Oh my....they're beautiful....just eat them!!

Stacy, they both look delicious! If Thumper attempted making marshmallows, he'd have to be taken outside and power-washed.

And yes, you can freeze both, graham crackers and marshmallows.
Marshmallows freeze very well. but be sure to store them between layers of parchment, or have your sous chef place each one in cupcake liners, in an airtight container, and freeze.

Sol

I can only imagine how delicious they will be. I've never heard of anyone making graham crackers. Those two things will make the best smores ever!

WOW! Those look fantastic! The only other person I've ever heard of making Marshmallows was Martha Stewart - were they difficult? Also would you share the recipe for the graham crackers?

Great job you two!

Alexa

Stacy, those both look delicious, I can't imagine they'd last long enough in my house to ever make it to the freezer!

Sol, I'd have to be power washed along with Thumper, I'm a horrible messy cook...

Annie

I am very impressed with both of your efforts! They look delicious!!

I tried to make homemade graham crackers once. They looked & tasted like cheap dog biscuits. :(

/tricia

Annie I'm sure Cooper would love to help with cleaning you up (I'm going to leave it at that.....)

Stacy, looks great!

Good Job Stacy and Will!

OK, Jessica, he's sweet and cute and easy to get along with, but still.....he's a dog and I'm not sure all that sweet stuff is good for him because he can't brush his own teeth. (grin)

Annie

I've never tasted dog biscuits, cheap or not. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Stacy, Our HM marshmallows don't last long enough to freeze. But I do know that you can store them in the pantry with a slice of bread to keep them soft.

Great job!

Thanks for all the nice comments!

This was really Will's "thing"...he is really on a kick of "homemade" everything - so when I mentioned that someone (maybe terri? on the CF had made their own marshmallows - he became determined...) so he found recipe from Ina Garten and knows I like her...and while researching we found the marshmallow recipe on Smitten Kitchen. We didn't use it, but it linked to the graham cracker recipe we used.

Here are both. (and thanks Sol - for the info on freezing - I LOVE the idea of having them in the freezer to surprise our friends the next time we have an impromptu campfire - or maybe even invite them over for a s'mores party - and surprise with homemade makings...:-)

This blog helped me out also, because I don't own a candy thermometer - and it said I could do it without one...:-)

Here is a link that might be useful: do better blog

Here is the graham cracker recipe.
Graham Crackers - from smitten kitchen
Adapted from Nancy Silvertons Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks, because for some absurd reason that will be immediately rectified, this book is not yet in my collection.

If youÂre new to graham crackers, do know that the word "cracker" is misleading. TheyÂre moderately sweet, like a cookie or biscuit, but they do have the snap of a cracker. I canÂt say that IÂd serve them with cheese, but if youÂve never schmeared them with cream cheese frosting, youÂre missing out.

The topping amount will make a heavy coating, like the store-bought ones. Make only half if you just want a light-to-moderate sprinkling.

Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (a swap of 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour or 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour works well here, too)
1 cup (176 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt (4 grams)
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
1/3 cup (114 grams) mild-flavored honey, such as clover
5 tablespoons (77 grams) milk, full-fat is best
2 tablespoons (27 grams) pure vanilla extract

Topping (optional)
3 tablespoons (43 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) ground cinnamon

Make the dough: Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal.

[Alternately, if you don't have a food processor or electric mixer, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender. Just make sure they're very well incorporated.]

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.

Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. [This makes a traditional graham cracker shape. I rebelled and made mine into 2-inch fluted squares with one of these.]

Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.

Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Decorate the crackers: Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (again, this is for the traditional cracker shape). Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. [The baking time range is long because the original recipe calls for 25 minutes but my new oven -- which I suspect runs crazy hot but have yet to confirm with the actual purchase of an oven thermometer -- had them done in way less. Be safe, check them sooner. Nobody likes a burnt cracker!]

They both look great! We used to make marshmallows a lot when I was a little girl but the recipe we used didn't have any corn syrup - just sugar. Sometimes we'd make them tutti-frutti style with chopped nuts, cherry bits and minced raisins or dates added.

Stacy, tell Will I'm really impressed. Both the marshmallows and the crackers look perfect.

Ann

Stacy those are truly gorgeous. You and Will did a great job. I'd so love to be able to cook with him. So much fun and such great ideas. Go Will and go Stacy for supporting his ideas through fulfillment. Really makes me happy.

Too cool Stacy and Will! I made marshmallows for the first time too this year. They were part of a hot chocolate cake recipes that I made.

I love seeing and reading about all of you who are cooking with the kids. Thanks for the cracker recipe too. I'll being trying that one soon.

David

I've made graham crackers twice, and marshmallows once. They didn't look like that. I may have to try again...

Aww Stacy, you're killing me! I LOVE marshmallows and have watched Ina do it a number of times and I just drool! Graham crackers used to be a favorite of mine too. Mix them together with chocolate and it's my kind of nirvana! Please tell Will I want to be a guest when he opens his first restaurant! =)

Ohhhhh, wow! Love the photos, can't hardly wait to make some myself!

Sooz

I've yet to make the grahams..but they are on my to do list..

Yours look great..

Oh and a little tip..let the marshmallows dry out a bit before "toasting"....homemade marshmallows don't toast as well as store bought. I think it's the lack of "crap" in them. LOL

Oh and I've had marshmallows that I let set out over night do just fine in a canning jar for about a month.

Great job! I haven't frozen homemade marshmallows before (they don't last long enough), but I prefer frozen marshmallows in general. Bet it would work well. The graham crackers look perfect.

Jo