Campfire Smores Recipes

CAMPFIRE S'MORES

Steps:

• Butter a 9- by 11-inch pan.
• Place the chocolate in a large bowl over a double boiler at a low simmer. Stir the chocolate until melted, and then turn off the heat. In a separate pot, bring the cream just to a simmer. Stir in the espresso and chile powder, and then remove from the heat. Add the cream mixture to the chocolate and whisk into a smooth, shiny consistency. Refrigerate.
• Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Stir in the marshmallows and cook until fully melted. Add the vanilla paste and popped popcorn, coating thoroughly.
• Press half of the popcorn mix into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with half of the salt and the chocolate mixture. Spread the remaining popcorn mix on top, sprinkling with the rest of the salt. Refrigerate until set.
• Once cool enough to easily handle, cut first into rectangles and then into triangles. Let sit at room temperature until slightly tacky.
• Crush 2 sheets of the graham crackers in a shallow dish. Place the triangles into the crumbs and press the crumbs into the bottom and sides. Place the triangles on a baking sheet and top with a few remaining marshmallows. Put under the broiler until light brown. Top with larger piece of graham for garnish.

CAMPFIRE S'MORES IN A CONE

Steps:

• Place about 1 teaspoon chocolate chips into an ice cream cone, followed by a layer of mini marshmallows. Continue layering chips and marshmallows into the cone until full. Repeat with remaining chips, marshmallows, and cones.
• Wrap each cone tightly in aluminum foil.
• Heat the foil-wrapped cones in a campfire until chocolate and marshmallows are melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

S'MORES

Steps:

• Expertly assemble and ignite a campfire. (Watch a how-to video, if you need.)
• Procure roasting skewers: Metal skewers are the way to go, as they won't leave bits of tree bark behind in your marshmallow. (Flammable twigs and wooden skewers aren't the safest options for younger kids.) Double-pronged roasting sticks designed for marshmallows will keep marshmallows secure as they soften over the flames, but extra-long metal skewers work just fine.
• Make a s'more: With a paper towel, rub a little neutral cooking oil over the end of the metal skewer where the marshmallows will go; this keeps the sugary pillows from sticking. Skewer 2 regular marshmallows or 1 jumbo marshmallow onto the rod.
• Top a cracker with 1 or 2 squares of chocolate, depending on size and personal preference. Sprinkle a little salt over the chocolate, if you like.
• Roast your marshmallows: Resist the urge to immediately plunge them directly into the flames. Hold the marshmallows over the top of the flames, and roast, rotating often, until the marshmallows are golden, gooey in the center and slumped slightly down the skewer, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the marshmallows into the flames, let them catch fire briefly and then carefully blow them out. A perfect marshmallow is a burnished marshmallow, after all.
• Immediately place the charred, skewered marshmallows on the chocolate-topped cracker. Take the unadorned cracker and press down as you pull out the skewer so that the gooey marshmallows ooze over the chocolate and out of the edges of the crackers. Devour immediately. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

CAMPFIRE S'MORES

Steps:

• Make graham crackers
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Cream the butter, sugars, and honey in a mixer on medium speed until soft and fluffy. Sift together the flours, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, and pour into the mixing bowl. Mix on slow speed until just combined. Turn out the mixture onto a clean surface. Press the crumbly looking dough together with your hands until it just holds together.
• Press the dough onto a 12 x 16-inch piece of parchment paper. Shape the dough into a rectangle and cover it with another 12 x 16-inch piece of parchment. Roll the dough out very thin by rolling from the middle of the paper outward. If the dough is difficult to roll, add a tiny bit of flour between the parchment and the dough on both sides. Transfer the dough onto a baking sheet, patching it to make an exact rectangle.
• Bake the dough until the top is golden brown, slightly blistered, and dry-looking, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Use an angel food cake cutter or a fork to mark rows of holes, 1/4 inch apart, all over the dough.
• Trim the rough outside edges and cut the dough into 14 to 16 squares, about 3 inches each. Use a ruler to make straight cuts and work quickly - the crackers become difficult to cut when they cool. Bake until the cut crackers are a deep golden brown, another 2 to 4 minutes (they will burn quickly, so take care at this stage). Cool them and store them in an airtight container.
• Make marshmallows
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for 10 minutes. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. Add vanilla and incorporate into mixture. Scrape into a 9 x 9-inch pan lined with oiled plastic wrap and spread evenly. (Note: Lightly oil hands and spatula or bowl scraper). After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, take another piece of plastic wrap and press mixture into the pan.
• Let mixture sit for a few hours. Remove from pan, dredge the marshmallow slab with confectioners' sugar and cut into 12 equal pieces with scissors (the best tool for the job) or a chef's knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar. Broil the marshmallows until brown, or toast over campfire or hot coals.
• Assemble
• Place a cooked marshmallow on top of a graham cracker. Top the marshmallow with shaved bittersweet or milk chocolate and place another graham cracker on top of the marshmallow to make a sandwich. Garnish the sandwich and plate with a bit more shaved chocolate.