Anise Saffron Whole Wheat S'more Cookies

Fall kick off s'mores with whole wheat anise cookies and saffron marshmallows.

I'm a s'more kind of person. Part of that I can attribute to growing up going to Girl Scout camp summer after summer (s'mores are great because they keep kids semi occupied around a fire in a non-dangerous way for at least an hour). Part of it is the genius of a kind of smoke flavor infused dessert to mellow out the sugar of a marshmallow. And apparently s'mores are a very American identifier. Again back to this Danish dinner I keep mentioning, but we were supposed to teach the family how to "BBQ marshmallows". Interestingly, the PR company had the marshmallow served with a spice cookie...

But it had me thinking...cookies are actually a way better surface for s'mores. They're actually round, like most marshmallows, and if you pick the right cookie, it's not going to instantly crumble everywhere and stick to every bit of marshmallow that may be on your body at that moment. And I have that cookie recipe. We've been making whole wheat sugar cookies for the past few weeks (it's the crust in this tart actually). This cookie recipe is soft and doesn't over-spread. It lends itself to pairing perfectly with a ton of flavors. So I added anise extract and anise seeds to the base and here we are.

For the marshmallow, we wanted to infuse it with saffron (another big Danish food thing we saw).Saffron works well with white chocolate and let's be real the color is unbelievable. Interestingly, the saffron only turned the marshmallows a soft apricot color until we toasted them, when they turned bright yellow. Food science is cool. When I make these again, in an attempt to get a stronger saffron color and flavor in the marshmallows my plan is to let the saffron threads infuse in a small amount of simple syrup before adding it into the mix. 

Marshmallows are surprisingly easy to make and it's easy to adjust the flavor. All you need is patience (because there's a stage in the marshmallow process where you think this cannot possibly become a marshmallow) and the willingness to scrub some marshmallow off of your counter. I do also want to point out, you can make your marshmallows whatever thickness and shape you desire. Stars. Squares. Anything. 

One thing I would change is to have these set in a much larger pan that is more shallow. If you have a large lipped baking sheet, that is going to be a great bet to get a correct ratio of cookie to 'mallow. 

Saffron MARSHMALLOWS

makes 1 large tray, enough for at least 16 s'mores

/// Ingredients ///

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 3 (1/4-ounce) packages unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 cup cold water + 1/4 cup
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• Confectioners' sugar, sifted, for coating

/// Directions ///

Select a baking sheet or casserole dish based on how thick you want your marshmallows to be. The above marshmallows were done in a 9x13-ish size tray. Lightly spray a large lipped baking sheet. Line with plastic wrap, leaving a 2 inch over hang on all sides. Spray the top of the plastic wrap as well.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water; let stand for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. As mix simmers remove about 1/8 cup liquid and place in a heat safe container with saffron threads to infuse. Boil remaining liquid rapidly for 1 minute.

Turn the mixer on high and slowly pour the boiling syrup down the side of the mixer bowl into the gelatin. Add salt. Several minutes in, add the saffron infused sugar mix to the standing mixer. Whip the liquid for a total of 10-12 minutes. About halfway through the liquid should become white. When it's 'finished' it should be thick, glossy and white with the texture of loose soft serve ice cream.

Spray a rubber spatula or your hands with cooking spray. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly into pan using prepared spatula or your hands. Let stand for 4-6 hours uncovered. Once marshmallows are set, dust with a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar to prevent sticking. 

Carefully remove marshmallows from pan. Remove all plastic wrap and discard. Cut marshmallows into desired shape using sprayed cookie cutters of a knife.  

Store in an airtight container. 

Whole Wheat Anise Cookies

makes 16 cookies

/// Ingredients ///

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 7 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon anise extract
• 1 T anise seeds 

/// Directions ///

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix butter and sugar in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment. Once light and creamy, add anise extract and egg. Add dry ingredients to a separate bowl with anise seeds and stir to combine. Add into standing mixer and mix in two parts. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. 

Refrigerate 30 minutes. Bake on a silicon baking bat 12-16 minutes until set in center with lightly browned edges. 

To make s'mores...

Skewer marshmallows and toast over an open flame. Add a square of white chocolate to the bottom of one of the anise cookies. Once the marshmallow is toasted and gooey, place between the white chocolate cookie and a second cookie to make a sandwich.