate picks the slack up here in the crunch department, and the caramel sauce adds a finishing touch, leaving you with a molten cake-like dessert.
Now let’s get that bonfire going! Enjoy, friends.
Guest Post: Salted Caramel S'mores {AIP + Paleo}
Ingredients
Carob Chocolate Bars
- 1 Tbsp carob powder
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- 4 Tbsp coconut manna also known as coconut butter softened or melted
- 2 tsp maple syrup optional
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2 pinches sea salt
Graham Crackers
- ¾ cup tigernut flour
- 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp cassava flour
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil refrigerated until hardened
Caramel Sauce
- ⅔ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Salted Caramel Marshmallows
- 1 cup filtered water divided
- 3 Tbsp gelatin grass fed
- 1 cup coconut syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
Carob Chocolate Bars
- Whisk all ingredients together well. Fill either two chocolate bar molds or pan of choice.
- Place in freezer until hardened (about 30 minutes)
Graham Crackers
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mix dry ingredients together.
- Roughly chop hardened coconut oil on a cutting block, then add to dry ingredients and further break down into pea sized pieces using a pastry cutter or a fork.
- Add milk and molasses and mix just until combined.
- Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a sheet pan and lightly flour it.
- Remove dough from fridge and, using floured hands, gently spread out dough until ~¼ inch thick.
- Pierce with a fork and bake for 10-15 minutes, checking at 10 for doneness, browning around edges, and a firmness in the center.
- Allow to cool completely. Cut into 18-20 graham crackers shapes.
- Keeps for 1-2 days at room temperature; refrigerate for longer storage, a week or so.
Caramel Sauce
- Add coconut milk, sugar and sea salt to small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, until sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and stir in coconut oil and vanilla. Keep in fridge, but allow 5-10 minutes at room temp to soften.
Salted Caramel Marshmallows
- Grease an 8 x 8 pan, or one of similar size, with coconut oil. Cover with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl (you can use hand beaters or a stand alone mixer), add ½ cup of the filtered water and the gelatin. Set aside.
- Add remaining ½ cup water to medium saucepan along with the coconut syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt.
- Over medium high heat, bring to a boil. Boil continuously until mixture reaches 240 degrees, the soft ball stage, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Immediately, turn on hand beater or stand alone mixture, to low. Slowly, very slowly, pour your coconut syrup mixture into mixing bowl. Once you’ve poured it in completely, turn to high and blend until mixture fluffs up. During this time, the color will change from a dark brown to a more amber shade. You’ll know it’s ready when you have a thick marshmallow-like cream that sticks heavily to the whisk.
- Pour into your pan. Use oiled fingers to smooth out, if desired. Leave to firm up, about 3-4 hours. Cut to desired size. Keeps at room temp for 5-7 days. Allow to air dry for firmest texture before roasting.
Notes
- If your coconut oil is soft or melted, don’t forget to put it in the fridge
- Chocolate bar molds aren’t necessary but sure are nice to have!
- I tried cutting these into your larger graham cracker size but they wouldn’t hold. I find the smaller size still works perfectly well for making the s’more.
Learn More About The Author
Alyssa Reaves is a self-taught chef who is the creator behind the blog Let’s Create the Sweet Life. Her passion is to help others with chronic illness discover a 360 degree view of healing that encompasses body, mind and spirit. When not crafting new recipes, she can be found freelance writing, practicing yoga or singing with her husband and daughter. Find her on at LetsCreateTheSweetLife.com, on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
