Monday, August 10, 2020

Oven S'mores by Maya Corrigan + Giveaway



Happy National S’mores Day! Though s’mores originated at children’s campfires, people of all ages enjoy this treat of gooey toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate sandwiched between graham crackers. I’m sharing two recipes for oven s’mores—same great flavor as the campfire treat and a little less messy.

The first recipe I'm sharing appeared in S’more Murders, my 5th Five-Ingredient Mystery. On the “Cinnamon and Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder” blog, my friend Kim McMahon Davis shows how to make these tartlets. Check out her photos and video.

S’MORES TARTLETS

These tartlets have a delicious buttery homemade crust.

Ingredients (for 24 tartlets)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 milk or dark chocolate candy bars, approximately 1.45 ounces each, divided into rectangles (or use a layer of chocolate chips as Kim shows in her video).
12 standard size marshmallows, each cut in half to make two circular pieces
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter and mix until blended. Lightly grease 24 cups (1 ¾–inch diameter) in a mini muffin pan. Divide the crumbs among the cups. Press the crumbs down and around the sides with a tart tamper, a spoon, or your fingers. Bake 4–5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven. Put one chocolate rectangle or chocolate chips to cover the crust in each cup. Put a marshmallow, cut side down, on top of it. Return to the pan to the oven for 3 minutes or until the marshmallows are softened. To brown the marshmallows, put the pan under the broiler for a minute.
Cool the pan on a rack for 15 minutes. Carefully lift each tartlet from its cup. If the marshmallows cool too much, making it difficult to remove tartlets from pan, put the pan back into a warm oven for a minute or two to soften the edges. Serve warm immediately or serve at room temperature after the tartlets have cooled down.

S’MORES BITES

This easier and lower-fat version of oven s'mores is made with graham cracker flavor phyllo shells. (I bought them by mistake when I meant to buy the regular phyllo shells!) I adapted the s'mores recipe from the one on the box.

Ingredients (for each box of 15 shells)

8 standard-size marshmallows, about 1” high, cut in half into circles
3 ounces milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package Athens® Graham Cracker Flavor Phyllo Shells

Put 5 chocolate chips in each phyllo shell. Top each with one marshmallow circle and then 3-5 chocolate chips. Put the shells on a baking sheet and broil them until the marshmallows start to turn brown (approximately 30 to 60 seconds depending on the distance from the heat).






THE VERDICT ON THE VERSIONS

Though s’mores bites with phyllo are quick and relatively low cal, I missed the buttery flavor of the s’mores tartlets.

Maya (Mary Ann) Corrigan combines her passion for food and detection in her Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manager Val and her live-wire grandfather, who solve murders in a historic town near the Chesapeake Bay. Each book has five suspects, five clues, and Granddad’s five-ingredient recipes. Visit her website for book news, five-ingredient recipes, mystery trivia, and a free culinary mystery story. Sign up for her newsletter to enter a drawing for a free book. One subscriber receives a free book each time a newsletter comes out.


Visit Maya at her website
Like her Facebook page




ABOUT S’MORE MURDERS

Val is hired to cater a re-creation of the Titantic’s final dinner on a yacht in the Chesapeake Bay. The yacht owner, who collects memorabilia related to the disaster, wants her to serve the meal while his guests play a murder-mystery game. But Val soon realizes his game has a serious purpose. He’s fishing for the culprit in a real crime. When one person goes overboard, Val must reel in a killer before s’more murders go down.

S’mores weren’t invented until years after the Titanic sank. To find out how they figure in the plot of S’more Murders, read the first chapter on the Kensington Books website.



GIVEAWAY

Do you enjoy s’mores or murder mystery games? Comment with your e-mail address by August 13 for a chance to win a copy of S’more Murders. This applies to US addresses only. A winner outside the US will receive cozy goodies via e-mail.


43 comments:

  1. I played a Titanic Dinner Murder Mystery game while doing the research fro writing S'more Murders.

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  2. Murder Mystery Games are fascinating, brain teasers and intriguing. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  3. I am not a big fan of smores, but a local bakery is advertising them with buttery graham crackers, so I may have to try those.
    browninggloria(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. I'm not a fan of traditional s'mores either, but the 5-ingredient tartlets with the homemade crust are really good. Thanks for commenting, Gloria.

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  4. The tartlets look absolutely delectable. I have never eaten smores at all but the treats you made are tempting. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Traveler. Good luck in the raffle.

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  5. I keep hoping to find an indoors version of s'mores to make.
    Your top photo had me hoping.
    I've tried putting the crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows together in the oven, open faced under the broiler. OK but the chocolate and cracker were getting a bit too much heat while the marshmallow was not properly toasted.
    The search continues.
    I've tried to toast the marshmallows under the broiler on a cooking fork, but, again, not full success.
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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  6. I love s’mores.
    Kitten143@verizon.net

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  7. What a great way to enjoy s'mores without the campfire! I'll be trying these when I get the yearning for chocolate s'mores for sure.

    Thank you for the fabulous opportunity to win a copy of "S’more Murders" Shared and hoping to be the fortunate one selected.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  8. My book club played a Jane Austen Murder Mystery game. It was a lot of fun.
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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    1. Funny you should mention that, Jana Leah. I was looking for a Jane Austen Murder Mystery game when I came across the Titanic Dinner Mystery Game, which sparked the idea for S'more Murders.

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  9. Sounds like a great recipe, and easy enough for me to make them. Looking forward to reading the book. Thanks for the chance.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Dianne. It's definitely an easy recipe. Good luck in the drawing.

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  10. Never played a mystery game but loved S'mores when the boys were little. We always went easy on the Hershey Bar squares - 4 were way too many.
    kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com

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  11. Yes to both questions! I have always loved s'mores in any shape or form. We have attended two Murder Mystery theatrical performances with audience participation and had a wonderful time!

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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  12. I'm not a fan of graham crackers, so not a fan of smores. I've never played a murder mystery games.
    wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thank you for commenting, and good luck in the drawing.

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  13. S'mores are great anytime in any shape. Does Clue count?
    mountainsr4me@hotmail.com

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  14. I love S'mores. And our grown children and us still play Clue
    quilting lady 2 at comcast dot net

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  15. I have never had a S'more! I guess it is past time to try one! cwr@withdispatch.com

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  16. Enjoy making s'mores with my nieces.
    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  17. New author for me. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom

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  18. I would love to participate in a Murder Mystery performance, and eat s'mores! I didn't know the phyllo shells also came in graham cracker flavor, so will be on the hunt for some now. The possibilities for dessert fillings are endless. Last time I made s'mores was on a winter evening and we roasted marshmallows in the fireplace, using the microwave to slightly melt the chocolate. Messy but yummy! lola777_22 at hotmail dot com

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    1. Thank you for commenting, Lynn. And good luck in the book raffle.

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  19. Those look absolutely amazing! I'm definitely trying this recipe.
    Murder mystery games are a lot of fun. I've participated in two, one as a player at the local bookstore, and one as a cast member for a library fundraiser. Hopefully will be able to do it again sometime.
    kozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Alicia. We all hope for the return of plays soon.

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  20. Those look so cute. I just had what I think was my very first actual s'more. It was too much chocolate for me. I think I prefer just toasted marshmallows which I have had often in my life.
    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  21. I can't eat chocolate anymore but marshmallows alone are my favorite snack. obriena73 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  22. I love smores! and I enjoy participating in a murder mystery dinner! Thanks for the chance.
    Jess
    maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Jess. And good luck in the book raffle.

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  23. How fun! I love s’mores! Legallyblonde1961@yahoo.com

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  24. S'mores make camping outings more fun! I would love to win this! lindaherold999@gmail.com

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    1. Thanks for your comment, Linda. And good luck in the book raffle.

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  25. Wow how fun that would be so good outside with our fire pit. We both would love that and hubby can do both of ours ! peggy clayton ptclayton2 at aol.com

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  26. I've never had one but they sound great.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

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  27. Me and my sister play Hunt a Killer, you try to figure a murder mystery that is 6 episodes! I also enjoy smores!

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    1. I'd never heard of Hunt a Killer. I looked it up. It's sounds like a unique game, marketed in a unique way. Thanks for your comment.

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  28. oops forgot my email tWarner419(at)aol(dot)com

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  29. Cool s'mores tartlet recipe, thanks! Yes murder games, or dinner theaters. My kids surprised me with a dinner theater murder mystery for my 55th birthday, it was Murder By Chocolate and the dinner was great too. Thanks nani_geplcs(at)yahoo(dot)com)

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    1. That's a great gift. Thank you for commenting, Sheryl.

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  30. I love smores! Thanks for the chance. JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com

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