S'mores Petit Fours

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stir the sugar and gelatin together in a small saucepan off the heat. Add the milk and give it a stir; let stand for a few minutes to soften the gelatin. Transfer the saucepan to the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.

Remove the sugar-gelatin mixture from the heat and add the semisweet chocolate chips, stirring them in until they’re melted. Add the vanilla extract, mix, then let the entire mixture come to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or just using a bowl with an electric mixer, whisk the whipping cream on high speed until stiff. Gradually add the room temperature chocolate mousse batter, folding it in just until it’s all blended. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add melted butter and stir to combine until all the crumbs are slightly moist. Pack these crumbs among 4 greased, 4 oz. ramekins, smoothing them out on the bottom of the ramekins.

Bake the crusts for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, until they’ve puffed up a bit. Set them aside to cool; pop them out of the ramekin when they’re only slightly warm and no longer hot, using a sharp knife to nudge them out and flip them out onto your serving plate to cool completely.

Create your cake batter by heating the sugar, butter, and water together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once they’ve come to slight boil, remove and add the chocolate chips. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Add in the vanilla extract and mix. Cool for 5 minutes.

Add in the egg, mixing it in until combined. Add the flour, salt, and baking soda; whisk to combine. Distribute this batter among 4 empty (4 oz.) ramekins that have been greased, filling each ramekin with just enough batter to reach halfway up the ramekin. If you have some extra batter, just pour it into an extra ramekin or small baking pan if you desire.

Bake the cakes for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Run a sharp knife along the edges, flip the cakes out of the ramekins, and cool completely. Use a sharp knife to level off the uneven tops of the cakes.

When ready to assemble, spread a large dollop of chilled chocolate mousse onto each graham cracker base; you want a thick layer of mousse over each crust.

Place the cut-side of the cakes facing down onto the mousse (so the smooth side of the cakes that were sitting at the bottom of the ramekin are now facing up). Place some mini marshmallows on top and use a kitchen torch to toast the marshmallows (see note below if you don't have a kitchen torch).