My Grandmother’s S’mores

my grandmother's s'mores
My Grandmother’s S’mores
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My Grandmother’s Smores were a little bit different than the Smores of today. Your typical Smore is made with graham crackers, a piece of a Hershey bar, and a marshmallow.

traditional smore
Traditional S’more

Traditional Smores are very sweet and tasty. They are also very rich. If you like a less sweet/salty snack, then my grandmother’s Smores might just be for you)))

Snacks at My Grandmother’s House

My sisters. my brother and I spent a great deal of time with our grandparents (on my dad’s side). They lived close by – about a mile away. But that was walking distance if you were really hungry))) My dad was an only child so we four grandchildren were “prize pigs” as they say. They doted on us and we loved it.

My grandfather on my mother’s side, died when I was a baby and my grandmother lived about ten miles away. My mom had several sisters, a brother, half-sisters, and half-brothers. You can imagine how many grandchildren my maternal grandmother had! We were but four of many on that side))

We ate many meals at my grandmother’s house along with leftover breakfast biscuits split in half, spread with butter, sprinkled with sugar, and toasted in the oven. My mother did this for us too all the time.

Snacks were not the prepackaged snacks of today. There were no bags of chips, Cheetos, or Doritos. Occasionally there would be store-bought cookies, but usually just vanilla wafers. There was always Borden’s vanilla ice cream and jello. She even had a special pan she used only for jello.

mama's jello pan
Mama’s Jello Pan

By the way, we called our grandmother “Mama” and we called our granddaddy by his first name “Ronel.” It was not disrespectful, it’s just what we did. I don’t know how it came about, my dad called him “Papa.” But Ronel it was for us and he loved it.

Mama always had Jello on hand but never seemed to make it ahead of time. She would make it while we were there and pop it in the freezer for a quick chill. Most of the time, it would wind up freezing hard and you can tell by the scratches and dents in the pan that we scraped it out with a knife or ice pick.

I have that pan somewhere in my cabinet)))

Seems like a lot of foods from my childhood were “comfort foods.” Here’s a recipe for chicken and dumplings that most definitely is one of our favorite comfort foods))

S’mores

Mama’s S’mores were different. She made them using saltine crackers, peanut butter, and regular marshmallows. You could always find peanut butter and crackers in her cabinets but the marshmallows were a special treat.

She would spread peanut butter on the crackers, place them on a cookie sheet or bread pan, and add a marshmallow to the top.

s'mores made with saltine crackers, peanut butter and marshmallows
Saltines – Peanut Butter – Marshmallows

She had a special rectangular pan that she cooked her cornbread in. My mother always cooked hers in a round cast iron skillet which is what we do now.

Next, she would place the pan in the oven on broil until the marshmallows were toasted. She would take them out, place another cracker on top, and squish down the marshmallow a bit.

s'mores with peanut butter, saltines, and marshmallows
Add a Saltine to Top and Squish

The hard part was waiting long enough to not get burned! Let them cool just a minute or two so you can handle them without melted marshmallows getting everywhere))

My grandmother’s S’mores are great salty-sweet snacks and not nearly as rich as regular S’mores. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Hershey bars too. But this is my favorite.

my grandmother's s'mores made with peanut butter, saltine and melted marshmallow
Enjoy!

2 Comments

  1. Hi Ms. Jeannie,

    I love your food posts and the stories that go along with them. I love down home cooking as I call it and your recipes bring back my own family food memories. I will
    have to try your Grandmother’s s’mores recipe.

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