Campsite Recipes: The Classic American S’more

S’mores. The mere word can get your mouth watering as you picture the warm, melted marshmallows piecing together a heavenly combination of chocolate and cinnamon goodness that will have you asking for “some more” every time.

S’mores are an American classic, a centerpiece of any campfire gathering with a history that goes all the way back to the 1920s. The first recorded recipe of S’mores appeared in a 1927 Girl Scout handbook called, “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts” (as if Girl Scout cookies weren’t addicting enough!).

A few years later, the economic downturn of the 1930s caused Americans to seek out affordable means of entertainment, giving rise to picnics in the park and making marshmallows, chocolates and graham crackers the staple of any picnic basket.

With the end of World War II and the rise of the automobile, families began to take more family vacations to campgrounds and national parks, making S’mores around the campfire a popular indulgence.

The invention of the transistor radio in the 1950s made backyard barbecues popular and moved the S’more from the campfire to the grill. A decade later, the S’more moved indoors as electric ovens became available to families, providing a delicious treat in the wintertime. When the microwave became the must-have appliance of the ‘70s, S’mores became even easier and quicker to make.

Today, S’mores continue to be a campsite must-have, bringing people together underneath the starry sky for timeless enjoyment.

Recipe for Classic S’mores:

• Marshmallows
• Graham crackers, broken into halves
• Milk chocolate bars (1.55 oz.), broken into halves

How to Make Them:

1. Place 1/2 of a milk chocolate bar on graham cracker half.
2. Carefully toast marshmallow over grill or campfire and place over chocolate.
3. Top with second graham cracker half and gently press together.

Have a special S’mores recipe of your own? Let us know in the comments below!