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A recipe

Perfect toaster-oven s'mores

2 graham crackers (whole rectangles)
2 full-size marshmallows (8 mini-marshmallows will do in a pinch)
18 semisweet chocolate chips
dirt (optional)

Gently break graham-cracker rectangles in half to form squares. Place all four halves on the removable tray of a toaster oven.

Cut a marshmallow into quarters using scissors. Place all four pieces onto one graham-cracker half, sticky sides down. Repeat with other marshmallow. If you only have mini-marshmallows, place four on each cracker. Squish them down a bit.

Place nine chocolate chips onto each of the remaining cracker squares, flat sides down. Exact number of chocolate chips may be adjusted up or down, depending on personal preference. Place the chips randomly and center-load them; do not line them up in neat, evenly spaced rows. This is important.

Transfer tray to toaster oven. This is where the importance of using full-size marshmallows becomes apparent. Good luck keeping mini-marshmallows from rolling all over the place.

Toast for one cycle on the lowest setting. Keep an eye on marshmallows lest they ignite. Also watch out for scorched crackers. Even with a short cycle, the marshmallows should brown nicely and the chocolate chips should become very soft, although they may not lose their shape. Proceed with additional toast cycles at your own risk.

Let s'mores cool for a minute before removing tray from oven. Invert a gooey-melted-chocolate-topped cracker over a perfectly-browned-marshmallow-covered cracker. For extra authenticity, sprinkle edges with a little dirt. Squish together and eat. Repeat with other cracker pair and offer to a friend. If you're lucky, your friend will wash the dishes. The sticky scissors are a real pain to get clean.

November 4, 2009 9:01 PM