A couple of weeks ago I read in a magazine that August 10 is "National S'mores Day". That little bit of trivia was all I needed to reignite my craving for these campfire delights. Fortunately, thanks to my trusty toaster oven, no campfire is required.
To make these s'mores extra special, I made my own marshmallows and graham crackers using a recipe in my new favorite cook book: Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Other Cooking Projects by Karen Solomon. (I'm not going to include the graham cracker recipe here, but let me know if you want it.) The marshmallows take the most time, about 2 hours from start to finish, and you will need a candy thermometer. There is a lot of "down" time involved, though, as you wait for the syrup to boil on the stove and later when the stand mixer miraculously turns the gelatin and syrup into bright white marshmallow fluff. These down times provided the perfect opportunity to work on the grahams, which take about an hour from start to finish.
Homemade s'mores make for a fun (and sticky!) afternoon cooking project. The grahams have such a comforting, homey quality -- just make sure not to make them too thick -- and the marshmallows are so soft and fluffy that you'll never want those dry tubes from a bag again!
Happy National S'mores Day -- why not celebrate by making your own?
