The Little Foodie: Sip your s’mores in a cool, blended drink

When I was a kid, the highlight of any backyard barbecue was roasting marshmallows on skewers and twigs. It was the combined thrill of playing with fire, eating sugar and, perhaps, risking a splinter or two.

That thrill continues today. Maybe this is proof that I never fully grew up. The way I see it, if you’re not roasting marshmallows on dying coals, what are you doing with your life?

It’s not surprising, then, that if you put the word “s’mores” in a dessert, product or recipe, I will be first in line to try it. The fact that this “flavor profile” really doesn’t need a fancy twist isn’t lost on me. I simply want more excuses to eat s’mores. I can (and do) make s’mores for dessert regularly, and I suggest an oven when a backyard barbecue cannot be found.

I am forever delighted by variations on its basic recipe, and I don’t think there’s a limit to the opportunities for s’mores in different forms. My children agree with me, and I think I’ve explained before that they are the world’s harshest food critics.

S’mores are the epitome of comfort food in a dessert. Nutella lovers may want to fight me on this, but I’ll stick to my words. I’ll even argue for its complexity in texture and flavor.

This version was inspired by the Dalgona coffee craze, not to mention the heat of August. There is no need to stand over coals in this weather.

I’ve been having fun inventing riffs on whipped topping and made a marshmallow-flavored topping by incorporating sweetened condensed milk. The only thing that could make it better is a toasted flavor. While Dalgona coffee takes at least one round of burning arm pain to whip up, this marshmallow cream takes a whole 15 seconds if you’re using an immersion blender. I might be putting marshmallow cream on everything.

ICED S’MORES DRINK

• 2-1/2 cups chocolate milk or chilled hot chocolate
• Ice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Pinch salt
• 3 graham crackers, plus more as desired

Pour chocolate milk and ice in 2 glasses.

In a jar or cup that’s just a bit wider than an immersion blender, add cream, condensed milk, vanilla and salt. Turn on immersion blender, moving it up and down while pulsing, and whip to make a marshmallow cream. This should take less than 20 seconds. You want a soft cream, not entirely liquid but not stiff and dry. Alternatively, whip with a whisk.

Top chocolate milk with marshmallow cream, dividing between the 2 glasses. Garnish with crushed graham cracker. Serve immediately. I recommend serving this with more graham crackers to dip into the cream. Serves 2.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Her column runs on the last Wednesday of the month. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.