Give Me S’more!

It may have started out as bad grammar, but there is no doubt that s’mores have become a staple to children here in the US. What exactly is in a name? Well, to the best of my knowledge s’mores received their moniker by someone wanting “some more.” This got glued together (much like the s’more itself!) to become “s’more” and a new treat was born.

The traditional s’more is made of graham cracker, milk chocolate bar, and toasted marshmallow all together in one gooey, ooey, sandwich mess, which one can’t help smearing all over one’s face, fingers, and clothes. It is a sweet treat beloved by children all over the United States.

Adults, on the other hand, may find them a bit too sweet, and, let’s be honest, a bit too messy. Kids love the gooey, chocolatey, sugaryness of it all, while parents are just a bit sickened by the amount of sugar their offspring can consume in front of a blazing fire. In our family, I have to put a limit on the amount allowed or my dear children would finish the bag of marshmallows!

So, how does one make a s’more? Simple. You will need this:

A bag of your favorite, gf brand of marshmallows (most marshmallows are naturally gf, but it’s wise to check your bag every time as companies are want to change ingredients!)

A package of your favorite milk chocolate bars (Hershey is a staple for these in the US)

A box of gf graham crackers (Yes. You can make these, but for a quicker solution, I bought a box of them!)

A roaring fire

Sticks for roasting said marshmallows (We just break a few sticks off in our yard from young saplings, but I hear they actually sell metal poles for this now. We prefer to “rough it!”)

Start your fire and when it is going nicely, skewer your marshmallow onto your stick and roast gently on all sides, being careful to get it nicely browned. Lighting it on fire and turning it black is not recommended, however, I have a couple of impatient children who love their marshmallows this way!

Break your graham cracker in half so that you have two even sides (or approximately!)

Place a piece of chocolate approximately the same size as the half-graham cracker piece on the bottom of your sandwich.

Gently slide the beautifully browned marshmallow onto the chocolate covered side of the graham cracker sandwich by placing the other piece of the graham cracker over the top and pulling the stick out. There you have it – a s’more.

Now, if this sounds like a complete, slightly sickening, mess to you, I do have a suggestion. Instead of the milk chocolate bar on your s’more, switch it out for a piece of lovely dark chocolate. This gives the s’more a more sophisticated taste and is far less sweet that it’s sister sandwich! Problem solved! I prefer this, though I know children everywhere will disagree! “Give it a whirl,” as my dad used to say and you will definitely be hearing, “I want s’more!” You may even get a “please” out of it!!!