S'more

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HISTORY

While most of the favorite fare of the good old USA like hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie had their roots in distant lands, it took American ingenuity and a group of Girl Scouts to come up with what just might be the best snack ever, the S’more.

Sure, the treat made by placing a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate candy between two graham crackers can be considered a spin-off of sandwich cookies or a variation of Mallomars ^[1] and Moon Pies ^[1], other tasty treats with similar ingredients. But when the Girl Scouts of the USA first shared their recipe for Some Mores in their 1927 publication called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts, history of what soon became known by its shortened name, S‘more, was made.^[1] Sitting around a campfire with friends or family, some sticks and a few simple ingredients suddenly became one of life‘s most precious moments.

Since there were no reporters present and the camcorder had not yet been invented, the history of the S’more is partly conjecture and lore and has been passed down through the generations. But the creation of this camper’s delight, supposedly getting its name when everyone who tried it asked for “some more,” ^[1] could not have taken place without the commercial availability of its key components - marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers.

Marshmallows, believed to be around since 2000 BC in Egypt, became popular with consumers in the US when they were introduced in a convenient, transportable version in the early 1900s.^[1] The graham cracker was invented in 1829 by Sylvester Graham, a vegetarian Presbyterian minister who was born in Connecticut and who touted the health benefits of using coarsely ground wheat flour because it has high fiber content.^[1] Starting in 1900 in Pennsylvania, Milton Hershey made huge quantities of chocolate bars for the masses.^[1] And, voila, the scene was set for some Girl scouts to bring it all together.

S‘MORE DELICIOUS POSSIBILITIES

The recipe for making S’mores is so simple. But, as with coffee, tea and other things we truly savor, that doesn’t mean we all have to be satisfied with just the basic blend. Here are some of the hottest variations on the S’mores theme:

• Indoor S’mores - Too cold outside? Too tired to go traipsing into the woods just to light a fire and get your fill of this comfort food that brings back fond reminiscences of summers at camp? With a microwave oven, you can rekindle the memories in less than a minute. ^[1]

• Step up to the (Hershey) bar - Since it is believed that the Hershey bar was the original chocolate used in those first s’mores, what better repository for recipes of this fantastic concoction could there be besides the Hershey’s website? Find out how you can make S’mores that are actually brownies and bars. Experiment with s’mores made with chocolate cookies or with the added punch and crunch of toffee bits and almonds. ^[1]

• Paula’s Personal Picks - Paula Deen, the kitchen queen, has come up with some interesting takes on making s’mores, indoors or outdoors. One calls for bananas, uses chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers and is made on a grill. ^[1] The other is for the purist and just substitutes a few seconds under a broiler for the campfire. ^[1] Either way, y’all will really enjoy them.

• S’mores to the max - While Hershey bars, generic marshmallows and plain graham crackers are all you need, wouldn’t it be great to reward your taste buds on a special occasion with some s’mores that demanding divas and movie moguls would serve at their soirees around a Malibu fire pit ? Godiva and Recchiuti Confections can hook you up with s’mores that might be budget busters, but don’t you deserve the star treatment once in a while? ^[1]

Author:Pearl Salkin

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