since i started this blog, my dad has always told me that i should make moon pies, mostly because i think he wanted eat them all. i told him, yeah, yeah i'll get to it, thinking that one day i would get the recipe just how i wanted it. moon pies were basically an anomaly to me when i was growing up. yes, we had little debbie cakes, and the ubiquitous drakes' cakes; but moon pies were a whole other deal because us kids growing up in the north couldn't readily find them (apparently moon pies are a staple of the south). my dad grew up in nyc, but spent a year living with his aunt, uncle, and cousins on the shores of virginia when he was young. years later, he would tell me and my brother tall tales of these marshmallowy, graham crakcer-y sandwiches that were covered in a chocolate shell. by the time he finished describing them, i was wiping drool from my mouth, and ready to make my way down to the closest southern state to find one of these delights. i can't remember exactly how old i was when i first bit into a moon pie, but i clearly remember how delicious they were: the graham crackers used to sandwich the pie weren't crunchy, but soft, the thin layer of marshmallow creme was just enough to separate the two cookies, and then the chocolate encasement!
in my endeavor to recreate moon pies into a homemade version, i thought i would go ahead and make them a bit more wholesome (if that's even possible). the cookies i made here are gluten free and dairy free, the maple marshmallow crème is devoid of corn syrup, and uses maple syrup in its place; and the chocolate shell is made from dairy free chocolate melted down with some coconut oil. there was many a trial and error, some costly, some not; but in the end i am super duper happy with the outcome of this extremely tasty treat!
and today i'm sharing the recipe over on Food 52! so head on over there and check it out! click here for the link. xo