Tuesday, July 08, 2008

S'mores! (with many thanks to Wikipedia!)



A s'more is a traditional campfire treat popular in the United States and Canada, consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker. They were first mentioned in the Girl Scout Handbook in 1927.

S'mores are associated with recreational camping. Part of the enjoyment of this simple dessert is the way in which it is made on such camping trips. A marshmallow is skewered on the end of a long stick and held just above the campfire until (according to personal preference) its outer surface starts to brown, char, or even catch fire. Once heated, the inside of the marshmallow becomes soft. The marshmallow is quickly pinched off its stick with the waiting graham crackers, one of which has a piece of chocolate on it (typically a section of a milk chocolate bar). Ideally, the heat from the roasted marshmallow partially melts the chocolate into a gooey mess. However, some people assemble the entire s'more on the stick and cook it all at once to ensure gooey chocolate. Some people add peanut butter to the mix for additional flavor. The peanut butter may be added between a graham cracker and the chocolate piece or between the chocolate piece and the marshmallow. Many s'more consumers will set the waiting graham cracker and chocolate near the campfire to help melt the chocolate.


Making s'mores in this manner is so popular in the United States that supermarkets often carry graham crackers, marshmallows, and huge chocolate bars in the same shelf section during the summer months. In recent years "S'More Kits" for making the treats on the kitchen table at home have been sold at housewares stores. These consist of a small heating element to cook the marshmallow, metal skewers and a lazy susan to hold the "raw" ingredients. These are similar to fondue sets. Different items sold as s'mores may be found in restaurants, prepared at home, or even bought ready-made. These confections usually contain the three ingredients of graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow, but they are not necessarily heated or served in the same shape as the traditional s'more.

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It's summertime people, let's melt some chocolate!
Yes, I've done this with a propane torch, though the campfire provides a better atmosphere.
:-)

4 Comments:

Blogger gothcat said...

These look so yummy!We in Oz do the roasted marshmallow but only got as far as eating it off the stick or whatever ,this sounds like you guys really know how to snack In style!lol
Im going to go read about these graham crackers,they are a mysterious thing to us Australians,its like what little kids eat on american sit coms?They are also in Snoopy comic books and eaten by Linus.,Theres so many things Id go to just *taste* if I went there.

12:11 AM  
Blogger gothcat said...

Um .also after having read about Rev Sylvester Graham who invented theses crackers as part of a diet to suppress carnal urges which he believed led eventually to blindness...?Um,Wow!What a psycho!LOL.
Im delighted at this bizarre addition to my weird library of general knowledge.
Thankyou Darling!never a dull moment.;)xxx

12:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I reckon we could substitute a milk arrowroot biscuit for the graham cracker in an Aussie version of the s'more. Thanks Pitfinder, I had always wondered what the hell they were!

5:52 AM  
Blogger Rach said...

hurrah for info, i too had always wondered what this entity called a s'more was!

12:25 AM  

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