Wanted S'Mores, but No Chocolate Bars -- Chocolate Chips to the Rescue

We had our Labor Day cook-out on Sunday, as one daughter has to work today. With a fire in the fire ring, s'mores for dessert was a natural.

Our supplies included 1 packet of graham crackers, a half-bag of marshmallows, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. S'mores with chocolate chips are just okay, IMO. It's a balancing act -- trying to keep all of the chocolate morsels on the graham cracker while plopping a toasted marshmallow on top. For last night's cook-out, I wanted our s'mores-making to be a smooth operation.

A few hours before dinner, I melted some chocolate chips with a half-teaspoon of Crisco-type shortening in a cup in the microwave, stirring in between bursts of melting. Once the chocolate chips were thoroughly melted, I spooned the melty mixture onto a sheet of waxed paper in individual portions, then popped the chocolate circles into the fridge to firm up. Once firm, they were ready for s'mores.

These worked fantastically. Not only did the chocolate stay on the graham cracker neatly, but the added shortening made the chocolate just slightly softer than the chips by themselves, which made every bite seem so rich and chocolatey. 

Forming patties using melted chocolate chips and shortening simplified s'mores-making, was less expensive than buying chocolate bars, and saved me an extra trip to the store.


The rest of our cook-out menu was comprised of other foods that we had at home, including hot dogs, homemade buns, homemade ketchup and mustard, homemade sauerkraut, a large tossed salad of garden greens, tomatoes, and cucumber covered with a homemade dressing, and a blackberry cobbler (in case there wasn't enough dessert, of course).

I hope your Labor Day weekend was wonderful!