By Sam Stern

AMERICAN STYLE GOOEY COOKIE S’MORES

Marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between two biscuits, my indoor s’mores are the ultimate treat.

With the addition of crunchy peanut butter, you can attempt to make all the ingredients yourself at home, or a take the easy road with my sure-fire shortcuts. You will need a blowtorch and a 8cm cookie cutter.

Serves 8

Ingredients

Biscuits

Shortcut: Digestive biscuits

Or make your own biscuits:

100g/4 oz. ground almonds

150g/5 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

100g/4 oz. caster sugar

3 medium yolks

150g/5 oz. plain flour

Pinch of salt

2-3 drops of vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache

200g/7 oz. dark chocolate

200ml/7 fl. oz. double cream

Peanut butter spread

60g/2.5 oz. unsalted butter

150g/5 oz. crunchy peanut butter

50g/2 oz. icing sugar

½ teaspoon of salt

Marshmallows

Shortcut: Store bought

Or make your own: http://www.samstern.co.uk/recipe/marshmallows/

Prep:

1. To make the marshmallows, follow my recipe on my website.

2. Whisk the butter and sugar for the biscuits together for 2-3 minutes using the electric whisk until pale. Beat the egg yolks and gradually add, continue beating with the electric whisk. Add the vanilla extract.

3. Sieve the flour, ground almonds and salt together and add to the mix. Combine with a wooden spoon until just combined.

4. Roll the mix into a ball, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, make the ganache. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place into a bowl. Scald the double cream – this means to heat the cream on a low to medium heat on the stove until steam rises from the cream and the edges slightly bubble. Remove from the heat. Pour the cream over the dark chocolate and mix together with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes until the chocolate is melted.

6. Place a layer of cling film directly over the ganache so the cling is touching the chocolate mixture to stop a skin from forming. Chill in the fridge.

7. Combine the ingredients for the peanut butter spread. The mixture needs to be spreadable so if it is too stiff, add a little warm water to loosen. Set aside, but do not refrigerate.

8. After the biscuit mix has chilled, remove from the fridge and roll out onto a floured surface, to about 4mm thick. Cut the biscuit discs with the cookie cutter and lay the biscuits onto a tray lined with baking paper.

9. Chill the biscuits for 20 minutes again.

10. Heat the oven to 190 degrees C/375 degrees F (170 C/325 F for fan).

11. Bake the biscuits for 10-15 minutes, depending on the strength of your oven. The biscuits should be a light golden colour.

12. Allow the biscuits to cool on a wire rack.

Assemble

13. To assemble, take one biscuit and spread with a layer of the peanut butter spread.

14. Place the ganache into a piping bag or use a spoon, and place over the peanut butter.

15. Top the ganache with marshmallows, and lightly toast these using a blowtorch.

16. Cover the toasted marshmallow with another biscuit to create a sandwich.