More S’mores Please!

Can you tell from the pic below that we used the new jumbo marshmallows that are now on the market? They are huge, and at first I thought excessive, but since I like extra-gooey s’mores, the higher ratio of marshmallow actually appealed to me greatly.

We often ready s’mores after grilling on my son’s patio. It makes good use of the coals as they’re dying down, plus we enjoy the camaraderie of everybody gathering around to toast their marshmallows and chat.

The Girl Scouts, who popularized the eating of s’mores in the early 20th century, have always used the activity to promote a sense or togetherness and bonding around a campfire. The first written s’mores recipe appeared in a 1927 publication, “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.” Called “Some More,” it provided the following very tempting instructions: “Toast two marshmallows over the coals to a crisp gooey state and then put them inside a graham cracker and chocolate bar sandwich. The heat of the marshmallow between the halves of chocolate bar will melt the chocolate a bit.”The writer noted that the treats always tasted like “some more,’ though one is really enough.” Interestingly, the shortening of the name to s’mores didn’t begin to catch on until the 1960s.

Nobody knows if a Girl Scout came up with s’mores, but if so, she may have been inspired by the marshmallow-chocolate Mallomar cookies or Moon Pies that were already around. In 1913, the National Biscuit Company (now Nabisco), introduced its Mallomar, which featured marshmallow, jelly, and cake covered with chocolate icing.

In 1917, the Chattanooga Bakery began selling its Moon Pies, giant graham cracker rounds topped with marshmallow and chocolate. It seems likely that somebody simply had a brainstorm to turn the same combo into a fresher, tastier homemade treat. What a great idea!

While there is nothing wrong with ordinary store-bought marshmallows in s’mores, for an extraordinary treat, try them made with the raspberry marshmallows here. Oh my!