Why are s’mores so freaking amazing?
I was thinking about them the other day when my friend who has daughters in Girl Scouts was telling me that she is planning to freeze some Girl Scout cookies in hopes they would last until summer. “I really want some Samoas S’mores,” she said.
Dang, that sounds so good.
You can turn just about any dessert food into a s’mores dessert these days. Just type “s’mores” into a Pinterest search and you’ll see what I mean. I haven’t done a lot of s’mores desserts myself, and I don’t really know why. I guess I just have a hard time believing that a s’mores-inspired treat could be better than an actual s’more.
But then, it doesn’t really have to be. S’mores toffee doesn’t have to be better than s’mores, or even better than toffee, just different. Because life is in the variety.
I made s’mores sandwich cookies once for Happy Man’s birthday. Holy moly, I had a hard time packing those up and giving them away.
Incidentally, after dozens of emotional comments on my original toffee post, I decided to give the brown sugar toffee a try. And it was a complete disaster.
Seriously. My first clue was the color. Normally I know when the toffee is ready because it turns the color of a brown paper bag. But when you use brown sugar it is that color going in, so it’s impossible to know. It also stayed very liquid, never really incorporating sugar and butter together. Then in burned very quickly. In just a couple minutes I had a mess of smoking black sugar which wouldn’t mix with the butter.
Blech.
I stand by my original recipe… equal parts butter and sugar, cooked over medium heat, stirring constantly, until its the color of a brown paper bag. Easy peasy.
The marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers are just icing on the cake. Or candy.
S'mores Toffee
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 sleeve graham crackers (about 8 full crackers)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup mini-marshmallows
Instructions
- Prepare a quarter sheet pan or 9x13 dish by lining the bottom with graham crackers. Measure out marshmallows and chocolate chips and have them nearby.
- In a heavy saucepan, melt butter. Add sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches the color of a brown paper bag. Mixture may separate or look curdled, and this is normal.
- Pour candy over the graham crackers, trying to coat evenly.
- Quickly sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips on top, letting them sit a minute or two to melt. Use a toothpick or knife to swirl topping.
- Let candy cool for 15-30 minutes, then chill in fridge to let it set. Cut or break into pieces before serving.
Notes
