real food s'mores

Real food s'mores.
You thought it wasn't possible?  You were afraid to hope?

I'm here today to tell you, dreams do come true.  There is such a thing as real food s'mores.  They are such a fun summer treat, eaten around a fire pit or a campfire.  Gooey, warm, sweet, crunchy, delicious.  And it's possible to enjoy this wonderful thing without GMOs or the dreaded high fructose corn syrup.  Interested?  I thought so.

Your basic s'more has three key ingredients: graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows.

For graham crackers, I used New Morning graham crackers. They were purchased at a local health food store.  The ingredient list isn't perfect, but it's really pretty good.  Or if you've got the time and ambition, you could try making your own graham crackers!  Try this delicious whole wheat recipe (I would use sprouted flour) from Wardeh at GNOWFGLINS, or this grain-free recipe from Jami at Eat Nourishing.

Let's talk chocolate.  It's always possible to make your own honey-sweetened bars, but my go-to brand is Rapunzel.  This is the company which produces the unrefined natural sweetener Rapadura (now labeled "Organic Whole Cane Sugar").  I love, love, love their chocolate bars.  I've only found one local store that carries them (New Seasons, if you're in the Portland area!), but they're also available from Azure Standard as well as online.

Last but not least, the quintessential ingredient for s'mores:  roasted marshmallows.  I've found a brand in the health food store which had ...reasonably respectable ingredients.  I wasn't thrilled with them, but I would have given them a try - except that all I could find were mini-marshallows.  Not so good when it comes to roasting.  So I was thrilled when one of my favorite bloggers posted a recipe for Fluffy Honey Sweetened Homemade Marshmallows.  I was a bit nervous to try them, but was surprised by how quickly and easily I whipped up a batch.  And yes, they do roast.  You have to watch them, because once they reach a certain temperature they'll go all gooey, but they do roast.  What's more, this recipe has stellar ingredients.  And honestly?  They're delicious.  My kids loved them, and I thought they tasted truly tasted like marshmallows.  Only better.

You roast a 'mallow, slap them all together, making a nice little chocolate & marshmallow sandwich with a crunch graham exterior, and voila!  So yes, it is absolutely possible, and I couldn't be more pleased to tell you.

Real food s'mores!  Who would have thought it?