Camping Birthday Party - More and More S'mores

A camping-themed party is not a party without those delicious treats that we've all come to know and love, S'mores!  They are so simple to make and such an important part of the whole camping experience.  All you need is:

1 large marshmallow 

1 graham cracker

2 to 4 pieces of a chocolate bar (try Cadbury's Dairy Milk, Neilson's Jersey Milk, or Hershey's Skor Bar).  

Before you start roasting your marshmallow, have your graham crackers and chocolate ready.  Place the pieces of chocolate on one graham cracker, set the other graham cracker aside.

Now, heat the marshmallow over an open flame until it starts to brown the edges and melt.  

Pick up your graham cracker with chocolate and place the marshmallow on top.  Quickly grab the other graham cracker and sandwich the marshmallow in on top of the chocolate.  

Allow the marshmallow to cool before eating.

Instead of making s'mores by the fire, you can opt for a simpler version, the s'more trail mix.  Here's the recipe by Betty Crocker:

2 cups of Golden Grahams Cereal
1/2 cup of small chocolate-covered pretzel twists
1/2 cup of miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup of cocoa roasted almonds
1/4 cup chocolate-covered raisins

S'mores for dessert anyone?  Try this s'mores-inspired cupcake recipe from Annie's Eats:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham crackers (approx. 1 pkg out of the Honeymaid box)
1/4 cup sugar
5 T unsalted butter, melted
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
Marshmallows (you'll need about 100 mini marshmallows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In food processor, pulse graham crackers until they are fine crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter and mix until well combined. Add approximately 1 tablespoon of crumbs to the bottom of each liner. Use a small circle object (I used a shot glass) to press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of each liner. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from the oven. Divide the chopped chocolate evenly among the cupcakes. Add approximately 4 marshmallows to each tin.

Cake:
2 cups plus 2 T sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt in your mixing bowl. In a small bowl, add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla and whisk together. Add to dry ingredients and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 minutes. Add boiling water and beat on low until just combined.

Spoon batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 of the way full. The marshmallows will float to the top but that's okay. Bake approximately 18 - 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center cupcake comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
8 egg whites, room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large Hershey bar

In a clean stainless steel mixing bowl or double boiler, combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar. Whisk frequently, heating the mixture over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 160 degrees. Transfer egg mixture to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Begin mixing at low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high speed as the mixture becomes thicker. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add in the vanilla and mix until just combined. Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and frost as desired.

Using a kitchen torch held about 6 inches away from the cupcakes on a non-flammable surface, brown the cupcakes lightly as desired. Keep the torch moving so you don't catch any spot on fire. Just like toasting marshmallows by a campfire, slow and steady is a better approach than sticking the marshmallow to close to the fire, you're going for lightly toasted frosting not black and bubbly marshmallow. Garnish with chocolate bar segments.

Enjoy all the s'mores recipes!  I know you will!

♥ Vesna ♥