How to Roast the Perfect Marshmallow over a Fire
Last week, my family had our first bonfire together. We have a nice above-ground kind of fire pit on our deck, so on nice nights we’ll sometimes bring speakers out and sit around the campfire, listening to music, telling stories, and enjoying s’mores. We can agree on the songs we listen to, but we can never seem to agree on how to cook the perfect marshmallow.
My sisters prefer to catch their “marshie” on fire for a few seconds, before blowing it out, gently pulling off the charcoal-y outer layer, and eating just that part before repeating the process with the remainder of the marshmallow until it was too small to get off the stick (a method they learned from our grandpa years ago). I personally can’t understand why anyone would purposefully burn the sugary goodness of a marshmallow. Although they did confess that the perfect s’more required a perfectly golden-brown marshmallow.
How do you get to that perfect level of toasted outside and ooey-gooey inside? Use the coals to toast your marshmallow instead of large flames; this decreases the chances of catching it on fire while providing more heat to the ’mallow. Spin your marshmallow gradually to make sure one side doesn’t end up toastier than the other. Some mild arm contorting might be necessary to keep the top from getting too crispy. If you can’t take the heat, either pass the roasting-stick baton off to someone else or obtain a longer stick – whether it’s one straight from the woods, a simple metal one the store, or an adorable Sweet Stick from Grandpa Shorter’s.
From there, sandwich that baby between a couple of graham crackers with some chocolate and you’re on your way to s’mores heaven. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can substitute the chocolate for a Reese’s cup or some Nutella. Or, for a fun graham cracker substitute, check out the s’mores cookie cutter in Trapper’s Cabin!
However, you take your marshmallow—toasted, roasted, or straight from the bag – have a fun, safe, and tasty time!
