Sunday S'mores: S'mores Cereal Treats

This... has not exactly been the world's best summer. In fact, it's been a right little piece of sh**.

And I'm already behind in my NaNo novel.

It's stupid, but it's beginning to feel like crap only happens when I fall behind on my wordcount. I barely wrote the first week in June, and... well, you know what happened. I didn't meet my goal on the first, and I find out that someone I knew in high school had passed away that morning.

Like I said, it's stupid. My writing doesn't have supernatural powers. The balance of the universe isn't decided on whether I can bang out 1,667 words a day. And Scott was already gone by the time I decided that 300 words wasn't a huge deficit, and I could make it up the next day. I know all this. I know that it's just a terribly cruel coincidence, but knowing doesn't help or bring back the excitement and joy that I used to feel during NaNo. Knowing doesn't bring back my inspiration. And catching up won't bring any of them back.

So in deference to my maudlin mood this week, I decided to keep things simple for Sunday S'mores. S'mores cereal treats have been circling the internet. They're all basically made the same way, with Golden Grahams and chocolate chips. I was going to do the same, except I bought Quaker Honey Graham Oh's (they were cheaper).

To get the basic recipe and pick up some tips, I hopped on over to Cookies & Cups. Shelly is a krispie treat genius (and fellow Jersey girl), so I knew I could get some reliable information from her site. And I really should have, but I got distracted by her Fluffernutter Sandwich Krispies. She'd sandwiched peanut butter and Fluff inside the krispie, and I knew that's what I had to do for my s'mores treats.

So I measured out the cereal. I thought about crushing it, but didn't. Mistake #1. (I also could have mixed the cereal with some Rice Krispies). I then mixed the chocolate chunks with the cereal, thinking that would be the best time to add them. Mistake #2. If I had actually looked for tips on Shelly's site as I had planned, instead of focusing in on the Fluffernutter sandwich recipe, I might have made things easier on myself, but when have I ever done that?

The Quaker Honey Graham Oh's ended up being too big to evenly cover the pan, and the chocolate melted as soon as it hit the hot marshmallow. Not to be deterred, I pressed on, adding fudge sauce, realizing I didn't have enough, and adding chocolate spread (both of which ended up leaking though the large gaps between cereal pieces). I then added the Fluff to the other half, and tried picking it up to sandwich the two together, only to find that that half was not solid, and did its level best to fall apart and get Fluff all over the place. I somehow managed to get them together, but not before making a complete and total mess of myself.

Still, the end result was messy, gooy, and delicious, and isn't that the way that all s'mores should be?

S'mores Cereal Treats {Printable Version}
Yield: 16 treats

Ingredients
6 cups graham cracker flavored cereal (such as Golden Grahams or Quaker Honey Graham Oh's)
1 (10.5 oz.) bag mini marshmallows
1 cup chocolate spread (or fudge sauce)
1 cup Marshmallow Fluff (marshmallow crème)
¾ cup milk chocolate chunks (optional)
3 tbsp. butter

Directions
Spray a jelly roll pan (or rimmed baking sheet) with cooking spray. In a large saucepan over low heat,
melt the butter. Add the marshmallows and stir continuously until just melted. Remove the pan from
heat and stir in the cereal. Stir in the milk chocolate, if using. Using wet hands, pat the mixture evenly
into the prepared jelly roll pan. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Heat the chocolate spread or fudge sauce until at a spreadable consistency. Cut the cereal treat mixture
in half lengthways. Spread the chocolate on one half and the Fluff on the other. Sandwich the two halves
together. Chill in the refrigerator a few minutes, until the chocolate spread is firm. Cut into squares and
serve.

Tip: If using Honey Graham Oh's or any cereal with large pieces, crush it slightly before adding to the
marshmallows. Smaller pieces mean a firmer treat. Also, if adding the milk chocolate chunks, freeze
them, and make sure to add them after mixing in the cereal, otherwise they will melt.

Recipe adapted from Cookies & Cups