S’mores are a dessert phenomenon, really. S’mores are the beloved treat made from graham crackers, marshmallow and melted chocolate, typically put together and enjoyed fireside. It’s definitely a delightful idea. They say that the first recorded version of the recipe can be found in a 1927 Girl Scout publication, which would make a lot of sense. If you put enough girls around a fire, someone is going to come up with a way to make dessert happen, one way or another.
The thing is I’ve never been a S’mores girl (until now), and yet I didn’t know why. It seemed like everything was there on paper: my like for graham crackers, check; my love for chocolate, check; my obsession with toasted marshmallows, double check. But put it all together, and it just never excited me (however, I’ve also never understood the whole Brad Pitt thing, so it’s possible I come from the far away land of backwards). Come to think of it, I’m nearing my 100th blog post and 38th birthday and I’m pretty sure that I have just written “s’mores” for the first time in my existence. Make that the second time. And for the record, this cake or these cupcakes aren’t “s’mores cake” or “s’mores cupcakes” since there’s no graham representation. Okay, I finally got that off my chest.
So then why am I sharing Homemade Puffy Cloud S’mores with you? Because I realized what’d been missing all of this time was the homemade factor. It changes everything in the mysterious my-not-loving-s’mores case. See, what happened was that I received my much-awaited copy of my good friend Shauna Sever’s new book, Marshmallow Madness!: Dozens of Puffalicious Recipes
I literally couldn’t wait to make them, so I started with a batch of the Classic Vanilla (seemed like a great place to start). I was a little unsure what to expect, but I discovered that it was simple, fun and downright rewarding to successfully make a batch of homemade puffy, gooey, vanilla marshmallows. Then I spotted her recipe for Homemade Graham Crackers in the book, and I knew they were going to be yummy. So there it was: I was about to be s’mored. Or s’more someone else. Or worse. Little did I know that I was going to add a new sweet addiction to my collection, or that I was going to create crazed little cakelet girls who would literally follow me around with “Shauna’s book” begging me to make more “clouds.”
Yep, clouds. Why not, right? I just knew that cloud-shaped anything would likely taste a smidge better than square, and it just seemed like the right thing to do. I didn’t have a cloud cutter on hand, but when this girl wants cloud s’mores, she gets cloud S’mores. I took the largest of the a set of this popular daisy-style cutters (Wilton Set of 3 Flower Cut Outs
I should tell you that even if you get a chance to only make one of these two components (homemade graham crackers or the homemade marshmallows), you can’t lose. The graham cracker were, thanks to Shauna’s fabulous recipe and easy-to-follow directions, simple to do and so tasty. Much like the marshmallows, I had never thought to make my own graham crackers before, and I am excited to add these to my cookie repertoire. They’re buttery, rich and kind of cute really.
Simply put, the marshmallows are heaven. I’ve already made 3 batches of vanilla bean, and I’m not only ready to try all of her unique variations, but I’m inspired to start experimenting. I think what surprised me the most about making homemade marshmallows is that the active time is minimal (it was 20-30 minutes), the process is straight-forward, and they are so easy to work with once they’re set. I literally just pulled the entire square slab from the pan in one piece, placed it on a cutting board and cut my clouds with ease. For some reason, I envisioned a sticky mess of sorts. I made these with pure vanilla extract and the addition of a vanilla bean–I am a huge vanilla bean lover, and I knew it would heighten the vanilla flavour and would be a lovely visual (who doesn’t love those glorious vanilla bean flecks?).
I decided to coat the entire cookies in milk or dark chocolate (I was inspired by these adorable bits of awesomeness) and then sandwich them together, in typical s’more fashion. My cakelets went crazy for these, and so did I. The homemade quality to it all really converted me, and I’ll never look back. Ever.
Because these keep well for several days, they make super gifts. I built each one in a mini loaf liner and then boxed some up for a friend, and she loved it. Or, of course you can always just keep’em around in case of emergencies.
On repeat: “Mum, can I have more clouds?” I may have created little cloud s’more monsters, but they sure had fun while it lasted.
Who doesn’t love dessert clouds?
cover photo (and all book photography) by Leigh Beisch
So here’s where the magic begins! How beyond adorable is the Marshmallow Madness! book cover? And the name? The colours? I love it all. Packed with approachable-yet-unique recipes and techniques (think Key Lime Pie Marshmallows, Sea Salt Caramel Swirl Marshmallows, Homemade Marshmallow Creme and so much more) and more visual yumminess than I ever imagined, this book is a new favourite around our house. I took away more than just the ability to make these recipes, but I acquired a versatile new skill. Love that.
I think what makes this book extra special is Shauna’s warmth, humour and innate ability to put people at ease (aside from her incredible talent). You simply want to be around her. I first “met” Shauna when she left a blog comment on one of my posts not long after I first started this blog at the end of 2010, and even after that first comment I knew she was going to be a friend. And she is. You can learn more about her over on her website and blog. And what’s more? She has a new book, Pure Vanilla: Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques
So, using 2 of the sweet and simple recipes found her book, here are the recipes and details on making these Homemade Puffy Cloud S’mores. I realize this looks like so much info and so much work, but it’s really not. I promise.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup honey
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional)
-
In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and the honey and blend until the mixtures comes together. Scrape out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat it into a rectangular shape; wrap well. Refrigerate until firm, but still pliable, about 1 hour.
-
Position an oven rack in the center position and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out thinly, about 1/8 inch thick (you can gather the dough scraps and reroll as necessary).
-
Cut out crackers with a 2- to 3-inch cookie cutter (or cut into squares with a pizza cutter) and place pieces on the prepared baking sheets, a dozen per sheet. Prick each one several times with a fork and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired. Chill the pieces on the sheets for at least 15 minutes before baking. bake for 14 to 16 minutes until golden. Let set for 1 minute before transferring the crackers to a rack to cool completely.
I used standard whole-wheat flour (because it's what I had on hand) and it worked fine, but you can find the stone ground variety here: Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour. I'll try it this way next time.
I rolled the dough, as I do most rolled cookie dough, between two sheets of parchment paper on top of a slip-free mat (I use my Fondant Work Mat for everything).
I chilled the rolled dough for 15 minutes in the freezer before cutting with the cloud cookie cutter, then put the baking trays back in the freezer for another 15 or so before baking.
I didn't sprinkle with turbinado sugar (since I was covering them with chocolate).
This batch yields about 4 dozen 2"x 3" graham clouds.
These are so tasty, even on their own! They make a great snack for kids, and they keep well in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup honey
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional)
-
In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and the honey and blend until the mixtures comes together. Scrape out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat it into a rectangular shape; wrap well. Refrigerate until firm, but still pliable, about 1 hour.
-
Position an oven rack in the center position and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out thinly, about 1/8 inch thick (you can gather the dough scraps and reroll as necessary).
-
Cut out crackers with a 2- to 3-inch cookie cutter (or cut into squares with a pizza cutter) and place pieces on the prepared baking sheets, a dozen per sheet. Prick each one several times with a fork and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired. Chill the pieces on the sheets for at least 15 minutes before baking. bake for 14 to 16 minutes until golden. Let set for 1 minute before transferring the crackers to a rack to cool completely.
I used standard whole-wheat flour (because it's what I had on hand) and it worked fine, but you can find the stone ground variety here: Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour. I'll try it this way next time.
I rolled the dough, as I do most rolled cookie dough, between two sheets of parchment paper on top of a slip-free mat (I use my Fondant Work Mat for everything).
I chilled the rolled dough for 15 minutes in the freezer before cutting with the cloud cookie cutter, then put the baking trays back in the freezer for another 15 or so before baking.
I didn't sprinkle with turbinado sugar (since I was covering them with chocolate).
This batch yields about 4 dozen 2"x 3" graham clouds.
These are so tasty, even on their own! They make a great snack for kids, and they keep well in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup honey
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional)
-
In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add the butter pieces and the honey and blend until the mixtures comes together. Scrape out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat it into a rectangular shape; wrap well. Refrigerate until firm, but still pliable, about 1 hour.
-
Position an oven rack in the center position and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out thinly, about 1/8 inch thick (you can gather the dough scraps and reroll as necessary).
-
Cut out crackers with a 2- to 3-inch cookie cutter (or cut into squares with a pizza cutter) and place pieces on the prepared baking sheets, a dozen per sheet. Prick each one several times with a fork and sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired. Chill the pieces on the sheets for at least 15 minutes before baking. bake for 14 to 16 minutes until golden. Let set for 1 minute before transferring the crackers to a rack to cool completely.
I used standard whole-wheat flour (because it's what I had on hand) and it worked fine, but you can find the stone ground variety here: Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour. I'll try it this way next time.
I rolled the dough, as I do most rolled cookie dough, between two sheets of parchment paper on top of a slip-free mat (I use my Fondant Work Mat for everything).
I chilled the rolled dough for 15 minutes in the freezer before cutting with the cloud cookie cutter, then put the baking trays back in the freezer for another 15 or so before baking.
I didn't sprinkle with turbinado sugar (since I was covering them with chocolate).
This batch yields about 4 dozen 2"x 3" graham clouds.
These are so tasty, even on their own! They make a great snack for kids, and they keep well in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature.
- For my clouds, I simply bent these cutters so they were cloud-like, but you can also buy a Cloud Cookie Cutter
- These are incredible on their own, so if you opt for making just the marshmallows, once you’ve cut them you can keep in single layers in an airtight container (with one corner cracked ) somewhere cool and dry (not the refrigerator).
- You can watch Shauna make these marshmallows here.
- I used both Callebaut Dark Chocolate Callets
(dark) as well as Callebaut Milk Callets
(milk) and dipped half of my graham cracker batch in dark and the other half in milk chocolate .
- Timing of the Homemade Puffy Cloud S’mores Prep: I made the marshmallow batch first (and set the pan aside overnight). I made the graham clouds that same day and sealed them in an airtight bag overnight. The next morning I dipped them graham clouds in chocolate and let them set. Later that morning I cut the marshmallow clouds and assembled the s’mores.
- The cloud cutter I used is about 3″ by 2″.
- These finished s’mores are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature, and will last for several days.
- Milk chocolate is a lot softer to work with than dark, so when assembling the s’mores you’ll likely need to put the tray in the freezer for a few moments when needed.
Good luck & enjoy!
These are so adorable!!! I saw those little bunnies too and wanted to make my own version.
Oh wow! I will soooo try these!! What is better than homemade marshmallow and homemade graham crakers?! :)
Thank you Rosie for the great idea (and Thanks to Shauna for the recipes!)
Absolutely beautiful! You’ve also given me a huge urge to buy that marshmallow book!
Love it!!! Just placed the order on amazon for the book. Can’t wait ’til Friday to get my hands on it. Homemade marshmallows will be the perfect addition to my daughter’s 3rd bday party next month.
Thanks for all your amazing posts! I’m an avid follower and have tried (very successfully!) a lot of your recipes.
OMG!! Such cute desserts!! Please send me some :)
I was involved in the Marsh Madness competition and I made Smores Bars for my recipe…yours are soooooo pufffyyy! I love them. And those chocolate grahams…yum.
And I love your little girl holding that plate…too adorable :)
These look amazing! :) I love, love, love your site, even if I end up hungry just from looking at the pictures every single time you post.
Oh how I wish I was your neighbor! I’ve been looking forward to this post since pictures started showing up on instagram. These little smore clouds look incredible. I happen to be a big smore fan, but still, these look 10 times better!
These are absolutely beautiful!! I find making my own marshmallows a little intimidating–but it might be worth it for these :D
mmm this sounds delicious…i love smores
Those are absolutely beautiful.
These look soooooo good!!
I can actually smell the sweet vanilla-ness right now. For serious… these could be amazing for Easter! And I love the cloud factor!
I have been wanting the book, and these make me want it even more! Your clouds are just so adorable <3
Like you, I’m not crazy about smores although I can inhale the individual components in a heartbeat, but you’ve driven me to an anxious level of curiousity..lol. Thanks for sharing and thanks for sharing the pics of your little girls…just makes your desserts look all the more ‘sweet’ :)
Oh my word! How do you do that?! Mine would be a complete mess!
These are gorgeous and so perfectly assembled as well! Love it!
Thank you Rosie and Shauna, this does look like a book one MUST have! Gorgeous clouds, I can imagine they too will become a favourite in my house.
This might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen….maybe I say that on ALL of your posts?!?
I’ve been a little scared to make marshmallows, so clearly, I need to hop over to Amazon and pick up Shauna’s book!
And, yeah…I’ve never gotten on the Brad Pitt bandwagon, either.
Oh, and your girls?!?!? SO darling!
It is all beautiful…the book..the recipes…the kids…loved it.
Adorable! And delicious, I’m sure!
This sounds Great and they look super cute :) and your descriptions have given me faith that it might not be impossible to make heavenly fluffyness. Im though probably the last person in norway without a microwave, got any tips on how to work around that? So looking forward to dverg recipe from you, Great inspiration and instant compliments when trying to replicate your creations. Thank you so much :)
These look amazing! yummy :)
Oh my goodness. I just showed these to my 12 year-old daughter and she swooned, too! We’ll start making them and practice for a visit with my nieces (6 and 3) in June so we can make them smile like yours did. :) Thanks! The book looks great, too!
Good lord, these look delicious! Thanks for sharing!! :)
What is not to love about thi! The *clouds* are delightful, the children are precious and you are wonderful to promote Shauna’s new book in such a picture perfect post. You are both very generous to share this recipe and her upcoming book on pure vanilla sounds like a keeper.
Aww I actually love her hair. And she could not look happier with that treat in her hand!
Looking forward to making these for my daughters class at school. Reeeealllly appreciate the ‘timing’ section you added. Its what I struggle with most when I bake treats. Thank you!
You know what you do to me when you put your kids on here. It just makes me so freakin’ happy! Such wonderful faces. Oh, and these s’mores look ok. Well, more than ok. They look damn good, actually.
I’ve never made homemade ghraham crackers, and I’ve triedonly once to make homemade marshmallows (it didn’t turn out well) but these look so cute and perfect and now I’m really craving s’mores :) And I definitely love the puffy favor, I think at makes the clouds look even more cloud-like.
Thanks so much, Becca. I loved it all, but the marshmallows were really incredible, and Shauna’s recipe is really easy to follow. I highly recommend it!
these look absolutely cute and yummy. is the marshmallow difficult to make for amateurs?
Great photo’s, great post but most of all super delicious! You got yourself another follower =D
Thank you!
Love the look of these and would like to try them but the only thing is I live in the UK and can only get normal syrup which is a golden colour and yours is almost clear. Any ideas what i might be able to use instead?. Many Thanks x
simply adorable, I love home made marshmallows, once I got over being intimidated by making them. I so want to try these!
Thanks, Sue! You should give it a go–I found it really straight forward and rewarding!
Rosie you have delighted me! I love this in every way! Anything with “puffy” in the name is a winnet! :)
Growing up in the UK I’ve not really eaten that many Smores but these ones are definitely the best I’ve ever seen!
These look so good!! I am going to make these SOON! Thanks for sharing:)
Heaven. Sweet, puffy, delicious heaven. I love making (and eating!!) homemade marshmallows. And yours look especially delightful. I can’t wait to check out Shauna’s book – thanks for the introduction!
Wow! These are so fun. Homemade marshmallows are such a treat — leaps and bounds better than the store-bought ones.
I really like the combination of dipping the crackers and the cute sandwich look. I still haven’t made graham crackers before, so I’m excited to try that and add it to my repertoire. :)
I am so glad you shared about this wonderful book! I ordered my own copy on Amazon and it just arrived yesterday! Can’t wait to pour over it, I knew once I saw the adorable cover I must have it and now that I do Im so excited! The inside is just as wonderful as the outside so thanks again for letting us know about all the yummy cuteness! Lindsey
It’s because of you that I bought Marshmallow Madness, and I LOVE it. LOVE love love it! Rosie, I wish you could post every day! YOur work is beautiful and inspiring!
oh these are so cute and so delicious! i think i’m going to have to check out this book!
You simply amaze me!! I saw these coming together on Instagram, and I knew they’d be adorable. I absolutely love them!!! (Yes, there are a lot of exclamation points – that’s how much I love them!)
I love your ideas! I started a little shop baking homemade allergy sensitive treats. I think kids with allergies deserve beautiful treats too! These will be wonderful! Have you tried or do you have any recommendations for putting them on a stick and dipping them in chocolate? I was thinking little penguins would be cute!
Prettiest little clouds I’ve ever seen.
This is quite possibly the cutest little dessert I’ve ever seen! Definitely adding this to my must try list!
This looks so cute and delicious! The kids will love this.
How fun?! They look so yummy and cute. I’m thinking these would be fun to make on a rainy, spring day. Love the pictures too!
Oh my! Trust you to bring the beloved s’mores to a whole new level of cuteness…and irresistible-ness! Happy spring!
hi there.
how do you manage all these lovely things with 2 kids??? are they very well behaved?? were you doing this when they were born, smaller??
I have just found your site and loved it!! I have only one child, 10months old, do not have time to do such these thingsss….
love..
These are simply breathtaking, love. Breathtaking.
Aww these look adorable. Great job! Homemade marshmallows are soooo tasty.
What adorable little helpers! I bet they were psyched about consuming the fruits of their labor. Great treats!
These look amazing! Super cute…
These are MAGIC! xo
They look divine. Do you think Agar Agar would work in place of the gelatin? I am assuming it would, but I need an opinion since I cannot consume gelatin.
Marshmallow Mania!! The cover of that book is gorgeous! The next time I have two hours to myself I am going to be sooo tempted to make these. Although with a two month old and two year old, it might be a while…but I’ll be dreaming of it in the meantime:)
I am a HUGE S’Mores fan, so it would come to no surprise that these are calling my name. Right this very minute, in fact. Whoa deliciousness!
Yum! Those look incredible!
While I have always loved s’mores….I’ve never quite gotten the whole Brad Pitt thing either. I always thought I was the only one! Glad to know I’m not alone!!
I’m thinking if I love s’mores the Girl Scout way…I’d literally swoon eating a homemade version!
Thanks, Cassie! :)
This look so delicious! I just got her book a couple of weeks ago and I LOVE it. So easy to read and easy to follow instructions. I adore your blog, it’s so beautiful and sweet!
How cute are these! I love s’mores but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any that look so pretty.
I loved watching these come into being, step-by-step, on Instagram! They’re so adorable and so creative…and so delicious, I’m sure. :)
I made these today! I used to think marshmallow making was a crazy idea but its less work IMO than swiss meringue buttercream….or I just lack the finesse required for SMBC.
I used a 9×13 pan which resulted in marshmallows about 3/4 of an inch thick. I don’t own any square pans.
Also replaced the butter with golden shortening and the crackers still turned out great. Its blasphemy I know but such is life with two kids allergic to dairy and soy. They don’t know the difference!
And now that I know how easy this is to make they are going on my 2 year’s old birthday party dessert table themed loosely on “UP!” I’m pretty sure I need to buy the book before then too.
They look so great that I tried making them myself. But my marshmallow mixture (once I added it all) didn’t fluff up at all. I used homemade corn syrup (sugar and water boiled into syrup) and I am wondering if that was the problem?
Rosie, these look delicious and so cute! I am thinking about making these for a large gathering, would these still taste fresh made ahead by three or four days? Thanks for this great idea and instructions!
These look great! I’m curious, would you be able to use King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour? Would the cookies just appear light? Or would it affect the chemistry of the baking? This is what I have on hand and would like to use it instead of buying a whole new bag of regular wheat flour. Thanks!
I made these for my daughter’s camping theme birthday party and they were awesome! Mine were not so fancy but they were sure delicious. I cut the cookies into squares with a pizza cutter as suggested and placed chocolate chips on them when they were still warm out of the oven, and later topped with a square marshmallow. They looked like campfire s’mores but so much better! And not nearly as difficult as I thought making marshmallows would be.
I just made these with my kids yesterday and there are only a couple left. We may have to make a second batch for the weekend. I’m not a HUGE s’mores fan, but I LOVED these!! Thanks for sharing!!
Rosie,
I just made these and they taste so good. The marshmallows turned out great however it seems the coating absorbs the moisture when I store them. I kept them in the pantry in a pyrex dish and covered with Saran wrap. Any suggestions?
I’ve been scouring the web for recipes for both homemade graham crackers and homemade marshmallows, to make heart-shaped s’mores for my kids’ classmates. I should have known to check here first – these are exactly what I was after! Thanks for being one step ahead of me once again :-)
Hi
Rosie,
I have been making many of your amazing recipes and they have turned amazing.i just made these marshmallows and waiting for tomorrow morning for them to set and we all can dig our hands in it:) thank you so much for writing such an amazing blog..god bless
Kids are loving the marshmallows:) thank you so much for this amazing recipe
I love homemade marshmallows, I was wondering does your friend have recipe’s for one’s without corn syrup? We try to avoid corn at our house. I had a recipe with no corn syrup in a LDS ward cookbook from 1945 that I found in a thrift store. Either way these look amazing as do many of your recipes.
hi.
did you ever get a reply for your question? got same issue. Would sugar syrup work?