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Gluten-Free Vegan Graham Crackers + S’mores Bites

 

This graham cracker (and the assemblage of the s’mores bites) recipe evolved from a sudden craving I had for a Moon Pie, a concoction I haven’t eaten in at least twenty years. But, I didn’t want just any old moon pie, I wanted one made with graham crackers. Crunchy graham crackers, in fact. The more I got to thinking about it, I realized what I was actually craving was a s’mores. But I wasn’t in the mood for your typical fireside oooey gooey melty monstrosity of awesome; no no no. I wanted one with a very thin layer of dark chocolate that gave the confection a slight snap each time you bit into it.

So, I came up with this hybrid of sorts. And man, if I could sell these bad boys, I would. My own family was going nuts over them–and given how many treats I actually make on a weekly basis, this type of behavior is not very common in my house. Cookies, again? Yawn. More cupcakes? Sigh. Are you making MORE candy? At midnight? Groan.* But these s’mores went over so well you’d think it was the first chocolatey, marshmallowy thing I’ve made all week! It wasn’t… I just think I hit on a sweet spot with the s’mores thing. I guess there’s a reason these legendary treats are so darn popular.

But back to the crux of this recipe. The best part about them is the graham cracker itself. Having a reliable, and easy! graham cracker is an essential for any baker’s recipe box, and sadly, I’ve just been going without for some unknown reason (substituting with other crunchy cookies and such) these past two years. But I’m glad I came to my senses and finally created these. They’re perfect for using in pie crusts, as vehicles for peanut butter and cinnamon sugar straight into your mouth, and of course, for making s’mores!

Vegan and Gluten-Free Graham Crackers

  • 1 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1 cup superfine brown rice flour
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour
  • 3/4 cup corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup cold non-dairy margarine
  • 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup agave
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • Dash cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, superfine brown rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly mixed.

Cream together margarine and sugar until smooth. Mix in non-dairy milk, agave, molasses and cinnamon. Gradually add in flours until all are incorporated and continue to mix until a stiff dough is formed.

Divide into two sections and pat into disks. Chill each disk briefly (about 5 minutes in freezer), and then roll out in between two pieces of parchment paper until about 5 mm thick.

Cut into squares and poke holes in the top (I used the tip of a chopstick) to poke holes and also to perforate the cracker.

The dough will be quite flexible and very easy to pull off the parchment. Use a flat metal spatula to help you if needed. Place onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for about 12 to 14 minutes, or until firm and a touch darker on edges.

Let cool completely.

For the S’mores you’ll need a 10 ounce bag of mini vegan marshmallows (Dandies do the trick) and about a tablespoon more of non-dairy margarine. You’ll also need a bag of non-dairy semi sweet chocolate chips.

You can either leave the graham crackers as big squares and make giant size treats, or break them into smaller squares.

First, in a 1 quart saucepan, combine the margarine and the marshmallows and melt over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Add a touch more margarine if the mixture starts to stick to the pot.

Grease the inside of a piping bag (with no tip) and once the marshmallow is melted with no lumps remaining, place it into piping bag. Pipe a dollop of marshmallow onto one cracker and top with another to make a tiny marshmallow sandwich. This gets messy… clean greased hands are also helpful.

Repeat until all the melted marshmallow has been used.

Next, simply melt your chocolate over a double boiler and then coat the little guys with some chocolate. I opted for a thin shell on the outside, which I recommend… but feel free to pile it on as you see fit, of course.

 

Let harden and then enjoy!

* This may be a slight exaggeration, but there is often too many treats lying about our kitchen for even two grown adults and a couple of (always hungry) children to even eat… so into the freezer they must go.

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44 Responses to Gluten-Free Vegan Graham Crackers + S’mores Bites

  1. […] Gluten-free vegan graham crackers + s’mores bites […]

  2. Linda says:

    oops! forgot a question: I have a good amount of brown rice flour…will that do or is superfine brown rice flour essential to a good outcome? I have never seen superfine brown rice flour at the markets. Thanks Allyson!

    • allyson says:

      the texture may be a little different (drier) with regular rice flour, but worth a shot! I can usually find the superfine at natural foods markets, places like Whole Foods or Wegman’s or online. Hope it works well for you!!

  3. Linda says:

    Allyson, seeking your experienced suggestion for what I can use to replace the corn starch with? Many thanks!

  4. R.S. says:

    Oh man, do I need to try this. Amazing!

  5. ali says:

    Oh my, thank you for this recipe. My boys are gonna go nuts!

  6. Those are the most pro looking gluten-free graham crackers I’ve ever seen, I would not have guessed they were homemade. I’ve bought GF graham crackers from our co-op (not great but adequate) haven’t attempted to make them. Just rolling crackers out to be an even thickness is my challenge level– you are a few levels beyond!

  7. Siri Chand says:

    AMAZING! I am so excited to try this and bring to summer camping adventures. Nice to have a small treat available. Smores were hard to say good bye to esp as I learned of the “secret” ingredient in marshmallows of gelatin… THANKS for your beautiful site!

  8. Bailey says:

    These graham crackers changed my life. I mean yes, of course, the compiled s’more was fantastic, but the graham crackers alone are absolutely out of this world. I was so surprised how easy they were to make and form. I would like to eat them constantly, but am trying to refrain. Next time I make them, I’m going to use my mustache cookie cutter – because that’s the only thing that could further improve these.

  9. haley says:

    Do you think spectrum shortening could be subbed for the margarine? Or plain old butter?

  10. Vanessa says:

    Wowzers! These look ah-maz-ing! But maybe a little involved, will you sell them? :) Really will have to try them one weekend…

  11. Danielle says:

    Allyson, these look out of this world!

    Could you please describe briefly how you coated them with chocolate?

    What could I replace xanthan gum with?

    Thanks!

    P.S. Did I say that these look AMAZING?

    • allyson says:

      Hi Danielle!

      Thank you so much! You could definitely try a slurry of ground chia seeds mixed with hot water. I’d say try 2 tablespoons chia to 4 tablespoons water. Can’t guarantee it will be exactly the same, but should be pretty close. You may need a touch more buckwheat flour, but not much. :)

  12. Lesley says:

    These look awesome! I love the idea and thanks for posting!

  13. Marly says:

    These look fantastic, Allyson! I can’t wait to begin with the gluten-free graham crackers. I love the idea of having a simple, lightly sweet snack. But the s’mores? I’m definitely gonna have to have some more (pardon the pun) of those!!!

  14. Laurel says:

    I made these last night but I replaced 3 Tbsp of rice flour with cocoa powder and added in another Tbsp of sugar. The husband remembered moonpies from his childhood as having a chocolatey, graham cracker base. I rolled them out and cut them with my largest round cookie cutter. They’re good, almost like a dark gingerbread. They also made an outstanding base for the marshmallows I made. for which I cannot now find the recipe. Rats. I think it was 3/4C water plus 2 C sugar cooked until the sugar dissolved then add in 1/2 C water and 2 packs vegan gelatin which had been allowed to bloom. Cool until boiling. Set aside to room temp. Add vanilla. Ramp up the KitchenAid for 10 minutes. Then cover yourself and your kitchen in fluff while making Sno-balls and Moonpies. :D

    • Allyson says:

      Yay! I like yours/your hubs’ version better than mine! Oh man, Sno-balls too?! Those marshies sound fantastic, Laurel! You must have had a terrific weekend. :D

  15. Ha! I JUST saw Moon Pies at World Market the other day and cringed because I used to eat those. I totally want one of these ASAP! At some point I need to make these. Maybe when my baby gets older. :-)

  16. Holy moly! This looks amazing! Your photography is beautiful, too.

  17. Oh my, these look super yummy! My kids will love this! I’ve never made homemade graham crackers before. Yours look so perfect! Can’t wait to try this recipe :)

  18. Laurel says:

    My husband is craving moon pies too. Oatmeal with marshmallow filling? Never heard of ’em. I guess I led a sheltered existence. To make matters worse, he’s somehow gotten it into his head that I have to make him homemade marshmallows because I did so for our anniversary last year. If I do though, they’re going on graham crackers and getting dipped in chocolate ala Allyson. :D

  19. Britt says:

    Oh wow…. These look crazy good! And the graham crackers are total perfection. Definitely saving this recipe so I can partake the next time s’mores are being made!

  20. These Smores look absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to make them! Thanks for sharing.

  21. Junia says:

    allyson, i love these little smore bits! wow, you have the ability to make anything look so delicious and pretty hehe. i haven’t had graham crackers in ages, but would love to try making them using your recipe! have a great week!

  22. Oh my goodness, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. These look INCREDIBLE. I can’t wait to try them!

    Promise me you’ll bring them to the next Philly Food Swap… and by the way, it was so great to meet you at the last one! I had been following your gorgeous blog for a while and I didn’t put two and two together until a few days after I met you in person. You are so incredibly talented, it’s so nice to have you as a part of the Philly food community!

  23. Isobelle says:

    Man! My mouth is watering just from looking at these bad boys.
    I still haven’t tried any vegan marshmallows, but I am convinced now that I need to buy a pack ASAP.

    I haven’t ever been able to come up with a reliable (gluten-free) graham cracker recipe, so I’m looking forward to giving this one a shot – they look awesome!

  24. these look aMAzing Allyson… and not just the smores, but even those graham crackers are a thing of beauty!! I made graham crackers once… I did the fork holes, but I didn’t have the patience to make them perfectly spaced :)

  25. Oh moon pies! I used to love them so much and they were always in my grandparents’ house when I was growing up in Kentucky. I still can’t believe that my husband (who grew up in PA) had never seen or tried one and now he can’t since he’s veg and chooses not to eat gelatin. This might just be the next best thing! THANK YOU!

  26. jessy says:

    shut the front door, Allyson! sweet gloriousness, these look fantastical! like you, i’ve gone without graham crackers since going gluten-free, but now i’ve got a recipe so i have no excuse. you are too awesome! thank you!

  27. shannon says:

    These look so wonderful! I adore s’mores. It’s one of the truly perfect flavor combinations.

  28. I would buy these if you sold them!! Priority shipping? They look wonderful, and so perfectly proportioned. Thanks for the recipe!

  29. Seriously, DO sell these. Please? :)

  30. Beth says:

    Oh. Wow. Yum.

    Sweet and Sara also makes vegan marshmallows, but they are hard to find in stores other than on the East Coast. I order them online from sweetandsara.com.

    • allyson says:

      I love Sweet and Sara marshies! I actually love them so much that I can’t bare to use them in recipes–I prefer to just eat them like candy bites or in hot beverages. :) But yes, they would work marvelously here.

  31. Amanda says:

    These look incredible!! I love s’mores and recently made some vegan s’mores cupcakes using Ener-G egg replacer to make a marshmallowy frosting, but Dandies sound phenomenal. I have to be careful around those though – last time I ate an entire bag over the course of two or three days. Oops!

    • allyson says:

      ooooh, I like that EnerG idea, Amanda! Yeah, I feel you on the dandies dilemma; they are sort of hard to resist… :)

  32. Tiffany says:

    How funny, I’ve been craving moon pies, too! These s’mores bites look so awesome.

    • allyson says:

      wow, now that is funny! Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever craved one before this… haha. Must be something in the air. :D

  33. Lauren says:

    These graham crackers look amazing! Did you use a special mold tray to make their shape perfect? Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes!

    • allyson says:

      Aw, thank you, Lauren! No, the dough is incredibly flexible and easy to work with, so I think that helps. Plus, they are a little askew compared to the boxed varieties… but I think it gives them a little character. :)