Dark chocolate marshmallow aquafaba smores are a healthy campfire or picnic treat and this recipe is actually lower in sugar and calories than any traditional recipe since the bulk of the marshmallows is actually chickpea brine, a.k.a. aquafaba.
Chocolate Marshmallow Aquafaba Smores (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free)
If there is any dessert that transcends all barriers, generational, geographical, politics and food tastes, it’s S’mores!
A beautiful graham crackery chocolatey carmelly marshmallowy square that sinks warmly in your fingers and melts sweetly in your mouth says so much more than plain old dessert, doesn’t it?
Like maybe also..
picnics, camping, beaches, scouting, hiking, fireplaces, snowstorms, blackouts, and mostly..
..gatherings with friends and family.
And since the traditional recipe is easy – just squishing toasted marshmallows and chocolate bars between two graham crackers, I decided to make my recipe more complicated😂.
Actually my goal was to make it vegan and healthy and even lower in calories. Let’s see how I did that..
How Did I Make Smores Healthy?
Well, first I hunted down gluten-free graham crackers.
I know not everyone needs gluten-free, but I am increasingly thinking gluten isn’t so good for anyone. Also, I needed the grahams to be vegan and most commercial brands are sweetened with honey and include milk in the ingredients. Nabisco Original Graham’s are accidentally vegan, according to PETA. However, that product is not gluten-free. So if you don’t mind spending a bit more, I provide a GF brand as well. Both are linked in ingredients.
The caramel layer can be traditional caramel, or a thin layer of maple syrup, or you can make a date paste if you want to put in more time. A word of warning, to make the date paste really glossy, you really need to soak the dates overnight and even strain out the specs. That extends the recipe time and if you don’t have to photograph it, I’d suggest not to bother, haha.
THEN…I tackled the issue of gelatin – which comes from animals – in traditional marshmallows. And I am not a great candy-maker so I didn’t want to make marshmallows from scratch although many have.
So I bought a well-known vegan brand. But I wanted to make that marshmallow lighter, less calories, less sugar and easier to slice in a brick.
WHIPPED AQUAFABA MARSHMALLOW CREAM!!
It’s genius and it works!
How to Make Whipped Aquafaba Marshmallow Cream
I melted the marshmallows in a water bath or sometimes microwave (I’ve made this recipe a few times).
THEN I whipped up the aquafaba! Yes, THAT is the video I teased in stories on Instagram, those of you faithful followers who saw that, haha.
And folded the two together and whipped again. Spread in a pan on top of the cracker crumb and date paste, and froze overnight.
Add a chocolate top, cut with a super super hot sharp knife!
And life as we know it has changed! At least where smores are concerned, haha.
So, who is ready to make S’mores? Want to share this on pinterest? Perhaps use this image..
or this one..
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Chocolate Marshmallow Aquafaba S'mores (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 (10oz) bags marshmallows (vegan, GF) (You can find these at Whole Foods, too)
- 4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 cup graham crackers (PETA says Nabisco Original are vegan. But they are not GF) (here is a vegan and gluten-free brand)
- 1 cup date paste (Pitted, soaked dates, blended with 1 cup water)
- 2 (3.5oz) bars dark chocolate
Instructions
Prep
- Set the dates to soak overnight. The next day rinse and pit them.
- Line a 6-inch by 9-inch pan (or 5x7 loaf pan) with parchment.
Make Crumb Crust
- Grind up crackers to a crumb, add in 2-3 tbsp of melted coconut oil to make it sticky. Spread on the bottom of the lined loaf pan. Freeze while you make date paste.
Make Date Paste
- Use a food processor to soak dates and water until you have a super creamy, almost runny caramel-like texture, date paste mixture. Add water if it is too grainy. Pour on the cracker crust. Freeze while you make marshmallow aquafaba cream.
Make Marshmallow Aquafaba Cream
- Fill a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup with about 1 cup of Dandies marshmallows. Add a tbsp of coconut oil - it doesn't have to be pre-melted.
- Melt the mixture either by letting the cup sit in a pot of boiling water (this takes about 8 minutes). Or microwave twice at 30-seconds, stirring in between. The mixture might be lumpy. Try to keep warming it to get it to be smooth.
- Once it is melted, make the the whipped aquafaba.Empty the liquid from a can of garbanzo beans into a fairly large mixing bowl. The amount of liquid will be about 3/4 cup, but once whipped the amount of aquafaba will be four times or more that amount.Add a pinch of cream of tartar to the liquid.Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, begin mixing. You should see whipped texture begin to emerge after about 2 minutes. I whipped for about 6 minutes before the mixture was stiff and I could tip the bowl around and it wouldn't move.Fold the somewhat cooled and squishy marshmallow mixture into the whipped aquafaba and hand or stand mix again until fully creamy. I've made this mixture four times, and once the marshmallow mixture remained lumpy - I think it was because my bag of Dandies was older. Use fresh as possible.
- I poured the marshmallow aquafaba on the chilled date paste/graham cracker crust and set in the freezer overnight. Maybe you can let it freeze less, but I always freeze overnight to be sure the marshmallow layer is strong enough to carry the chocolate layer.
Make the Melted Chocolate
- The next day, break up the chocolate bars in a bowl, and melt in the microwave for 60-seconds. Stir until melted. Let them cool a bit.
- Pour the melted chocolate on top of the marshmallow layer.Return the pan to the freezer, this time with a loose layer of parchment on top the pan, but not touching the chocolate.
- I find the chocolate only needed a few hours to harden enough so I could cut it with a super hot knife.
Cut blocks
- To cut super clean blocks, heat a sharp knife in boiling water, wipe it dry, and cut. Repeat this every time you make a slice. Good luck!
Nutrition
Dee Dine is founder of Green Smoothie Gourmet, a plant based recipe blog, and author of the recent cookbook, Crazy Healthy with 4 Ingredients . On this blog you’ll find incredibly easy recipes with hidden veggies for anyone wanting to eat healthier, regardless of diet. Dee has graduate degrees in immunological nutritional studies and journalism. More about Dee Dine here.
Ela
Wow! These marshmallow smores squares look so incredible, Dee!! Makes me want to make a big batch ASAP! Much love, Ela 🙂
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Haha, so love your enthusiasm Ela! Yours would be incredible I’m sure, you are so amazing with chocolate recipes!! Dee xx
Bianca Zapatka
Wow Dee, these ingredients are so good! They add such delicious flavor!
Love this recipe❤️
Much love,
Bianca
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Aww thank you so much Bianca, so happy you like my ingredients!
Dee xx