Grown Up S'mores

You may have noticed that we have a bit of a thing for gingersnap cookies. By "we" I actually mean Mr. B, and by "gingersnap cookies" I specifically refer to Trader Joe's Triple Ginger cookies. While I appreciate a good ginger cookie, for Mr. B these brown spheres are practically in their own food group.

My mother learned about his weakness a few years back and has since proceeded to create a bond stronger than blood by shipping new cookie supplies whenever we start to run low. Ginger cookies disappear year-round in peach ice cream, as a pie crust, or just straight out of the container while standing in the pantry (yes, I'm on to you Mr. B!). So when we headed out camping this summer it only made sense that a container of ginger cookies would somehow sneak into the car.

As we sat by the campfire one evening, roasting marshmallows and munching on ginger cookies, the obvious combination hit us over the head. Ginger cookie s'mores. How could we have missed that one! Using a trick passed down by my mother, I set a ginger cookie topped with dark chocolate on a flat grate near the fire (a flat rock works well too). This allows the chocolate to soften and slightly melt while you roast the marshmallow.

Once our marshmallows were properly toasted (I like mine almost black), we grabbed another ginger cookie and sandwiched it all together. The cookies created a single gooey bite that brought together a mix of childhood chocolate goodness and adult ginger enjoyment. I'm embarrassed to say that we blew through an entire chocolate bar and about 20 ginger cookies in one sitting. It was a sticky, gooey, chocolate mess- the perfect way to bring out the inner kid in anyone. If you haven't made s'mores this summer, track down a box of ginger cookies and get out there!

In case you need any additional incentive to get outside, here are a few snapshots from our recent summer adventures.

The Redwood River in Minnesota

Curious Barn Cats

Summer Storm Clouds

Gingersnap S'mores
(Do you really need a recipe?)

Ingredients:

1 marshmallow (You could make your own, but that might not feel like camping)
1 square high quality dark chocolate (We have a weakness for Valrhona)
2 ginger cookies (Trader Joe's Triple Ginger cookies are preferred)

Fire
Stick

Directions:

Place the chocolate square on top of a ginger cookie, and set it near the fire on a flat clean surface. Place the marshmallow on the clean end of a stick, and roast it in the fire until it is puffy and golden. Use the second ginger cookie to scrape the marshmallow onto the chocolate square and place the cookie on top. Eat. Then lick your fingers and repeat until you have a major sugar high and feel slightly ill. (Don't say I didn't warn you!)