Boozy S’mores Truffles
Crunchy graham crackers, soft marshmallow, melty chocolate. Gooey bites, sticky hands. Big smiles.
Do you also associate happy childhood memories with s’mores? I do, and even as an adult, my love for this treat has not diminished. So I decided to make a grown-up version. How? I added alcohol.
I ate a lot of s’mores as a kid, even if it wasn’t a typical food in the Philippines. I grew up with cousins who ate a lot of American food, and I also read a lot and watched a lot of American books and movies and TV shows, and they always seemed to feature s’mores in the summer. So to me, s’mores was an exotic treat. And I’ve always loved all things exotic. Plus I was enamored with the apostrophe.
My cousins and I would make the classic s’mores with Hershey’s milk chocolate, graham crackers, and toasted marshmallows over a campfire in their farm. However I would always burn my marshmallows, and even as kid I was never a big fan of the outdoors, so I would take the short-cut and just nuke my marshmallows in the microwave. I would also make s’mores for myself as an afternoon snack at home. My two sisters were never into it, so I would happily consume it by myself. Extra chocolate, big smile.
This grown-up version is also extra fudgy. And there are no burnt mallows, no need for a roasting pit, and no sticky hands (unless you let a truffle melt in your fingers). I used some coffee liqueur, which brings out the flavors of chocolate. And for another batch, I used rum, which is one of my favorite ways to incorporate alcohol in desserts (see: Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Mango Coconut Bread, Chocolate Rum and Dulce de Leche Pie, Buttermilk Rum Cakes, Chocolate Almond Cake). Maybe next time I’ll combine both. Or use vanilla vodka? Or red wine?? There are plenty of booze options.
The results: the same s’mores flavors I love, in portable, poppable form! Filled with pillowy marshmallows, creamy chocolate, and graham cracker crumbs. And a little bit of alcohol.
I made a chocolate base that is part ganache, part fudge. There are a few more ingredients than the classic s’mores from my childhood, but it only requires one bowl, and there’s no baking necessary (thanks to my trusty microwave). Then I added coffee liqueur, folded in crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallows, and rolled them into little golf-sized balls. Then another roll around crushed grahams, a few hours of chilling in the fridge, and I have party-ready, BBQ-ready, midnight snacking-ready Boozy S’mores Truffles.
I brought these to a BBQ and Matt’s dad called them “tasty little morsels.” I brought these to work and my co-workers had no qualms eating them at 9 am, in spite of the alcohol content. I brought these to a dinner and one of my friends broke into her stash as soon as the plates were cleared. I kept some home and I ate three in a row (okay, four). I think it’s safe to say that these truffles are a big hit.
Boozy S'mores Truffles
Ingredients
12 oz dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cuup butter
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup coffee liqueur
1 cup mini marshmallows
10 sheets graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
Directions
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, cream, butter, condensed milk, and coffee liqueur. Heat on full power for 1 minute, then remove and stir until smooth. Heat again in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth, until everything is melted together. I heated my chocolate mixture for a total of 2 minutes.
- Fold in mini marshmallows and 3/4 of the graham cracker crumbs (reserving 1/4 for rolling). Mix until well incorporated.
- Refrigerate mixture for at least 1 hours, or chill in the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
- Using a teaspoon, portion out onto rounds and using your hands, shape into 2 inch balls (golf ball size). You can moisten your palms with melted butter so that the truffle mixture won't stick to your hands.
- Roll each truffle in the remaining graham cracker crumbs. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. I recommend serving these truffles chilled.
If you don't have or don't like coffee liqueur, you can also use dark rum. Other options include vanilla vodka or red wine. Or you can omit the alcohol altogether, and just make S'mores Truffles!
Tell me about your favorite boozy desserts!