Free Shipping on Orders over $49 (Retail Only)

Shop Now
0

Love S’mores? Then you’ll really love creative ideas brought to you by The Girl Scouts of the 1940s and our Facebook Friends. But First – A Bit of History!

S’mores Today…

S’mores are everywhere. There’s S’mores ice cream, S’mores ice cream toppings, and (God help me) S’mores cereal which should be labeled as a dessert but is not. Go to upscale restaurants and you find upscale S’mores, delivered to your table with a little jet stove for roasting. Got it? I don’t, not exactly, but they still taste good.

                                 Ready-to-Roast Upscale Style

S’mores In the Beginning…

Regardless of its evolution, S’mores were the product of food traditions that started in the early 20th century. Two of the most influential were Combination Candy Bars and Sandwich cookies.

Tradition 1: Combination candy bars. Flat candy bars were invented by the British in the mid-1800s and adopted by Americans. Combination candy bars are different. They’re stuffed with nuts, raisins, nougats, marshmallows, and other toothsome sweets. More than delicious treats (which they were!) candy bars, including the Peanut Chew, were in the first rations during World War I; used as an “energy bar” and “inexpensive meal in a bar” in the Great Depression; and a vital source of nutrients and sugar in World War II.

Goo Goo Clusters: An Early Combination Candy Bar Tradition

Tradition 2: Soft sandwich cookies. From Victorians in England to Americans north and south, soft and squishy sandwich cookies were the rage in the first part of the 20th century and remain so today. Composed of a cookie shell and a soft cream or marshmallow center, iterations included Moon Pies, Whoopie Pies, Mallomars, Marshmallow Sandwiches (aka Fluffernutters), and, of course, S’mores. A second generation followed in the mid-1900s, with such classics as Scooter Pies.

                  Double Decker Moon Pies, Parent of S’mores

Put Them Together and You Get… THE Girl Scouts                                                                                                                      Did the Girl Scouts REALLY invent S’mores? Yes. The Girl Scouts invented a campfire-esque cookie called “Some Mores” which appeared in the Girl Scouts of America’s 1927 book Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. The early version and the one we enjoy today (at cookouts – not in cereal) are the same.  

 

Girl Scouts – Inventors of S’mores, from Early Postcard

 

IDEAS! Jazz Up your S’mores – Quick and Easy Recipe Adjustments

The 1940 Girl Scout Handbook has a similar recipe for “Some Mores” that offers interesting alternatives, as well. Here are a few of them, with additional alternatives thrown in.

  • Apple slices cut crosswise in place of graham crackers
  • Ice cream sandwich cookies instead of Graham crackers
  • Pineapple slices or peanut butter instead of chocolate
  • Marshmallow fluff instead of marshmallows (Great for indoor S’mores)
  • Caramel marshmallows instead of vanilla

More creative S’more Ideas from our Facebook Friends

Our Question: What Extras Do You Like to Put in S’mores?

Facebook Friends’ Answers:

  • Chocolate covered Graham Crackers
  • Toasted coconut marshmallow
  • Pop Tarts
  • Honey
  • Peanut Butter
  • Strawberries
  • Cookies and cream
  • White chocolate
  • Salt
  • Reese cups
  • Chocolate chip
  • Hershey bars
  • Fudge ripple cookies
  • Caramel
  • Oreos