S'Mores. After reading many US websites regarding camping, the term S'Mores comes up a lot.
You might be mistaken for thinking this is the the staple diet for Americans (FYI: it’s not).
But for camping, it seems no American camping trip is complete without partaking in the ritual of having a S'More. So, I bravely decided to venture into unknown cooking territory, and try to replicate this traditional dessert here in Australia.
Wikipedia says they are a “traditional night-time campfire treat” and made up of “roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of graham cracker”.
The marshmallow and chocolate – no problems – a trip to my cupboard and we have them.
The graham cracker – what is that?
The Campy Mom (another blogger on camping - see her site http://alittlecampy.com/) seems to know her stuff on S’Mores. I asked her about Graham Crackers which are a mystery to me and you can see the reply here
Website “Smitten Kitten” gives us a recipe to make your own, if you are so inclined - click here
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| Photo credit: D.Niblack |
Either way, we in Australia, are going to have to find substitutes if we want to make this S’More.
McVitie Digestives seem to be the closest. I have also heard that Arnotts “Marie” biscuits are worth a go.
So we decided to try to make an Australian S’More. Here was "the plan":
- Gather around a campfire
- Get a Marie or McVities biscuit and put a piece of chocolate on it.
- Cook a marshmallow over the campfire using a stick or whatever preferred method is.
- Place the browned marshmallow on the biscuit that has the chocolate on it
- Create a sandwich by putting the another biscuit on the marshmallow, let the marshmallow spread a bit eg.ooze
- Wait 30 seconds for the warm marshmallow to melt the chocolate
- Eat and enjoy
Well, let me tell you that after our first experience with a S’More, it needs some refinement. We hit a couple of problems
- Choice of biscuit – Marie by Arnotts. It seemed a bit too thick and sweet. It was like sugar overload and not in a good way.
- Chocolate that goes on the biscuit – we used a Cadburys Twirl broken in half. When the marshmallow went onto this chocolate, it just did not melt. I waited 30 seconds but that chocolate stood firm long after 30 seconds.
- Marshmallow – to get it really gooey, I sort of set it on fire, so it was all blackened (not sure if I am meant to do that), but it didn’t seem to retain heat to melt chocolate.
Where did I go wrong? (apart from not using a microwave)
My kids enjoyed this new camping treat, but I was a bit disappointed.
I think it comes down to my biscuit choice.
Or maybe my chocolate choice.
Or then again, maybe my marshmallow cooking!!!
We tried our own version at Easter. You can see Easter S'Mores here
We tried our own version at Easter. You can see Easter S'Mores here
Searching for S'Mores information is impressive for a newbie to the world of S'Mores - there are sites dedicated to recipes; how-to cook them; bizarre S'More alternatives; and even a Facebook page dedicated to S'Mores.
This site, had a delicious sounding recipe for Peanut Butter S'Mores. Makes my mouth just water thinking about that combination.
Or maybe you want to make your own S'More in a virtual experience?
Yes, at the Hersheys site you will be able to pretend you are making a S'More and create your own ultimate S'More without ever leaving your computer........Unless your computer keyboard is a giant S'More (see below)
So, despite there being a lot of info out there for beginners, my S'More experience was not a huge hit. I am not planning on giving up any time soon - all those Americans can't be wrong - but I think the key elements to make a good S'More needs a small re-think on my part.
If you have any tips or suggestions or your own S'More experience, let us know below!!
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Actually, the chocolate not melting is a problem with s'mores. I just reviewed the Coleman S'more Maker. It solves this problem, but if you leave it over the campfire too long the chocolate gets too melted and it becomes a mess. Thanks so much for the shout out.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like there is an art to getting this dessert just right! We will give it another go next camping trip and hopefully refine some of our issues. Thanks for your advice.
DeleteThere is definitely an art to making s'mores. First of all, they are supposed to be overly sweet. They are a special treat and not something to be eaten often, so go ahead and indulge a few times a year. Secondly, if you make them right, they will be a goody sticky mess. There should be chocolate dripping down your arm. But, they're meant to be eaten outside, so that's ok! Lastly, the key to getting the chocolate to melt is to use thin pieces of MILK chocolate, preferably Hershey's. They are the perfect size and the perfect meltiness. Good luck and don't give up! They are worth it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! I think I definitely went wrong with my chocolate choice - it wasn't thin enough like you suggest. We will persist, thanks to all the great support and emails I have received from US readers!
DeleteNow you've made me want to go out and make s'mores! The truth is, you never get it just right, it's always a mess. A sweet, sweet mess.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the mess bit! Eating them seems to be a bit of an art form that we need to perfect!
DeleteThanks for your comment - hope you get to eat some S'mores soon!
This is awesome! Until I started blogging some 3 years back, I had no idea s'mores were strictly an American thing. To be quite honest, our family much prefers just roasting marshmallows. The addition of the chocolate & cracker seem too sweet to all of us (and we LOVE a good dessert). Keep up the practice - look for a nice light brown on the marshmallows - don't let it catch on fire!
ReplyDeleteVery much American food. We don't have the key ingredient for it which doesn't help in its reproduction, and like you, I agree, it is VERY sweet. Maybe I need to discover a new camping dessert?
DeleteThanks for your comment.
Today (04.12.2012) was the first time I'd ever heard of S'mores. I Googled it and the result seemed like something I wanted to try. When I went looking for a recipe, I found several, all using Graham crackers. I've heard of them many, many times but don't think we have them in Australia. I even found a recipe (an American one) for making Graham crackers but, with 13 ingredients, there was no way I was going to make them. I'm about to go to the supermarket where I'll look for them - my mum says she has seen them on the shelves ocasionally.
ReplyDeleteIt seems the best way to make them indoors is to lay your biscuit on a piece of aluminium foil, add a thin piece of chocolate (there are a couple of brands available but they're not cheap), a marshmallow and then top with another biscuit. Wrap the foil around this concoation and then on a flat biscuit slice tray in an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees C for about 10 - 15 minutes - I'm inclined to think 10 mintes would be sufficient time for the chocolate to melt without "cooking" it. Remove from the oven and let cool, on the tray or a cooling rack, to eating temperature. I think this should only take a couple of minutes.
I hope this might be of some help.
Thanks so much for your comment and all that great information. I think the Lindt Thins would be a good choice for the chocolate. I hadn't really thought much about doing them in the oven at home, but your suggestion sounds like a wonderful way to try them (with minimum fuss).
DeleteThanks for sharing.
The best way to do it is to take your time 'roasting' the marshmallow. You want to keep it at the desired length away from the fire and slowly turn it. You don't want it to brown too quickly. If you take your time it should be a light golden brown on the outside. At that point in time it should be ooey gooey in the middle. That way the inside is molten and an is the perfect temp. I also find that a chocolate bar similar to a Hershey's bar is best. It has to be a thin piece of chocolate, probably the height of a Crunch bar. I'm not sure what you guys have available in Australia. The end result will be overly sweet, and I can only have one, but it is a backyard barbecue staple for us. When I was pregnant with my last baby 2 years ago that was all I wanted. I made them in the microwave! lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Kathleen and excellent tips on browning a marshmallow. I think I must be very impatient with it, as mine always go black within seconds....so there is an art to it obviously!!! You sound like you have perfected it.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I am not the only one who thinks they are overly sweet....one would definitely be enough (though pregnancy can do weird things to you. I used to crave McDonalds..ugh).
Honestly... it's just not a s'more without the graham cracker. They're the perfect density, not too soft not too hard, a hint of honey and not overly sweet.
ReplyDeleteYou need to slooooooowly heat the marshmallow so it gets gooey (though I like to light mine on fire to get a crispy charred crust).
And a thin milk chocolate (dark is fine too). Hershey's is pretty perfect. they break off into the perfect size to fit on a Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Cracker.
FYI: Did you know the graham cracker was invented by a preacher as a way to curb masturbation? [cue shooting star with rainbow tail: The More You Know!]
I have definitely learned something today about the creator of a Graham cracker. S'Mores may never be the same again for some our readers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting and sharing your S'More story.
Try US foods in Moorabbin for the crackers
ReplyDeleteAs a Brownie Guide (like a Girl Scout in the US) camping in Australia and NZ as a kid, we used the chocolate-coated girl guide biscuits. Don't need to worry about having to fuss around with chocolate that way. If it's the wrong season for those, chocolate wheaten biscuits work just as well.
ReplyDeleteSome people like to burn the outside of their marshies and have slightly uncooked centres. But I like to look for cooler embers and slowly slowly roast mine until they are perfectly golden on the outside and totally soft on the inside. Yum!
I never get to toast mine slowly - I just can't wait! I make them all go black and then eat them! You must have greater willpower than me.
DeleteChoc Wheatens - might have to give that a go too!
Thanks for stopping by.
This is awesome! LOVE IT! Must try the recipe - mum used to use Marie biscuits when she made rum balls... with real rum =D
ReplyDeleteRum balls......yummy. Now I am thinking about THEM!
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing about s'mores in lots of American films/TV, I have been wanting to try them out.
My 3yo and I just tried out making smores in the oven - we trialed Chocolate Wheaton (without adding more chocolate squares), Arnotts Shredded Wheatmeal & McVities Lights biscuits. Shredded wheatmeal was the best, as they came out the crunchiest.
We used Lindt milk chocolate, as it was the thinnest chocolate on the shelf at the supermarket. It melted fine.
They were very sweet, and none of us could finish a whole one, but something fun to try out.
I am with you - I think they are nice to try out, but bit rich. The Lindt choc Thins are good choice but if its that rich, do we really want to waste Lindt on them!!!!
DeleteGreat idea with the McVities too! I just love them at any time.
Thanks for visiting our site.
This is the second time I've read about S'mores this week! They must be the new thing. I just can't get my head around them though lol. I think I'll stick with my toasted (read: burnt) marshamallows.
ReplyDeleteS'Mores are creeping into Aussie way of life! But they have been around forever in USA - reports go back to 1925 when they first appeared! There is even a National S'More Day in USA (naturally!!)
DeleteIt's funny, because I had to Google what a S'more was after seeing them on so many US blogs. I had never thought to try it out myself until seeing your post. Thank you for the inspiration x
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Cybele - hope you get to try them out, but warning - rich & messy!!!!
DeleteI had not experienced ttese, knowingly, but if you can find new zealand biscuts "thins" made by griffins, I buy mine at crazy clarks, they are a thin biscut with a thin choc coating on one side. when camping while viving in new zealand we would toast marshmallows over fire or a portable camp stove, then squash marshmallow between 2 biscuts, chocolate on the inside of sandwich, they are delicious.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info Donna - I will keep an eye out for those biscuits, as you never know when they will be imported here. They sound a bit like our Choc Wheatens.
DeleteThanks for visiting.