Jeff Hinchee
The first known recipe for the s’more appeared in the 1927 Girl Scout handbook, Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts, in which it was referred to as a “Some More.”
“Toast two marshmallows over the coals to a crisp gooey state and then put them inside a graham cracker and chocolate bar sandwich,” read the instructions. The recipe ends, in direct contradiction to the treat’s name, with the phrase “one is really enough.”
The information that a woman named Loretta Scott Crew invented the s’more is an internet hoax. Loretta Scott Crew has been deleted from the Wikipedia entry for the s’more.
National S’mores Day is Aug. 10, sponsored by the National Confectioners Association.
The s’more as we know it is made possible by the mass production of marshmallows, which became possible around the turn of the 20th century. Graham crackers, which were more of a health food when invented in the 1800s, took on the more cookie-like form we know today in 1925 with the introduction of the Pacific Coast Biscuit Company’s “Honey Maid” variety. The ready availability of these portable, packable ingredients coincided with a national craze for outdoor activity, camping and hiking in the early 20th century.
Today, the gooier the better. Forgo the graham cracker in favor of Oreos or chocolate chip cookies as the sandwich element; use better chocolate or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups instead of Hershey bars on the interior; add jam or peanut butter as extra treats inside.
