Vegan Gluten-free S’mores Cookies
Photography by Simeon Crofts
DIETARY – Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Nut-free
Traditionally, a s’more is a moreish American campfire treat consisting of a toasted marshmallow and just-melting chocolate sandwiched between two graham cracker biscuits. The name was coined as a contraction of the phrase ‘some more’ and the recipe first appeared in cookbooks in the early 1920s. Of course, if you’re following a vegan or gluten-free diet, you can’t just go out and enjoy a s’more due to the gluten in the cracker and gelatine and dairy in the marshmallow. But, as you all know by now, Deliciously Free is here to make the tastiest comfort foods on the planet accessible to you no matter what your dietary needs, so I got to experimenting!
First up was creating a vegan, gluten-free graham cracker. The reason I decided to make this recipe both vegan and gluten-free is because my husband is coeliac and my best friend is vegan and gluten intolerant, and I really wanted us all to be able to enjoy this treat together. After a couple of failed attempts, I finally had an allergen-free version of a graham cracker. Graham crackers aren’t the most flavoursome biscuits, but the taste and texture of my adapted crackers were pretty sub-par. And I never want to give you guys an average recipe! Going back to the drawing board, I realised it was time to finally bring out my vegan, gluten-free cookie recipe I have been perfecting over the past year, and let me tell you, it’s foolproof! Seriously, you’ll struggle to tell it is not a traditional soft, buttery cookie.
Combining the chocolate chip cookie with vegan marshmallows seemed like it could work and, most importantly, would deliver a better flavour and texture than the original s’mores concept. After trying many different quantities, I got the marshmallow to chocolate ratio just right, and boy does it taste good! One thing to note is vegan marshmallows tend to collapse after heating unlike a traditional gelatine marshmallow, so you’ll need a little more than you might think in the dough. I like to fold them into the dough then press a couple of extra on top before baking to really get that flavour in there. The finished cookie will be soft, perfectly chewy and rich with chocolate. Happy baking!
Vegan Gluten-free S’mores Cookies
Ingredients
- 125g vegan butter
- 110g brown sugar
- 85g caster sugar
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- 1½ tsp vanilla
- 2 tsp soy milk
- 300g gluten-free plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp xanthan gum
- ½ tsp salt
- 120g Dandies vegan marshmallows, plus extra to top
- 200g vegan dark chocolate chunks, plus extra to top
Method
- In a large bowl, beat the vegan butter and two sugars together using an electric hand or stand mixer.
- Add the apple sauce, vanilla and soy milk, then beat again.
- Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum and salt, then mix to form a smooth dough.
- Fold in the vegan marshmallows and dark chocolate.
- Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 180°C (160°C Fan)/ 350°F/Gas Mark 4.
- Scoop approx. 1 tbsp of cookie dough into your hands and roll into a ball. Place on the prepared baking tray and lightly flatten with the palm of your hand.
- Continue until all the dough has been used up. Ensure you space the cookies at least an inch apart on the tray to allow for spreading in the oven. I like to add a couple of extra vegan marshmallows and chocolate chunks to the top of each cookie before I put it in the oven.
- Bake the cookies for 12-14 mins. Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Enjoy warm or cold. These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.