Homemade Gift Idea: Stove-top Smore Kits
Now that you have mastered the art of marshmallow making. Wait. You haven’t? Well, then go here, and you soon will. https://thefarmerandhiswife.org/2020/12/14/farm-kitchen-marshmallows/
Alright. Welcome back. As I was saying, now that you have mastered the art of marshmallow making, it’s time to put that good skill to work outside of personal pleasures in the way of hot chocolate toppings.
Yes. I am talking about S’mores—that beautiful creation in which just-toasted marshmallow is rolled in chocolate and smooshed between sweetened cookies until it oozes out the side, bringing and melting the chocolate right along with it. Yes. The S’more. The Delight of any and all summer fireside chats and gatherings. But can it be had in the winter? Yes, I say. Yes. And here is how: over the stove top. Now, I know it is not as grand as a roaring blaze, but the act itself will invoke such memories of the later that it will be as if it were. You may even find yourself humming a bit of Koom-by-ya as you toast your little morsal.
And what better gift to give than a bite of summer memories right here in the bowels of winter? I can think of none. And the crafting of this particular gift is rather simple, once you have mastered the marshmallow (which, I believe, we have already covered). 1.Simply set a dozen or so aside, well powdered and wrapped in parchment. 2. Find a pretty dish to fill with mini-chocolate chips for the swirling of and in the toasted mallow (the results of which will be a chocolate coated marshmallow mound like no other). 3. Of course, sticks must be included as well. The Farmer’s Wife uses those of the wooden-kitchen-skewer-type, tying together the number needed (as in the number of people doing the roasting) with attractive yarn. Sticks gathered from your yard will work just as well and would be rather attractive in their own right.
Now, all that is missing is the cookie. In the summer, traditional graham crackers are made and used. But this is the one deviation from summer fare that we will make, and I hope you will allow it. You see, the Farmer’s Wife is making these for Christmas gifts and she felt, as I’m sure you do, that a bit of Christmas-ee was needed.
4. So, of course, she made gingerbread men. And here is how she did it:
Three and a half cups flour are mixed with one and a half teaspoons each of baking soda, cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and ginger (freshly grated is best). This is stirred and set aside. Four tablespoons lard and four tablespoons butter are creamed into a cup of sugar of the brown variety. Once mixed and mixed well, a half cup corn syrup, a half cup heavy cream, and two tablespoons bourbon is added and mixed. Next, the dry ingredients are stirred in and kept on being stirred until all is smooth. Wrap the dough in parchment and set in the fridge so the flavors get to know each other a bit and hold themselves together.
The next day, lightly flour your workspace[MS1] and roll out the dough. Now, the Farmer’s Wife likes a bit of nostalgia, so she follows up the first rolling with a second one, this time with her special rolling pin that leaves little holes behind—you know the kinds they have on graham crackers? Yes, those. If you don’t have that kind of rolling pin, you can use a fork to make your own kind of nostalgia. Or skip it and go right to the shape-cutting. As I said before, the Farmer’s Wife made hers into men, but you can do whatever you like, as long as they are all the same size and shape. Because as you know, you cannot make a proper sandwich without like-minded bread, and these cookies are no different, even if they are a S’more. These the Farmer’s wife bakes in a three hundred and fifty degree oven for about ten minutes, but the time will depend on the thickness and shape you decide to go with.
Once done, these are set aside to cool, and once they are, are placed in a pretty bag, with twice as many cookies as marshmallows. Again, the sandwich. All of this is placed in a box lined with festive tissue and set under the tree to wait for Christmas morning where they will become someone’s special Christmas treat. And for those of you wondering or worried, these keep for several weeks.
*Adult supervision of any and all S’more making activities, both inside and out goes without saying, but it may be wise to include a note with detailed instructions.
