Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers and S’Mores Bars

Oftentimes, the ordinary things are the ones that bring the most pleasure; a cool breeze on a hot day, sitting quietly next to your kids on the couch, studying puffy white clouds in a cerulean sky, eating the first sun-warmed berry of the season or curling up to sleep at night between cool, clean sheets. And there are the blissful moments when simply ordinary is elevated just a bit; not so far that it’s ostentatious- only enough to gently nudge it into the realm of extraordinary. Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers are one of those.

Most of us were raised with graham crackers as a staple of the snack table. Brown, sweet and homey, graham crackers are an ordinary pleasure. But dipped in chocolate, graham crackers glide into sublime territory. The transformation from plain Jane graham cracker to velvety chocolate-enrobed cookie is nothing less than magical. It goes from nursery food to party food. If you lay a plate full of these out at the dessert table at a party I guarantee an empty, crumb-free plate within nanoseconds.

There are two real and present dangers with Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers.

1. The danger of total paralysis in trying to decide just how much of that blasted cracker to cover with chocolate. Do you carefully coat one side? Dunk one end and leave a ‘chocolate-free zone’ for grasping with the thumb and forefinger? Drizzle melted chocolate artfully over the top? Dip marshmallows in chocolate and stick to the graham crackers a la s’mores? Go all the way and submerge the entire cracker in chocolate? It’s worse than deciding what to wear the first day of school!
2. The danger of dunking an entire box of graham crackers in chocolate and eating it alone in the closet.

I combat the first threat this way.

In the name of all that is good and true, why would you only do it one way? Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, it has been said. Go wild.

And I combat the second temptation by succumbing to it. Minus the closet. Now don’t worry;  I share with the kids. But they’re smaller than I am and I eat faster than they do. Score. They’re little, though, so I’m sure they’re low in calories. Besides, real graham crackers are made with whole grains. That makes this healthy*.

*Shhhhhh. I know most graham crackers are not made with whole grains today. Don’t intrude on my delusions.

I know I could’ve simply melted chocolate and dunked the crackers, but I went one step further; I added coconut oil to my chocolate when I melted it. I had a couple reasons for this seemingly heretical act. I wanted to make the chocolate a little easier to bite into after it set up and I wanted the chocolate to melt on my fingers so I could lick it off. It’s the little things in life…* 

*Feel free to omit the coconut oil from the recipe when making this.

Oh! And lest I forget, do come back tomorrow. You might want to try what I did with these later. I’ll give you a hint.

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Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers and S’mores Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 sleeves of graham crackers, broken into quarters along the scored lines
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate,  chips or (finely chopped) bars
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil or unsalted butter
• Optional: For s’mores bars, one large marshmallow per graham cracker piece

Place chocolate and coconut oil or butter into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high heat for 1 minute. Remove bowl and stir with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Microwave in additional 10 second increments, stirring well after each time, until the chocolate and oil are completely melted, combined and smooth.

Line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper and set aside. Here’s how you gild those lilies.

For half-covered crackers:

• Use the thumb and forefinger to grab the end of a graham cracker piece. Dunk the free end into the chocolate and use a spoon to bathe chocolate as far up the cookie as you would like to go. Let the excess chocolate drip away and place on the parchment lined pan.

For drizzled crackers:

• Carefully drop a cracker flat onto the surface of the melted chocolate. Use two forks to lift the cracker from the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip away. Transfer to the parchment lined pan. Use a spoon to drizzle more melted chocolate in patterns over the uncovered surface of the cracker.

For fully covered crackers:

• Drop a cracker piece into the melted chocolate. Use two forks to turn the cracker in the chocolate, making sure all surfaces are covered. Use the forks to lift the cracker from the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip away. Transfer to the parchment lined pan.

For s’more bars:

• Carefully drop a cracker flat onto the surface of the melted chocolate. Use two forks to lift the cracker from the chocolate and allow the excess chocolate to drip away. Transfer to the parchment lined pan. Cut each marshmallow in half. Kitchen shears are the quickest way to do this job. Dunk the cut sides of the marshmallow into the chocolate, lift and let excess chocolate drip away. Position the marshmallow halves chocolate side down on the cracker pieces. Leave as is, or use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the marshmallows and crackers.

Important!: Place pan in the freezer to set up the chocolate. Eat with child-like abandon!