Healthy Eating: S’mores for July 4th

I loved going to summer camp as a child. I enjoyed the camp experience so much that I kept participating as a young adult to serve as a camp counselor or group leader. Eventually I jumped into the outdoor adventure action wholeheartedly and became an Outward Bound Instructor. Even now I volunteer at “cancer” camps as a yoga and meditation instructor. 

There is a quality about camps that is hard to capture in our everyday experiences. When I was young, being away from home and in a new environment immersed in the outdoors was part of the allure. Meeting new kids and learning new things was also part of the fun. 

In fact, I am still friends with some of the people that I met at my early summer camp sessions. I am volunteering this summer at a camp in New Mexico that is celebrating its 100th anniversary in August. I think just stepping away from my everyday life in Edmonds and being with old and new friends at an outdoor camp or retreat allows me to reconnect with myself in a deeper way.

This is a story that brings me to one of my favorite camp experiences: sitting around a campfire to sing, talk and what else…make s’mores! The s’more is a quintessential treat of graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate. I love to slowly roast the marshmallows until they become golden brown. 

Some folks prefer to let the marshmallows ignite and enjoy the char. These days you can find gluten-free graham crackers and vegan marshmallows. Hershey’s Chocolate Bars can be replaced with bougie dark chocolate bars of your favorite variety.

Keeping this treat “healthy” means savoring just one to fully take in the experience.

This recipe brings the s’more confection to a whole new level. You don’t have to have a fire to create this bar and it’s easy to bring to a family or holiday picnic. 

With July 4 coming up this is the perfect recipe to share as one of America’s favorite sweet treats. Here’s to celebrating America’s 250th birthday with an updated version of the classic s’more. Watch them disappear as quickly as the perfect s’more around a campfire.

S’mores bars 

Ingredients

• 3 cups (330 grams) graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoon (142 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated sugar  
• 1/3 cup (71 grams) brown sugar  
• 1 large egg  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract  
• 7 of the 1.55-oz (312 grams) Hershey’s bars or any other type of chocolate bar cut up into small pieces. (I like to use semisweet or dark chocolate bars)
• 2 1/4 cups (115 grams) mini marshmallows

For the crumble topping  

• 2 tablespoon (28 grams) butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup (71 grams) brown sugar  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease a 13 x 9-inch (23 x 33 cm) pan and line it with a large piece of parchment that hangs over the edge of the pan by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). The parchment paper will act as a sling to help you lift the s’mores bars from the pan after they’re baked to make cutting them easier.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the graham cracker crumbs, the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt until combined.

IMPORTANT: Set aside 1 cup (140 grams) of this mixture in a smaller bowl. The mixture in the smaller bowl will be turned into the crumb topping mixture later.

3. With a hand- or in a stand mixer, beat together the 10 tablespoons (142 grams) of butter, 1/3 cup white sugar and 1/3 cup brown sugar, until light and fluffy. 
4. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended. 
5. Add the larger bowl (2 cups worth) of graham-flour mixture and stir until blended. 
6. Press this mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan. 
7. Break up the chocolate bars and distribute them evenly over the crust. Top it with mini marshmallows.

Make the crumb topping

To the crumb topping mixture that you set aside earlier: 

1. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/3 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. 
2. Mix together with your fingers (or a fork if you’re feeling dainty) until clumps of crumble form. 
3. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the marshmallows are golden brown. Allow them to cool completely before cutting. Savor them slowly!

Deborah Binder lives in Edmonds with her family. She loves to cook from scratch using produce from the gardens she created with her husband. She attended culinary school and worked for restaurants, caterers and culinary schools. Her current interest in food is learning to eat for health and wellness, while at the same time enjoying the pleasures of the table. Deborah loves experimenting and developing new recipes. As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation including moderation.” Deborah can be contacted at [email protected].