DinoS'mores!
Introduction: DinoS'mores!
As all great predators in the animal kingdom know, food is better when you can play with it! These dinos'mores can be used in a classroom setting to teach how paleontologists uncover fossils, at parties for a fun treat, or just when you feel that cretaceous craving.
Please be warned: this project is VERY MESSY. (and VERY FUN!)
Supplies
Ingredients:
* Chocolate of your choosing, in small, even-sized pieces (in this example I’ll be using chocolate chips)
* <PERSON> crackers
* Butter
* Brown sugar (I recommend dark brown sugar, but light or regular granulated sugar will work as well)
* Mini marshmallows or mallow bits
*Note: Amounts are not included in this Instructable because the amount of ingredients required will depend on the capacity of your molds. To make 1 egg with several dinosaurs (most will be used as extras/backups, I used 1 12 oz bag of chocolate chips and had a bit of melted chocolate left over, 1 sleeve of graham crackers, 1/2 a stick of butter, and 1/3 cups of brown sugar).
Supplies:
* Microwave-safe bowl
* Mixing bowl
* Spatula
* Measuring cups
* Digital thermometer
* Dinosaur-shaped candy mold
Optional supplies:
* Mallet
* Egg-shaped mold (be sure your egg mold is large enough to fit your dinosaur(s)!
* Double boiler
* Plastic bags or squeeze bottles
Step 1: Making Your "Dirt"
Chocolate can be a bit... temperamental to work with, and requires a bit of speed and dexterity to work with. That's why I like to start by making my "dirt", which can be set aside until later.
Our dirt is a modified graham cracker crust, which really helps the s'more vibe come through. While the amount of dirt you need will vary depending on how many/the size of the eggs you make, a basic ratio is:
* 1 part graham cracker crumbs
* 1/5 part melted butter
* 1/3 part brown sugar
Start by placing your graham crackers in a sealable bag, releasing as much air as you can. Using your hands or a mallet, crush your graham crackers into a fine dust. If you are making this recipe with children, you can triple bag your graham crackers, place them on the floor, and encourage your kids to do their best impression of a T-Rex stomp! If you are making this recipe alone or with adults, I certainly wouldn't judge you for doing the same.
Next, empty your graham crackers into a mixing bowl. Place your butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in small increments (10-15 seconds at a time). To avoid spatter, remove and mix every 10-15 seconds until the butter is 2/3 melted or so. Stirring the butter will melt the rest, and will leave you with a lot less cleanup.
Add your butter and brown sugar to the graham crackers and mix. 515
If you want to include marshmallow "eggs", this is a great time to mix them in as well. Your mixture should be compactable at this stage. If it's still pretty loose, you can add small amounts of butter and/or brown sugar to thicken.
Set your tasty, tasty dirt to the side for now, it's dinosaur time!
Step 2: Making Your Dinosaurs
There's a few different ways to melt your chocolate. The process of melting and cooling chocolate is called "tempering". A well-tempered chocolate is shiny on the outside, and has a good snap when you bite into it. A poorly tempered chocolate is still delicious, as 99.5% of chocolate is, but may have a waxy coating or a marbled pattern known as "bloom". Serious chocolatiers, and 5ivecents at the beginning of this project, use a double boiler to temper their chocolate, as the indirect heat provided by the simmering water in the lower part of the boiler melts chocolate evenly, leading to a nice temper. Double boilers can be a pain to clean and after 4 rounds of wonky dinos are at significant risk of being chucked through a window, so here's the microwave method:
Place your chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. I like using a large glass measuring cup because of the built-in spout.
Microwave for 30 seconds. "What?" you may be thinking, "This clearly isn't enough time to melt my chocolate. It's practically solid, you fool". 136