Wheatless Wednesday: Gluten Free Smores

As summer heats up so does campfire season and visions of smores. What about gluten free folks? They want to indulge in this summer treat too. Well have no fear, gluten free (can be made vegan too) smores are here! Keep in mind, that just because it's gluten free or vegan does not mean it's health food. As with all sweet treats, moderation is the key to balance.

For a much simpler smore, look for corn-syrup free marshmallows at your local health food store. 

Healthier Honey Marshmallows

1/2 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin (for vegan, substitute powdered agar)

1/4 c. filtered water

1/3 cup raw sugar

1 tbs cinnamon

1 1/3 cup honey

1 tbsp. real vanilla extract

Pinch of Himalayan salt

Directions: Place water in a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the water. Let sit 30 minutes. While the gelatin is soaking, place the raw sugar in a blender or clean coffee grinder and pulse 4-5 times until the sugar is ground fine. Combine the raw sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Grease an 8×8 pan and coat with 1-2 tablespoons of the cinnamon sugar. To coat the inside of the pan thoroughly with sugar, sprinkle the oiled pan liberally with cinnamon sugar, then tilt and rotate the pan. Shake the excess onto a plate and return to the bowl. Set aside the remaining cinnamon sugar. Prepare your stand mixer or hand mixer before proceeding. Place the gelatin bowl in the mixer or near the hand blender. Heat the honey in a small to medium saucepan (at least 1 quart) until it reaches 250 degrees fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. Watch the honey carefully while it heats. As the honey boils, it will foam and create froth. You may need to take the honey off the heat for short periods to ensure that it doesn’t boil over. As the honey reaches 250 degrees, the foaming subsides somewhat. Take the honey off the heat, but do not allow it to cool significantly while you proceed. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the gelatin at low speed for 10-15 seconds to break up large clumps. Immediately start drizzling the hot honey into the gelatin and continue mixing on low until all the honey is added. Turn the mixer to high and beat 7-10 minutes. After a few minutes, the marshmallow will have the consistency of cake batter and will gradually thicken further until soft peaks form. The marshmallow is done when it no longer gains volume.

Graham Crackers

1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup sustainable coconut palm sugar or rapadura
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp black strap molasses
2 tsp real vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 225F. In a medium bowl, combine almond meal, flax seed meal, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and mix well. Add in butter, egg, molasses and vanilla and stir until a cohesive dough forms. On a large cookie sheet, roll out into a rough rectangle between sheets of parchment paper to desired thickness. Can be made very thin, but make sure that it is of even thickness all over so the edges won't burn before the middle crisps up. Remove top layer of parchment. With a sharp knife, score into desired size of cracker. Bake one hour or until firm and edges are crispy. Turn off oven and leave crackers in oven another half hour to an hour. Makes 20 2-inch squares

Chocolate: Get the best quality dark chocolate that you can find for the ultimate camp-fire treat!