Caramel S’mores with Peanut Butter Marshmallows

It’s National S’mores Day!

I rarely post on food holidays, and even less so on Saturdays, but I have to tell you about these homemade marshmallows. I want to shout from the rooftops how good they are!

Here’s the thing (and yes, this is an unpopular opinion), I’m not insanely obsessed with s’mores like everyone else seems to be. They’re generally too sweet for me. And the store-bought marshmallows? They just don’t do it for me!

BUT! Give me a salty component, swap the milk chocolate for dark (the darker the better), and throw homemade marshmallows into the mix…and you’ve turned me into the biggest s’mores fanatic of all time. And that’s exactly what these s’mores accomplished.

There is something so, so good about a homemade marshmallow. The texture is awesome – they’re super fluffy and soft as pillows. They melt gloriously into hot chocolate and toast up juuuust right for a gooey s’more experience. I am a big fan. They are the game changer for me.

For these marshmallows, I added in some peanut butter and boy oh boy, they are delish. I actually ate a plain marshmallow straight from the pan. No toasting. No s’more-ing. Just by itself. And I LOVED it. For this marshmallow skeptic, that’s really saying something. The peanut butter adds that salty-savory note I’m always looking for in a s’more, and of course we all know how awesome a pairing peanut butter is with chocolate. And marshmallows! And heck, caramel. You really can’t go wrong here.

Now, the one thing about homemade marshmallows is this: they take some time. Some patience. That said, I do think they are kind of fun to make! The recipe below may look intense with a lot of steps, but really, the steps are simple. There’s just a lot of them! If you are organized enough, I suggest making the marshmallows early in the day or even the day before you want to serve them. They need some time to set at room temperature to really achieve that perfect gooey soft texture.

But once you’ve got the marshmallows good to go, the rest is basic s’more making! Toast the marshmallow to your desired doneness and sandwich it between graham crackers, peanut butter, and Ghirardelli dark chocolate salted caramel squares. Oh, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt will make all the flavors sing! I live for the salty-sweet thing, so you know I don’t skimp on that salt. It’s everything.

These are such a fun thing to make with your kids this weekend. Even though I’m not the biggest s’more fanatic as an adult, I certainly devoured my fair share as a kid, and some of my fondest memories revolve around toasting marshmallows over an open fire, listening to the wood crackle and fizz while lightening bugs circled around and the smell of freshly cut grass permeated the air. True story.

Damn, being a kid is the freakin’ best.

I’m embracing that little girl today with these, for sure.

Happy National S’mores Day, friends!

Caramel S’mores with Peanut Butter Marshmallows

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• Author: Molly
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 20 servings 1x

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Description

Homemade s’mores made with Ghirardelli chocolate caramel squares and from-scratch peanut butter marshmallows!

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Ingredients

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For Coating the Marshmallow Pan:

• Softened butter or nonstick spray
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

For the Marshmallows:

• ¾ cup cold water, divided
• 3 (1-oz) envelopes of unflavored gelatin
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste/extract

For the S’mores:

• Creamy or crunchy peanut butter
• Graham crackers
• Ghirardelli chocolate caramel squares

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Instructions

For the Marshmallow Pan:

1. Liberally grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Whisk together the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and then dust the greased dish all over with the mixture.
2. You want the bottom and all sides of the dish well and evenly coated.
3. Set aside.

For the Marshmallows:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add ½ cup of the cold water and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Allow to sit, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. This allows the gelatin to “bloom.”
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and remaining ¼ cup cold water.
3. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring to help the sugar dissolve.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until the thermometer reads 240°F, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Turn the stand mixer on the lowest speed and VERY CAREFULLY and slowly stream in the hot sugar mixture to the gelatin mixture in the bowl.
6. Once all of the hot sugar mixture has been added and somewhat incorporated, gradually increase the speed of your mixer to high.
7. Beat on high for 5 minutes, or until the mixture has started to grow in volume. Stop the mixer and add in the peanut butter and vanilla bean paste/extract.
8. Continue beating the mixture on high for another 5-7 minutes or until it has doubled in volume, is glossy and white, and can hold stiff peaks.
9. Grease a spatula and use it to help pour the mixture from the bowl into the prepared baking dish. Smooth out the top as much as possible with the greased spatula.
10. Dust the top of the marshmallow mixture with a tiny bit of powdered sugar and then lightly cover the dish with plastic wrap.
11. Allow the marshmallows to sit at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or until they are set and firm (a little jiggle is good!).
12. Dip a sharp knife in powdered sugar and run it around the edges of the pan. Carefully invert the marshmallows onto a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Use the knife to slice the marshmallow into squares.
13. If your marshmallows are excessively sticky, dust them lightly with powdered sugar. Leftover marshmallows can sit at room temperature, well wrapped, for up to a week.

For the S’mores:

1. Toast the marshmallows over an open flame or using a kitchen torch.
2. Sandwich the marshmallows between graham crackers, a schmear of peanut butter, and the chocolate squares. Eat while warm!

• Cook Time: 25 minutes (plus 3 hours inactive rest time)
• Category: dessert