At our home, Father's Day is usually spent lounging by the pool, listening to the Red Sox game as it crackles across the radio airwaves. It is a lazy day...just the way Bill likes it. We cookout and when dusk comes, we light a fire in the fire pit and it is time for dessert...S'Mores!
This year the youngest has returned to the nest from her sophomore semester in college and we decided to kick things up a notch for Father's Day. Last night we taste tested a few variations on the traditional S'more and we found a few winners...a fact made sweeter because we were watching the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup!
Most people are familiar with the very good, traditional recipe for S'mores: Graham Crackers, Milk Chocolate candy bars (we preferred Hershey's) and Marshmallows, toasted over the glowing coals of an open fire.
We tested interesting, new combinations and are pleased to share some of the results...let's hope they inspire you to make S'Mores a part of your Father's Day celebrations.
Cookie base options: Graham Crackers, Girl Scout Short Bread Cookies, Lu Petit Ecolier Dark Chocolate Biscuits and Pretzel Rods.
Chocolate options: Willy Wonka Waterfall Milk and White Chocolate Bar, Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate, Hershey's Symphony Milk Chocolate and Milk Chocolate Toffee/Nut Bars, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and York Peppermint Patties.
Marshmallow options: Regular Kraft Marshmallows, Kraft Jumbo Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and Toasted Coconut Marshmallows
S'Mores combo #1 :
Graham Crackers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and a Jumbo toasted marshmallow.
The Jumbo marshmallows are a nice size to compensate for the thicker chocolate option, but be careful not to burn them in an effort to get the interior ooey-gooey. A wee bit of resting time once assembled will allow the marshmallow to soften completely as well as soften the peanut butter cup to a requisite squishiness. My daughter commented that this combo reminded her of the flavor of a Butter Finger candy bar. This was my husband's favorite!
A close second for Dad was combo #2:
2 Petit Ecolier Dark Chocolate Biscuits and a regular sized toasted marshmallow...his comment,"This tastes like Paris!" The dark smooth chocolate melted evenly from the heat of the marshmallow, but wasn't too mushy or oozy. The plus for me about this combo is that with the combo cookie and chocolate, there is less to clean up...it is easier to manage, as in the S'More is less likely to smush apart and ooze everywhere...I know spoken like a true mess detesting Mom! I'd take these along for cookout at the beach or some other summery place! My accomplice in this experiment said this combo was okay, but she is not a fan of really dark chocolate...the good news is LU makes a milk chocolate version of the biscuit as well.
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Option number 3 was a wee bit more outside the box:
Graham crackers, toasted jumbo marshmallow and York Peppermint Patties. Because the jumbo marshmallow presented the most challenge in melting all the way through without burning on the outside, we were going to not recommend it for the S'More updates, but we had a happy accident. As Em was trying to take the marshmallow off the toasting stick, a core of marshmallow popped out of the center, leaving a pocket begging to be filled...so in went the peppermint patty...and the marshmallow collapsed around it, melting it perfectly as the graham crackers gently mashed around the toasty exterior...the one observation was that although really tasty, this combo was quite sweet and could use a bit more chocolate... round two, we sandwiched Hershey's chocolate bar between the cracker and marshmallow...a la traditional S'More...and Em's sugar coma ensued!
Our fourth and final combos for this experiment went in two directions...using a base of Girl Scout Trefoil Short Bread cookies (I had some squirreled away in the freezer), Emily used a Jumbo Marshmallow and utilizing the core extraction method, inserted some milk chocolate and squished away...she like this combo as it was less sweet than the peppermint patty...and the cookies were an unexpected crunchy bite. Bill used the shortbread cookies, a regular toasted marshmallow and for his chocolate choice...his favorite...the Reese's Peanut Butter cups. He liked this combo, but observed, anything tastes good with Reese's!
We tried one more variation of the S'more...sorta...this one is aimed at little ones who might not have the patience or skill set to eat molten sugar (remember Walter Matthau's forehead in Dennis the Menace), precariously squished between slick chocolate and crispy crackers.
Using a jumbo marshmallow, we inserted a pretzel rod into its center. We melted some chocolate (I used Trader Joe's dark chocolate melting coins) in a microwave safe container. Next, using a fork, we drizzled the chocolate over the marshmallow "pop" and adorned it with rainbow sprinkles (chopped nuts, graham cracker crumbs, crushed Oreos, toffee bits...all fun toppers for this popper!): Small Fry S'More Pop! Same great flavors but no chance of ouchies.
Obviously, there are a whole host of flavor combinations...most of all there is a ton of fun to be had! I hope you are inspired by this experiment and have fun creating your own combos...let me know what creations you develop!
Have a happy and safe Fathers' Day everyone!
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