I took one for the team last weekend during a snow day and had a “S’Mores Workshop.”
With myself.
You are hereby highly encouraged to do the same yourself – either solo or with a few friends.
My goal was to determine the perfect ratio of chocolate : marshmallow : graham cracker, and how long the microwave takes to work its magic.
Have three food items ever been so dearly beloved when combined as these guys? Just looking at this picture makes me smile.
So let me share the Knowledge of the Snow Day with you. I learned last night (another snowy one) that a single square of a Hershey bar, as pictured above, is called a “pip.” I am not lying: this came on TV during a commercial while I was editing the S’Mores pictures I had taken. I had not known there was a name for a single square, and there was no explanation provided during the commercial, or during a cursory web search. But I do know one thing: this post is obviously meant to be, because what are the chances that I am a) watching commercials, b) about the very item I am blogging about?
Hershey, you dictate my actions through mind control. Always have.
I usually have graham crackers on hand (in case a granola emergency arises), and I have had marshmallows around since the holiday season (as a result of some successful Reese’s Puffs Treats). But Hershey bars? No, I generally do not keep Hershey bars in my home. I mean look what happens when I do: Solo S’Mores Worskhop. I made up a thing to be able to eat a Hershey bar.
I do make a more casual s’mores knock-off on occasion, using chocolate chips. My favorite chips to have around are Trader Joe’s; I toss a few marshmallows in a bowl with some chips, nuke it, stir quickly, and dip graham cracker pieces into it, working as quickly as possible so the marshmallows don’t harden. However, before you run to the baking cabinet to try the chip method, let me offer one piece of advice:
THAT IS NOT THE SAME THING AS A REAL MICROWAVE S’MORE. I repeat, with imagery:
Once I had a bite of a “real” s’more using a Hershey bar pip (of course, I have no open flames in my apartment, so there is only so much I can replicate), I am not sure I will be able to go back to chocolate chips. Pips > chips.
Here is some additional wisdom from S’Mores Workshop day:
- For a single serving, I prefer a bite-sized s’more. This is under 100 calories! And easier to eat. This means :
- One small rectangle sized graham cracker piece as a base and one as a topper; one full graham cracker “board” will net you two servings.
- Hershey-wise, the bar I used was a bit bigger than the size they sell at grocery check-out, and I feel like there are so many novelty sizes that it doesn’t make sense to use a standard size for measurement. I used one “pip” from my larger Hershey bar, but I recommend using whatever equals about 40 calories. This may require minimal division from you, but there are apps to help with such difficult math. {Total calories in Hersey bar, divided by number of pips = calories in one pip.} It will probably be about two pips from a regular Hershey bar.
- The marshmallow required a bit of testing itself, and my preferred method came to be cutting one large marshmallow in half, long-ways, and only using one half-marshmallow per s’more. The cut side will sit neatly on the chocolate, and not roll away. You can use a knife or kitchen scissors, and it doesn’t matter if you marshmallows are a bit stale. I have not tried very stale though.
- Stack graham cracker, then chocolate, then marshmallow. Place on a microwave-safe plate. Have the second graham cracker rectangle ready, but don’t put it in the microwave. Nuke the triple-decker awesomeness for 12-15 seconds. This also may depend on your microwave (mine is aggressive). If you have never microwaved a marshmallow, DO IT. They puff up huge and then return to normal size. It is impossible to photograph appropriately due to lighting and transient nature (much like the Loch Ness Monster, or Bigfoot). The chocolate will hold its shape until the below important step – commercial chocolate is actually made to do so when heated. There is no way Hershey would let their name smudge after a mere 12 seconds in the microwave.
- Quickly remove from the microwave and top with the second graham cracker square.
- THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT: Apply light pressure to the s’more for about 5 seconds, to allow the heat from the marshmallow to melt the chocolate appropriately.
- En-joy.
- 1 graham cracker (rectangle board), broken into 4 equal smaller rectangle pieces
- Hershey bar squares, to equal 80 calories
- 1 regular marshmallow, cut in half long-ways
- Place one small graham cracker rectangle on a microwave-safe plate.
- Top with chocolate.
- Cap off with ½ marshmallow, cut-side down so it doesn't roll away.
- Microwave for 12-15 seconds.
- Remove from microwave and place second rectangle on top. Hold for 5 seconds to transfer the heat from the marshmallow through the chocolate.
- Repeat with remaining ingredients.
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