Instead of wedding cake we had an array of mini desserts at our wedding. Everyone raved about the adorable s'mores tartlets. I know there are so many takes on the s'more out there, but I have an obsession with tartlets, so the idea to combine the two in a small, compact package was right up my alley.
I knew I had to re-create this dessert, so I made a graham cracker dough for the tartlet shells, filled the baked shells with dark chocolate mini chunks (I found them at Whole Foods and love the way they resemble pieces of Hershey's bars -- a typical s'mores ingredient), and topped them with mini marshmallows. Then I toasted them under the broiler. The tartlet shells have the same flavors as store-bought graham crackers only better, along with a slightly chewier texture.
These look and taste like a more sophisticated version of the campfire favorite. And while I miss actually toasting marshmallows over a campfire, I don't miss dealing with the hot, sticky marshmallows and getting melted chocolate all over the place or breaking the graham cracker sandwich mid-bite. The shell contains the melted chocolate and toasty marshmallows and makes this sometimes messy treat easy to eat in two neat bites.
S'mores Tartlets
(graham cracker dough adapted from 101 Cookbooks)
These s'mores tartlets combine classic s'mores ingredients in a tasty two-bite treat.
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Prep Time: 30 minutes plus 3 hours chilling
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: Makes 24 tartlets
Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup mild-flavored honey
5 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons dark chocolate mini chunks or mini chocolate chips
72 mini marshmallows
Preparation
Pulse flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is consistency of coarse meal. In small bowl, whisk together honey, milk, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and pulse until dough comes together. It will be sticky.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured counter and pat into 1-inch-thick rectangle.
Using bench scraper, divide rectangle in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight. Double-wrap other half in plastic wrap and freeze for another use (such as graham crackers; you can also use it to make another batch of s'mores).
Once dough is well chilled, line up 24 tartlet pans on 13- by 9-inch rimmed baking sheet.
Remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap, and place on lightly floured counter. Carefully roll out the dough to roughly 13- by 9-inch rectangle. (The dough is more difficult to work with than regular tart dough and may break apart. Try not to get frustrated. It's fixable.)
Gently roll the dough around a rolling pin and unroll it over the tartlet pans. Piece together any broken dough. Push dough into tartlet pans, then use rolling to pin to roll over the tops of pans and cut the dough.
One at a time, pick up each tartlet pan and press the dough more firmly into it. Use your thumb to brush away any excess dough along the rim of the pan. Place the tartlet pans back on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Collect any dough scraps, form into a 1-inch-thick rectangle, and freeze or refrigerate for a second batch or another use.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a fork, poke holes in the dough to keep it from ballooning in the oven.
Bake the tartlets for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden and firm. Halfway through baking, rotate the baking sheet and quickly and carefully press down the centers of the tartlets with your finger. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack. If tartlets still look puffy, press them down again with your finger or a tart tamper. Transfer the tartlet pans to the cooling rack.
Once cool (don't let them sit too long), carefully separate the tartlet shells from the pans. They won't slide right out like regular tartlets. You'll have to carefully pry up the edges and then slide them out. (I had only one casualty.)
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cool tartlet shells on it. At this point, you can wrap the whole baking sheet in plastic wrap and store the shells until you are ready to finish and serve them, up to 2 days.
When ready to fill and serve the shells, place 4 to 6 of them on a nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheet (I tried both and either one will work). Fill each shell with 1/2 teaspoon dark chocolate mini chunks.
Top each tartlet with 3 mini marshmallows.
Heat broiler and carefully toast marshmallows under the broiler, 2 to 3 minutes. Watch them carefully and move the baking sheet as needed to even out the toasting. (If you have a propane torch, feel free to use it to torch all of the tartlets at once.)
Use a small offset spatula to transfer the s'mores tartlets to a serving dish. Repeat with remaining tartlet shells, chocolate, and marshmallows. Serve warm. (The s'mores tartlets will also keep for about an hour and can be served at room temperature, but note that the shells will get crunchier.)
Do you like s'mores?