My mother loves to remind me that when I was very young I refused to eat graham crackers that were broken. If one cracker had even a tiny corner broken off I refused it—even though I loved graham crackers then and still love love love them to this day.
However, I’m not sure if I can ever buy another box after making them at home. Homemade is (as usual) sooooo much better than store-bought. This version is more buttery and a little more dense than what you’d find in a store. And oh man, spread with peanut butter they can’t be beat.
And combined with a dulce de leche marshmallow and a nice hunk o’ chocolate, they make the most epic EPIC s’mores you’ve ever encountered.
Now let’s discuss these marshmallows. Yes, this is yet another in a long line of marshmallow-centric posts but it’s totally necessary.
I’m coming to you today feeling a little like the girl who cried wolf. I know I say (all the time) that these cookies/this candy/this soup is so, so good. You have to make it now. It’s incredible, they’re amazing, run to your kitchen and treat yourself. And I swear, I always meant it.
But today. TODAY. These marshmallows are beyond anything else. They are a game-changer. This is a new bar I must meet with every recipe I post here. Everything, from today on, has to be this good
You need these marshmallows. Marshmallows are much, much easier to make than you would think. Honest. And dulce de leche comes in a can—you don’t have to make it yourself or anything.
So basically, if you don’t have a can of dulce de leche in your pantry you should probably run out and get one now. Now. (And pick up gelatin and corn syrup too.) Fluffy and soft, gooshy almost, with loads of creamy dulce de leche swirled in, they are your sweet tooth’s dream.
Make these today. And don’t wait for a campfire to roast them either. You can totally do it over the stove. (I did. More than once. OMG SO GOOOOOOD!)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups graham flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar or granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup water, divided
- 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup (about 7 ounces) store-bought dulce de leche
- 1 1/2-2 cups powdered sugar, as needed for coating marshmallows
- Whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, brown sugar, and honey on medium speed until light and fluffy. (About 2 minutes.) With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture until just combined and the dough just comes together. (About 30 seconds.)
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and press into a 7-inch square. Wrap tightly with a second layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 5 days.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into squares (or any other shape). Transfer to prepared baking sheets 3/4 inch apart. Gather scraps and reroll, then cut out more crackers.**
- Combine turbinado sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over crackers and press down lightly.
- Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate baking sheets. Bake for an additional 5 to 8 minutes, until crackers are firm to touch and a dark golden brown. (The cooking time will vary based on how big your crackers are. Mine were 3-inch squares and were done in about 14 minutes.) Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Grease a 9- x 9-inch baking pan.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour 1/2 cup of the water and sprinkle the gelatin over the water’s surface. (Try not to pour the gelatin in a big clump, as it can be difficult to get it to un-clump.) Set aside to allow gelatin to soak.
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Turn mixer to low and mix gelatin and water a couple of times. Carefully pour the sugar-corn syrup-water mixture down the side of the bowl with mixer still on low. (Do this slowly to avoid splashes.)
- Turn the mixer to high and continue beating for 10-12 minutes, until the marshmallow is very thick, glossy white, and about tripled in size. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary to keep batter from overflowing.
- When marshmallow is done mixing, stop mixer and add the vanilla extract, beating to combine.
- While marshmallow is mixing, heat dulce de leche in the microwave until pourable (45 to 50 seconds).
- Working quickly, spread half of the marshmallow into prepared pan. Pour dulce de leche over the top and swirl it into the marshmallow with the back of a spoon. Spread remaining marshmallow over the dulce de leche, and swirl again.
- Grease a sheet of plastic wrap and lay, greased-side down, across the marshmallow. Press firmly.
- Leave the marshmallows to sit for at least 5 hours. Overnight is better—they need some time to dry out or they’re too difficult to cut.
- After marshmallows have dried out, sprinkle a cutting board with powdered sugar. Invert the pan onto the cutting board and cover the marshmallow with more powdered sugar. Use a large, sharp knife to cut the marshmallow into 1-inch squares and roll each square in powdered sugar to cover every side.
- * You’ll need 4 ounces of graham flour.
- **The dough is fairly difficult to work with—if you have a hard time transferring cookies from your counter to a baking sheet, you can roll and cut the dough out directly on parchment paper, then transfer the paper and crackers both to your baking sheets.
Graham crackers adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones
Marshmallows adapted from Butter Baked Goods
Lisa says
The dulce de leche marshmallows are wonderful, and these graham crackers are amazing! Now I need to combine them …
Nancie says
These sound wonderful!!!
Kelsie says
They are wonderful, Nancie!
Nedra says
Ooh, Kelsie..sounds scrumptious!
Kelsie says
They are so good, Nedra!