Now that the madness and fun of Halloween is behind us, I am looking forward toward holiday baking season and am excited about getting my hands dirty in the kitchen, making some delicious treats. However, I feel a bit wistful and sad that summer has gone. The shadows are already long across the DC landscape and I didn’t really get much time away to just play this summer.
However, I can still recapture some of summer’s fun by making these s’mores cookie bars and pretending to be outside, camping or something. It’s not much, but what the heck – you have to do what you can as the days get short and the cold sets in.
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Press half of dough into prepared pan.
Arrange chocolate bars over dough, breaking as needed to fit. Spread with marshmallow creme. Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallow; carefully press to form a layer.
Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. 16 bars.
Last week’s Photo Wednesday has been on my mind for a while. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as an integral part of s’mores? It’s pure madness, but it’s just so crazy it might work. It got me thinking about what other special ingredients people might like. I have always had a bit of a fascination with s’mores, leading back to when I was a child and my Uncle Mike took my brother and me on an adventure in rural western PA, where we played in the creek, had a picnic dinner and then made s’mores – something I had not encountered before in my seven or so years as a lad in Cleveland.
It was like magic. The paint box of my young life had been given a new palette of colors with which to color the world of tastes. Or something like that. That’s at least one mixed metaphor, I suppose.
Tori likes the idea of using Kit Kats, Take Five bars and Nutella, but probably not all in the same wee sandwich.
Barbara (not Babs unless you want to be in the doghouse) says she likes using cinnamon graham crackers.
Laura writes, “I tend to use what I have laying around rather than actually buying specific s’mores materials. Old peeps and Snickers bars make a fine substitute for marshmallows and Hershey bars when you are a grad student.”
Courtnay adds that she likes to spread peanut butter on the graham cracker before adding the other constituent bits. However, she doesn’t like just any peanut butter. She says her miracle ingredient is crunchy-creamy peanut butter, which I am not familiar with but she assures me really does exist.
Kristin (behind the desk) says she likes, “lots of marshmallow gooies.” I like the way she thinks.
I would like to suggest trying circus peanuts or Peeps in lieu of the traditional marshmallow. Everything is made more holy by circus peanuts.
What secret ingredients do you have for this campfire classic?
Flickr user Frances Civello has a pretty neat photo here. The first thing that struck me was the shallow depth of field and that having the packaging out of focus does not reduce its ability to send its particular message. The second thing that struck me is that these are all ingredients for s’mores. All that’s missing is a bonfire. That’s a good thing, mind you, as it’s way too hot for a fire right now. This is better weather for turning these ingredients into a s’more milkshake.
All the same, the photo doesn’t say anything about that cultural candy construct – the s’more. It just shows some pieces and lets your brain figure out the rest. Great photo, Frances!
Do you want your candy photos featured here? Submit them to the Candy Dish Blog Flickr group. We want to see your candy photos and so does the rest of the world!
I don’t know about you, but I love camping. And it’s almost camping season. There is nothing quite as relaxing to me as getting a group of friends together around a campfire, roasting hot dogs, drinking a few beers, melting s’mores and laughing until my stomach hurts. I’m talking real s’mores, not the geeky keyboard type Carl likes. I’m even more excited to camp this year because I now have a dog to join in on the fun. As you could probably predict, Hershey’s loves S’mores too. They devoted an entire page to it, full of unique recipes to enjoy this delicious and chocolatey campfire treat. That’s awesome.
Since I won’t have an oven, I will probably just stick with the classic s’more recipe while in the great wide open. Just like the boys in The Sandlot did.
“First you take the graham, you stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the ‘mallow. When the ‘mallows flaming… you stick it on the chocolate. Then cover with the other end. Then you scarf. Kind of messy, but good!” - The Sandlot (1993)
When I saw this I just about stood up and hollered, it looked so good. Tortillas, peanut butter, chocolate chips and marshmallows. What could be better? Many thanks to iFood TV.
This is pure genius. Kim and Jason of Escape Adulthood have a few great recipes for s’mores and finish up with the S’more Keyboard. It’s the perfect autumn gift for your favorite geek. Now that it’s campfire season, I imagine these recipes might come in handy soon. The one problem with the keyboard s’more is that it might be a big mess, but I suppose that’s the price of adventure.
Now that the madness and fun of Halloween is behind us, I am looking forward toward holiday baking season and am excited about getting my hands dirty in the kitchen, making some delicious treats. However, I feel a bit wistful and sad that summer has gone. The shadows are already long across the DC landscape and I didn’t really get much time away to just play this summer.
I don’t know about you, but I love camping. And it’s almost camping season. There is nothing quite as relaxing to me as getting a group of friends together around a campfire, roasting hot dogs, drinking a few beers, melting s’mores and laughing until my stomach hurts. I’m talking real s’mores, not 
