Chocolate-Dipped Grahams {10th 12 Days Recipe}

 

I started working on this post because I had a serious craving for s'mores, with several obstacles in my way.  It's not really s'mores season, for one; also, I live in an apartment with no yard, so I don't have the grill or firepit required for appropriate s'mores-making.  {And don't try to make them in the microwave ~ the marshmallow will expand enormously, if not explode, and then become chewy and tough...I speak from experience}.

I set out to make an indoor s'mores-style treat, and one that could be packaged up in gift bags would be even better!  I started with marshmallow sauce {the ice cream topping kind}, because I figured Marshmallow Fluff would be too thick and more likely to make the graham crackers break {it doesn't spread incredibly easily}.  Coating the grahams in marshmallow sauce just made them soggy, though, and dipping them in chocolate first and then drizzling them with marshmallow sauce was a good alternative, but the marshmallow sauce took days to set, so they weren't easy to pack up for storage or gifting.

I finally admitted defeat and decided to just stick with a chocolate-dipped option with Christmas-colored sprinkles on top ~ simple, yummy, and decidedly less frustrating.  A handful of ingredients is all you need, and the chocolate hardens up super fast, making these a quick and easy last-minute dessert option.  {Read all the way to the bottom to see how I finally mastered the s'mores-style graham last night!}

 Graham crackers, chocolate, and sugar sprinkles ~ simple!

My husband pitched in to help while I took pictures of the dip/swirl/smooth process

~ those are not my hairy hands! ;)

 Let the dipped grahams set and harden for a bit 

All finished and ready for snacking!

Chocolate-Dipped Grahams

Ingredients
Honey graham crackers, broken into smallest rectangles
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Toppings:  sprinkles; nonpareils;  crushed candy canes; for drizzling:  marshmallow sauce, melted peanut butter, melted colored candy melts

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.  Break graham crackers along perforations into small rectangles  {the bigger the cracker, the more likely it will break during the dipping process, so the smallest option is the best}.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double-boiler, stirring frequently and taking care not to let chocolate burn.  {I use the microwave and use 1/3 - 1/2 a bag, and melt more as needed}.  Holding one end of the cracker, drag it through the chocolate on one side and then the other.  Use a spoon or spatula to wipe off excess chocolate and cover any missed spots.

Place dipped graham crackers on wax paper.  Dip and place 4-6 grahams, and then sprinkle with toppings {if using}, while chocolate is still very wet.  If you are using a drizzle topping, you can wait until you're finished dipping all your grahams.

Allow grahams to cool and harden before packaging or serving.



And for a chocolate-marshmallow treat....

 Spread Marshmallow Fluff on one side of a cracker

 Use spoon to help coat graham, leaving a little bit of fluff exposed

Ta-dah!

After a trial-and-error process, I mastered the s'mores-style dipped graham cracker yesterday!  Spread a bit of Marshmallow Fluff carefully on one side of a graham cracker piece ~ fluff on both sides will make the cracker soggy within an hour or so.  If you've ever made a peanut butter and fluff sandwich {and I've been told most people outside of Massachusetts don't even know what that is?}, you know that fluff is notorious for ripping apart the bread because of it's thick, super-sticky consistency.  Use a small amount of fluff and spread carefully, and you'll be fine.

Follow the same dipping process as above, but use a spoon or spatula even more to help coat the marshmallow side ~ otherwise each dip and swirl will leave more and more fluff behind in your bowl of chocolate.



Enjoy!

xoxo
Bean