When it's summertime in Arizona, we're always looking for fun indoor activities to do with the kids. This one is quick and easy, and quite tasty. (I can't take credit for the invention - I got the idea from my brother, who got it from my niece, who found it online.) After we made these I did look it up and found many variations on the recipe. But this is how we made them:
You need the same basic ingredients that you use for regular s'mores - graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate. (I substituted chocolate chips for the typical chocolate bars because I think they tend to melt better.) Plus you'll need some type of sticks. We used lollipop sticks, found in the candy-making section of Walmart.
One minute in the microwave melts the chocolate perfectly. (No need for the double boiler, or any of the other more complicated methods you might read about.)
Crush the graham crackers using your preferred method. (I favor the Ziploc/hammer technique.)
When you open the marshmallows, don't forget the most important step in the process - do a taste test to make sure they are top quality. :)
Once you are satisfied that your marshmallows are up to your standards, insert a stick into each one. (I simply put the marshmallows out on a cookie sheet and let the kids poke in the sticks.)
and then dip it into the crushed graham crackers.
And there you have it! A tasty treat, and some happy kids.
Looks like such a yummy treat! Miss 4 would love them.
ReplyDeleteThey really were a lot of fun to make - and quite tasty! :)
DeleteI love those! They're yummy, with fun educational value, too. They don't ever get old anyway, but they can become more & more fun every time with some creative challenges built in.
ReplyDeleteTry them with mini-marshmallows on toothpicks, too. Depending on how messy you're willing to get, the mini/toothpick ones can be used to construct tinker-toyish models of all kinds of things.
You can also sneak in some early math skills a couple at a time: guess how many marshmallows in the bag, bowl, etc. then count. Later, decide if knowing the measured sizes or relative sizes make it easier to "guess" (estimate). Measure ingredients with scale, ruler, each other... how many chocolate chips can you line up across the length/width of the graham cracker? ... then how many would it be if you snapped the graham cracker in half? How long will it take for chocolate to melt? How high can you count before the microwave dings? Will you get to a higher number if you count faster or slower, & why? Once the finished ones are ready, try different arrangements on the tray: lines & rows, concentric circles, x's, boxes, other shapes & designs. If you substitute different colored sprinkles (or chopped nuts, or dried fruit flakes, or crushed cereal bits, etc.) for the graham crackers, then kids can create repeating patterns in their lines and designs. When they're a little older, you can use package labels and arithmetic to predict and determine things like how many people we could serve, or how many of each ingredient will be left when we're finished, or how many could we each eat with a calorie budget of [whatever you determine]? Knowing my niece and nephew, if you start them off with one academic question, they'll come up with 10 more themselves to explore in depth, each one more complex than the last.
Glad y'all have active fun in the AC during HOT summer days. Love you, sis.
Yeah, if we hadn't had other commitments that day we probably would have spent more time being more creative and educational - I'm sure we will next time. They did of course (without prompting) count how many marshmallows were on the tray when I put them out. And tonight when we each had one for dessert, they counted how many were left, subtracted that from the original number to see how many we had eaten so far, and then divided that by four to see how many we had each had. (He got the subtraction answer first, and she got the division answer first.) So yes, we'll definitely make more of a day of it next time and go into the educational value even more. Thanks for the suggestions! And you're right - I'm sure they'll both think of their own questions that will be even more challenging than any that I can come up with. :)
DeletePS -- if you teach them early to compare sizes and estimate area and volume, they'll win the "guess how many candies in the jar" party game every time!
ReplyDelete:) Others will think they're lucky, but we'll know we helped make them smart. :)
:)
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