Spoiling Your Inner Child.

Sometimes, no matter how you try and repress childhood memories, well the bad ones at least, they still come back to haunt and intimidate you.  The good memories I have, which are few and far between, seem to mostly center around food.  One of these was the first time my mother made rice krispies treats for me.  They were so gooey, yet crunchy and deliciously sweet! But she only made them once as she felt the "mess in the pan" wasn't worth the effort.  

As I grew older, I was able to obtain these treats in stores, and eventually learned to make them myself once I adopted my son. Seeing how much he enjoyed them was worth the work, and he even asked me to make them as he went into teenage years and adulthood.  I don't understand why the big fuss over the "mess in the pan" as it easily cleans out with hot soapy water and a sponge anyway.

Anyway, a little history about this childhood treat; it was invented in 1939 by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day, and the Kellogg’s Company, to help raise money for the Campfire Girls Foundation.  It was a simple recipe of melted butter and mini-marshmallows mixed into rice krispies, allowed to cool, cut up into squares and enjoyed.   Nowadays, this simple recipe can include any manner of mixture from different types of cereal, toasted oatmeal or crushed granola.   Additions of candy bits, chopped nuts, peanuts, peanut butter, or drizzled with chocolate or caramel creates a treat for those of a more “refined palate”.  Oh, who am I kidding, they just taste even better!

Oh, a little history on the correct spelling of the treat’s name.  The official spelling for the famous cereal and treats is Krispies with an "ies," though "crispy" is the normal English word for crunchiness. Kellogg's Rice Krispies uses the stylized "K" brand name, in other words, “K” for Kellogg’s, so “K” for Krispies.  However, folks commonly spell the homemade marshmallow squares as "rice krispie treats”, “crispy treats", or “rice krispy treats”.  I know, who cares, just have fun making, and then eating, them.

Making treats nowadays might take a little more calculation too, depending on the density of the cereal used plus any other added ingredients, and the size of the pan used as well.  Normally it is 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons), 1 (10 ounce) package of mini-marshmallows (they melt quicker) and 6 cups of rice krispies cereal.  It is all pressed into a greased (with butter) 2-quart rectangular baking dish; cooled for an hour and then cut into squares.  While the butter and marshmallows can be melted in a stovetop pan, nowadays a microwave is more convenient and makes it easier to control the melting process to avoid burning.

 

Just last week I made treats with additions of dark chocolate chips and toffee bits.  Hubby, and my favorite taste testers at the local 7-11/Exxon, were very happy with the combination.

Personally, I prefer the original version, but I have made them with the addition of crunchy peanut butter, and they were devoured in a couple of days.  Here’s the recipe for that version.

 

 

Peanut Butter Rice Krispies Treats

Ingredients:

7 cups rice krispies cereal

1 stick (8 Tbsp.) salted butter plus 1/2 Tbsp. for greasing dish

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 (10 oz.) bag mini-marshmallows (make sure they are fresh!)

Preparation:

Into a large mixing bowl, measure out 7 cups of rice krispies cereal; lightly grease a 2-quart rectangular baking dish with butter.

Into a medium mixing bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter in the microwave for 45 seconds; add in the marshmallows and toss to coat. Microwave for 60 seconds, mix thoroughly; microwave another 30 seconds, mix and pour over cereal. Using a sturdy spoon, mix together so the cereal is thoroughly incorporated. Put the mixture into the baking dish and press out to the sides as evenly as possible; cover with plastic wrap and let cool on counter for one hour. Cut into squares and enjoy.

 

How many does it make?  It all depends on the size of the squares that are cut.

Do yourself a favor and spoil your inner child once in a while; you deserve it. Oh, and if you have children, spoil them once in a while too, and give them fond memories for adulthood.

Mary Cokenour

More to S’mores.

Did you ever read one of those survey questions that asked, “How old were you when you found out about ______?”  Well, here’s one for me, “How old were you when you had your first s’mores?” I was 52 years old and at a cook out at a friend’s home.  After the main meal, they called the children together and said, “OK kids, time to make s’mores!”, and I had to ask what they were.   Oh, I can feel eyes going wide, confusion on the face, and, “She’s never had s’more before!?!”, and that answer is “No”.

With summer almost here, camping and barbecuing will be in full swing, and it seems that s’mores is a big deal west of the Mississippi.  Any stores selling food products already have a display of boxes of graham crackers, bags of large marshmallows, and packs of Hersey milk chocolate bars.  Oh, and here a rant from me; I remember when those Hersey bars were sold in packs of six, and now they are only in packs of four!  Outrageous!!!

Origin of the s’more seems to have begun on the east coast, but not exactly how it looks right now.  I remember, when we had overnights at camp, the only things we roasted over the campfire were hot dogs and large marshmallow on sticks we collected from trees.  The combination of graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate came in a yellow package, sold in the cookie aisle, and were called “Mallomars”.  Family Dollar sells a similar cookie, “Eatz Fudge Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies”, that name long enough for you?  Anyway, the cookie has a graham cracker round, marshmallow on top, and the entire cookie is drenched in chocolate.  Sounds like what you all probably know as s’mores, right?

Another product that is similar to s’mores is the “moon pie”.  Moon Pies originated in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1917 at the Chattanooga Bakery. The story goes that a traveling salesman, Earl Mitchell, was inspired to create the snack after talking with Kentucky coal miners who wanted a large, filling treat for their lunch breaks. The miners suggested the snack be "as big as the moon," leading to the moon pie's name and size; and is still a popular treat in the south.

Ah, but who invented the s’mores that is popular around campfires?  In 1927, girl scout leader Loretta Scott Crew, was given credit for creating the recipe, for her troop.  She gave it the name “Some More”, and published the recipe in the Girl Scout handbook, “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”.  The recipe retained its name for about 50 years before it was reduced to “s’mores”.  According to Colorado State University, the recipe name, either version, signifies that, after eating one, there is a strong desire for another.  Sounds a bit like Oliver Twist, “Please, sir, I want some more.”.

 

Now I am going to go one better on the simplistic s’more, and offer up a recipe for a complete dessert, S’mores Brownies.  These brownies can be created entirely from scratch, or semi-homemade using a fudge brownie mix.  Personally, I cheat and go the semi-homemade route, using the directions for cake-like brownies.  Even though the box states, for high altitude, “no change”, I still add three tablespoons of flour, or the center remains too gooey and sinks.  If you prefer, and have a fabulous homemade brownie recipe, then use it!

 

S’mores Brownies

(semi-homemade recipe for cake-like brownies)

Ingredients:

 1 (16.3 oz.) box of Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie Mix

2 Tbsp. water

½ cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

Optional and for high altitude, add 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

9 graham crackers; four of the crackers should be broken up into dime-size pieces.

2 cups mini-marshmallow

3 (1.55 oz.) bars of Hershey Milk Chocolate, each small piece broken into halves

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lightly spray a 9”x9” baking pan with nonstick spray, then place 1-8”x12” piece of parchment paper long-ways across pan, turn pan and place a second piece of parchment long-ways again.  Crease paper along bottom edges of the pan; this will make removing the brownies much simpler, and help keep them from falling apart when moving to a platter. 

 

At the bottom of the pan, lay out five graham crackers, breaking pieces off to make them fit side by side, and cover the bottom.  Mix together brownie mix, water, oil, eggs, and extra flour if needed, and pour over the graham crackers, making sure to spread out evenly and smoothly. Place pan in oven and bake for 32 minutes, remove and set on towel or hot pad.

 

After 32 minutes, 350F.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On top of the, not completely baked, brownies, spread out the broken-up graham crackers.  Next, spread the mini-marshmallows, and last, but not least, spread out the broken-up Hershey bars.  Place back into the oven for another five minutes; the chocolate will get melty, and the marshmallows will begin to spread a bit, and slightly brown.

 

 

Remove pan from oven and let brownies cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.  Carefully lift by the edges of the parchment paper and set onto a platter; carefully, using a long spatula, lift each side of the brownies and remove the paper.  To cut the brownies, use a very sharp knife as the graham cracker crust is still crispy; it does not soften up from the batter’s moisture.

 

Servings are 12 to 15, depending on how large they are cut.

 

Make it a complete dessert with ice cream and maraschino cherries.

There you have it, more to s’mores than you knew before.  Enjoy the sweet pleasure.

Mary Cokenour 

Rice Krispy Treats - Spoil your Inner Child

Sometimes, no matter how you try and repress childhood memories, well the bad ones at least, they still come back to haunt and intimidate you.  The good memories I have which are few and far between seem to mostly center around food.  One of these was the first time my mother made rice krispy treats for me.  They were so gooey, but crunchy and deliciously sweet; but she only made them once as she felt the "mess in the pan" wasn't worth the effort.   As I grew older, I was able to obtain these treats in stores, and eventually learned to make them myself once I adopted my son.  I don't understand why the big fuss over the "mess in the pan" as it easily cleans out with hot soapy water and a sponge.

Anyway, a little history about this childhood treat; it was invented in 1939 by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day, and the Kelloggs Company of course, to help raise money for the Campfire Girls Foundation.  It was a simple recipe of melted butter and mini-marshmallows mixed into rice krispies, allowed to cool, cut up into squares and enjoyed.   Nowadays, this simple recipe can include any manner of mixture from different types of cereal, toasted oatmeal, crushed granola, nuts, dried fruit and mini-candy pieces.

Making treats nowadays might take a little more calculation too, depending on the density of the cereal used plus any other added ingredients, and the size of the pan used as well.  Normally it is 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons), 1 (10 ounce) package of mini-marshmallows (they melt quicker) and 6 cups of rice krispy cereal.  It is all pressed into a greased (with butter) 2 quart rectangular baking dish; cooled for an hour and then cut into squares.  While the butter and marshmallows can be melted in a stovetop pan, nowadays a microwave is more convenient and makes it easier to control the melting process to avoid burning. 

I made peanut butter treats just yesterday and while you might think I made them too thin; as far as I'm concerned, that means I have a lot more to enjoy.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients:

7 cups rice krispy cereal
1 stick (8 Tbsp) salted butter plus 1/2 Tbsp for greasing dish
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 (10 oz) bag mini-marshmallows (make sure they are fresh!)


Preparation:

Into a large mixing bowl, measure out 7 cups of rice krispy cereal; lightly grease a 13" x 9" baking dish with butter.

Into a medium mixing bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter in the microwave for 45 seconds; add in the marshmallows and toss to coat. Microwave for 60 seconds, mix thoroughly; microwave another 30 seconds, mix and pour over cereal. Using a sturdy spoon, mix together so the cereal is thoroughly incorporated. Put the mixture into the baking dish and press out to the sides as evenly as possible; cover with plastic wrap and let cool on counter for one hour. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Do yourself a favor and spoil your inner child once in awhile; you deserve it.

Mary Cokenour