Black Forest S'Mores And People Say The Darnedest Things

I recently discovered that someone near and dear to me had no clue what S’MORES were. Really! He (or she…no names) was reading the paper one day and asked me, “What are s’mores?” I couldn’t believe it.

After I picked myself up off the floor, I described them (as I would to an alien from outer space). I said they were two graham cracker squares, sandwiched with a melted marshmallow and a few sections of a Hershey bar.

That still didn’t ring a bell with H(usband)…Oh, SORRY, I mean the anonymous snack amateur. I said that Girl Scouts make them at camp (hence the inclusion of that word in the article he was reading). They toast the marshmallows and let the heat from them melt the chocolate, which makes the two graham cracker halves stick together.

His lack of knowledge about s’mores is all the more galling, because it’s not as if I haven’t written about them before. Last year, on National S’more Day, I posted several yummy sweet AND savory recipes. And a year before that, I invented (that’s a bit strong)…I DEVELOPED a cross between a whoopie pie and a s’more, which was an improvement on each of them (if I do say so myself).

The strange thing is that soon after this whole discussion, I found THESE in the store:

It’s amazing that it took until 2011 for some genius(es) to think of this. Of course, pillow-shaped marshmallows are perfect for s’mores!!! What a great country this is!

I couldn’t let the discovery of these brilliant marshmallows go by without making another variation on s’mores.

I call these Black Forest S’mores, but you could just as easily call them BLACK TIE S’mores, because they’re awfully fancy. I used Dove's Dark Chocolate Promises. (They're so good, they don't need that hokey name.)

First you melt the chocolate...(If you're using good quality dark chocolate, melt it before you add marshmallows.) This picture is after 30 seconds in the microwave.

Then to make them BLACK FOREST S'mores, I added a bit of cherry preserves. (These were homemade and easily made.)

Next I topped them with the marshmallows and then zapped them.

And, to finish, I covered them with chocolate-enhanced graham cracker squares.

Black Forest S’mores (makes 2)

Printable recipe here

2 rectangles of graham crackers

2 tbls. chocolate chips

Optional: 1/2 tsp. solid vegetable shortening*

2 individually wrapped Dove “promises” dark chocolate pieces

2 marshmallows

2 spoonfuls cherry preserves

Break graham crackers (carefully) into 4 squares. (I find that the hardest part.)

Prepare graham cracker tops first. Place two of the squares on wax paper. Melt chocolate chips and shortening, if using, in a small bowl in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Stir until completely smooth.

Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate diagonally over the graham crackers. Hold the fork high and start drizzling before you get to the graham crackers, so any large drips go on the waxed paper and not the graham cracker.

Place 1 piece of Dove chocolate on each of the remaining graham cracker squares. Microwave for 30 seconds. (If using chocolate chips, 10 seconds should do it.) Add 1 spoonful of cherry preserves in the middle and top with a marshmallow. Microwave for 10 seconds or until marshmallows puff up. Cover with chocolate drizzled graham cracker squares. Serve immediately.

*Yes, I mean Crisco. You don’t have to use it, but it makes the chocolate much easier to drizzle across the graham cracker. (I also add it when I’m dipping strawberries.)

For Quick Homemade Cherry Preserves:

Wash and stem cherries. Put a single layer, tightly packed, in whatever heavy-bottomed pot you want to use. The bigger the pot, the more cherries you can jam in. Add as little water as you can get away with, barely covering the bottom. Sprinkle in TONS of cinnamon, perhaps an entire tablespoon or more, really a lot! Stir and bring to a simmer, cover, turn to low and let cook for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. Stir really well and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring once or twice.

If you were timid and added too much liquid at the beginning, uncover and simmer gently until the cherries are barely covered in a sweet glaze. Let sit in the pot until cool. Stir in a good spoonful of lemon juice. Place in a jar, cover and refrigerate. They’ll keep for a week or two, or freeze.

Note: A spoonful of brandy, added after you take the cherries off the heat to cool, would be a delightful addition. If, however, you’re using them for this s’mores recipe, then maybe hold off on the alcohol.

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PS I just encountered some unexpected controversy. I was telling a (librarian) friend about this recipe and I pronounced s’mores the way I always have – SUH-Mores. She looked aghast and said, “It’s SMORES!!!” I said there’s an accent, which indicates a minute break in the first sound, before you get to the second. She immediately called over two more librarian types, who confirmed that it was SMORES, without the second syllable. I was astounded. I ran home to check even more.

Dictionary.com was just gross. No marshmallow treats there, just this:

Smore\, v. t. To smother. See Smoor. [Obs.]

Some dying vomit blood, and some were smored. --Du Bartas.

Merriam-Webster was more on the ball. Their audio guide very clearly said "SMORE", with nary an “UH” in there. Too bad...I still feel funny saying it the “right” way.

However you say it, the recipe still hits the spot of a sweet, crunchy, chocolatey and gooey snack. And I think MY pronunciation hits the mark much more accurately of what your first reaction is after tasting one – I want SOME MORE.

Afternote: After all this, I asked H what he thought of the s'mores. He paused and then said, "I don't think I like marshmallows." Oy!