On New Year’s Eve, my family gathered at a friend’s house to participate in her long-standing, yet unconventional New Year’s Eve tradition. Each year, my friend constructs a house out of cardboard and instructs all of the party attendees to write the bad habits that they will be giving up in the coming year on a slip of paper. Then everyone places the slips of paper into the house. When the house is full, it goes into a bonfire. As the house was engulfed in flames, we, once and for all, got rid of all the things that bothered us about ourselves. I, for one, wrote “TV” on one slip of paper and “procrastination” on another. This act is supposed to ensure that our resolutions remain resolved for good. Oh how I hope that it works. I like to think that it will.
Anyway, as everyone else stood around the fire sipping champagne and dining on wheat and egg- rich a meal, my thoughts drifted not to the baguette and macarons that I wasn’t eating to the Girl Scout bonfires of yesteryear. The smell of the smoke conjured up memories of roasted marshmallows and S’mores. I could practically taste them on my tongue, and I realized that I haven’t had a S’more in nearly seven years.
I decided that it was time to add S’mores to my gluten, dairy, nut, soy and egg-free repertoire.
I went home that night with thoughts of marshmallows and chocolate swirling through my mind, resolving to eat a S’more by the end of the first day of 2010. By morning, I had a plan. Combining the flavors of traditional S’mores but the aesthetic of a bar cookie that I saw at the deli, I ended up with the first S’more that I have had since before I was diagnosed with food allergies. These bars are sinfully rich which seems especially naughty since I have just vowed to go to the gym daily and to get back into the jeans that I could wear before I became a baker. However, I tempered this naughtiness by reminding myself that these are a quick, no-bake confection, which will give me more time to take my children to the library or to the ice skating rink.
I love these treats for several reasons: 1) they are delicious and so rich that just one hits the spot 2) they are so quick that I waste no time in the kitchen 3) I made these with my children, which only reinforces my resolution to spend more time with my girls and 4) I had all of the ingredients on hand.
So, Happy New Year, Dear Reader! May your 2010 be as sweet, safe and allergy-free as these delicious, no-bake S’mores Bars, from my allergy-free kitchen to yours.
No Bake S’Mores Bars
2 Boxes Cherrybrook Farm Gluten and Egg-Free Mini Chocolate Chip cookies
1/2 c liquid coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tablespoons honey
1 10-ounce bag egg-free mini marshmallows
1 12-ounce bag Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Nut and Egg-Free Mini Chocolate Chips
Pulse the cookies in a food processor until they resemble graham cracker crumbs. Alternatively, place the cookies in a large, sealed Ziploc bag and pound with a rolling pin until they are pulverized. Combine the cookie crumbs, the liquid coconut oil, the honey and the salt until the cookie crumbs are well coated. Press the crumb mixture into an 8×8” square pan to form a crust. Place the crust in the refrigerator to set while preparing the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips until they are 2/3 of the way melted. Remove the chips from the top of the simmering water and stir them until they are completely smooth. Add the marshmallows to the chocolate and toss to evenly coat them with chocolate. Spread the chocolate and marshmallows on top of the set crust, pressing down so that the chocolate adheres to the crust. Refrigerate the bars until just before serving. Due to the low melting point of the coconut oil in the crust, keep these refrigerated until just before and then again just after serving. Keep the leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to three days.
Serves 9-12 depending on the size of the bars
