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Outdoor Living Tips for Colder Months

When the days get shorter and the nights get colder, don’t retreat indoors!  With a little planning and simple touches here and there, your outdoor living areas can continue to be a favorite gathering spot during colder months. The following compilation of blog topics offer tips on making your outdoor spaces more usable this time of year, as well as winterizing do’s and don’ts that can help extend the lifespan of your fire features, appliances and hardscapes.

Outdoor Fireplace and Fire Pit Maintenance Tips

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Outdoor Fire Pit Winter LivingIt’s important to properly maintain outdoor fire features to ensure safety and functionality, both this season and for many years to come. Improve the life expectancy of your fire features with these simple maintenance tips.

 

Winterizing Your Outdoor Living Spaces

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Winterizing Your Outdoor Living SpacesExtreme temperature fluctuations can take a toll. Keep your outdoor kitchens and living rooms as beautiful and functional as the day they were installed with these simple do’s and don’ts for winterizing your outdoor appliances, fire features and brick ovens.

Preventing Deicing Downfalls

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Outdoor Patio Fireplace PaversDeicing agents can often have a corrosive effect on paved surfaces. Get tips on how to diminish ice buildup on your patios, walkways and driveways without diminishing the look and lifespan of your pavers.

 

Project Profile: Heated Permeable Pavers

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Heated Permeable Pavers Outdoor Living Tips WinterReady to ditch deicing salts altogether? Check out this contemporary permeable paver driveway and walkway constructed with heating coils beneath the pavers. The coils are activated by temperature and precipitation settings, heating the pavers to immediately melt snow and drain it through the joints.

Protecting Pavers from Debris

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Outdoor Living Fire Pit KitWarmer climates that aren’t subject to snow and ice can still be affected by falling leaves. Decomposing leaves and other debris can stain pavers that aren’t properly sealed. Learn how to protect your pavers and keep them looking beautiful.

Decorative Ways to Enjoy Your Outdoor Living Space in Colder Months

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Outdoor Living Tips for Colder Months FireplaceCreating a sense of warmth is the key to increasing the functionality of your outdoor spaces during colder months. Learn about multiple decorative ways to increase both the visual and physical warmth of your outdoor entertaining areas.

 

Festive Backyard Lighting Ideas

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Outdoor Living Tips for Winter FireplaceWith shorter days, proper lighting is another aspect to increasing the functionality of your outdoor entertainment spaces during this time of year. However, overhead porch lights can often be too bright and diminish the ambiance. Get ideas for creating a more festive and welcoming atmosphere.

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Brick Oven Recipes

A growing trend in outdoor kitchen design is to incorporate multiple cooking surfaces, which adds to a kitchen’s functionality. Wood-burning brick ovens make a stunning addition to an outdoor kitchen, yet some shy away under the mistaken assumption that brick ovens can only be used for cooking pizza. Although, wood-fired pizza definitely has a far superior flavor to pizza cooked any other way, the truth is that brick ovens create even temperatures for balanced cooking and add an amazing layer of flavor to practically any dish that can be prepared in a standard indoor oven. Here are a collection of brick oven recipes to get you started.

BABY BACK RIBS

Baby Back Ribs Brick Oven RecipeBaby back ribs are typically a crowd favorite. The down side is that they normally take hours to cook, since the standard method for getting the right texture and moisture level is to cook them “low and slow.” However, the high consistent temperatures that can be created in a brick oven seals in the meat’s natural juices and cooks ribs in a fraction of the time.

Ingredients
  • 3 Racks of Baby Back Ribs
  • French’s Yellow Mustard
  • Dry Rub – your favorite recipe or store-bought
Preparation
  1. Fire up your brick oven to 450-500°F — use an infrared temperature gun to check temp when ready.
  2. Cut full rack of ribs in half (to fit a rib rack). Coat both sides of ribs with mustard.
  3. Rub in dry spices on either side. Place ribs in rack with drip pan underneath in middle of hearth.
  4. Roast ribs for 35-40 minutes. Spin the rack around (front to back) midway through the cooking process.

NOTE: Cooking times will vary with size and thickness of ribs.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

French Onion Soup Brick Oven RecipesFrench onion soup is one of those comfort foods that just warms the soul. Savory, cheesy, brothy goodness in a bowl. Just make sure the bowls you use are rated to withstand 500-degree temperatures. The directions call for the first few steps of this recipe to be prepped on a stove, but you could also use a gas grill. The soup will, of course, be finished in the brick oven.

Ingredients
  • 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
  • 4 Onions – sliced
  • 2 Garlic Cloves – chopped
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
  • 1 Cup Sherry (or your favorite wine)
  • 3 Heaping Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Quarts Beef Broth
  • 1 Baguette – sliced
  • 1/4 Lb. Each: Grated Gruyere & Swiss Cheese
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Preparation (serves 4)
  1. Fire up your brick oven to 500°F — use an infrared temperature gun to check temp when ready.
  2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat on stove. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until onions are caramelized — about 20 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Make sure to reduce heat and simmer until wine has evaporated and the onions are dry — about 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
  3. Dust the onions with flour and give them a stir. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add beef broth and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes more and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Arrange baguette slices on the very front of the oven hearth and cook for 3 minutes to toast.
  5. Pour soup into 4 oven-safe bowls with the ability to handle 500-degree heat. Add baguette slices on top of soup bowls and load each with cheese. Place soup bowls at the very front of the oven hearth and watch the cheese melt!

FIRE ROASTED VEGETABLES

Fire Roasted Brick Oven Veggie RecipesIf you like roasted veggies and typically cook them in the oven or on the grill, wait until you taste the difference! Using this brick oven recipe, you’ll never want them prepared any other way. The super-high temperature used for this recipe optimizes the flavor, sealing in moisture and adding a slight crispy texture to the exterior of each vegetable.

Ingredients
  • Red, Green, Orange and Yellow Bell Pepper
  • 1 Small Spanish Onion
  • 1 Zucchini
  • 8 Small Portabella Mushrooms
  • Olive Oil and Sea Salt
Preparation
  1. Fire up your oven to 700°F – use an infrared temperature gun to check temp when ready.
  2. Cut vegetables to desired size and thickness and place in vented grill pan with a drip pan underneath. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables and add sea salt to taste.
  3. Place in middle of hearth. Roast veggies for 5-10 minutes. Make sure to stir from time to time while cooking; watch closely to avoid burning. Cooking times will vary per desired crispiness.

NOTE: When cooking with oil, marinades and sauces, always use a griddle, skillet or drip pan.

BASIC PIZZA DOUGH

Pizza Dough Brick Oven RecipeYes, this blog post is about the fact that brick ovens are not just for cooking pizza, but since a wood-fired brick oven is the absolute best way to cook a pizza, we just had to give you a dough recipe. And although you can certainly make wonderful pizzas using prepared crusts or store-bought dough, if you want an authentic brick oven pizza experience, homemade dough is the way to go.

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 Cups Warm Water (about 110°F to 115°F)
  • 1/4 Ounce Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • 3 1/2 Cups All–Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Semolina Flour (or fine ground yellow corn meal)
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil (and extra for coating the bowl)
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
PREPARATION (makes 2 pizza crusts)
  1. Combine yeast, water and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir. Let sit until foamy on top.
  2. Add 1/2 cup flour, the semolina, and 1/3 cup olive oil with the salt. Mix and continue working in the flour a 1/4 cup at a time until completed.
  3. Put the dough on a lightly-floured work surface and knead until smooth and tacky.
  4. Prepare a large mixing bowl coated in olive oil and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl with wax paper or wet towel. Place in a warm area and let double in size; usually takes over an hour.
  5. Knead the dough a little and separate into two equal portions. At this point, store in airtight bags; it’s ready to use as directed in recipes.

Note: You can freeze and store this dough up to four months. Make sure before using to thaw for several hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

FOR MORE RECIPE IDEAS: Visit the Recipes for Company section of the Outdoor Living by Belgard blog.

Brick oven recipes and photos courtesy Chicago Brick Oven®.

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2018 Fireside Memories & S’mores Recipes

In August, we reached out to our audience and asked you share your personal fireside memories and unique s’mores recipes as part of our annual National S’mores Day Fire Pit Giveaway. We had an overwhelming response and received more than 3,000 stories and recipes from across the nation!

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Elaine P. from Daytona Beach, FL

Winner of a beautiful Belgard Ashland Fire Pit Kit and a year’s supply of delectable artisan chocolate from Chuao Chocolatier®.

Belgard Ashland Fire Pit Kit

Thanks to Elaine for sharing her family recipe for Greek S’mores:

Being Greek, our family always make s’mores using Phyllo dough. Take 10 sheets of Phyllo and layer with melted butter. Cut into 3” squares and bake at 350º F for 7-10 min. When cool, place 4 squares of Hershey’s chocolate and one marshmallow on top of a square of baked Phyllo, and too with another layer of baked Phyllo. Allow to melt, and eat! Kali orexi! (Bon appetite in Greek!)

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We’d also like to thank the thousands of others who shared their special memories and recipes with us. Here are a few of our favorite submissions. For more stories and memories from our contest, be sure to visit the Outdoor Living by Belgard Facebook page, where we’ll be sharing more of these throughout the month.

FIRESIDE MEMORIES

Outdoor Living Blog

Although I’m pretty sure I had s’mores prior to going to 4-H camp, it was at 4-H camp around a campfire with s’mores that I got my first kiss.  –L. Cobb (Phoenix, AZ)

My late husband and I finally after 40 years of hard work were able to build a beautiful new home on our farm! My then 9-year-old grandson really wanted to build a fire pit, so he and his Papa made one — very primitive because it was my grandson’s “design”! His Papa passed away a few months later! 3 and 1/2 years later, it’s still there — a sweet memory, but not too functional!   –Anon (Tulelake, CA)

When we were little, my mom’s parents would often have family BBQ nights with our family and cousins. Our grandparents had bamboo growing wildly in their backyard and had an open fire pit. When we would arrive, we got to select a bamboo stalk, and my grandpa, dad or uncle would cut our choices down and sharpen one end with a large knife. All of us cousins would then huddle around the fire pit to roast hot dogs. Then we would move on to roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. Fun times!  –Anon (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)

My favorite s’mores memory was traveling from the city in New York (Harlem) to the mountains with my family and grilling s’mores by the campsite. My Dad died when I was 9 years old, and this was one of the very few cherished memories of him I had left. My mom raised the 8 of us by herself and always tried to maintain this campsite visit and s’mores tradition throughout our childhood.  –G. Clarke, Atlanta GA

We used to go to a hayride every year, and at the end of the night, we would sit around a fire and sing songs and eat s’mores with the marshmallows toasted to a crisp so that they were super gooey.  –Anon (Rock Glen, PA)

On my birthday a few years ago, we were camping and didn’t have a cake. We did have candles, so we put one on a marshmallow and tried to light the candle in the campfire! We went through several candles before one was lit long enough to sing “Happy Birthday!”  –R. Drew (Reserve, KS)

My cherished memory was when my boys wanted to start making s’mores on their own. I was like, they don’t need mom anymore. They were like, we want to make them for you mom, so just let us treat you, but you can still buy the items :). I felt needed again, lol.  –K. Jefferson (Arlington, TX)

Every summer we rent a cottage and take the grandchildren up North for a week. We have a bonfire almost every night, we make s’mores, and then play campfire games. One of our newest recipes is a “walking s’more.” Take a small bag of teddy grahams, crush the bears, then slice open the bag. Drop in a Hershey’s bar that’s been broken into pieces, and finally, a hot toasted marshmallow. You need to eat this treat with a spoon or a fork, but you can take it down to the dock while you eat and listen to the loons. Wonderful summer fun and hopefully a lifetime of memories.   –K. Lewis (Sandwich, MA)

MORE S’MORES RECIPES

S'more Recipes Outdoor Living Blog

Graham crackers, strawberry marshmallows toasted golden brown and semi-sweet chocolate.  –Anon (Monroe, MI)

1 coconut shortbread cookie, 1/2 pineapple ring, 1 chocolate bar, 1 melted marshmallow, 1 coconut shortbread cookie. Layer as above and enjoy!  –Anon (Spanish Fort, UT)

Heat oven to 350°F. Place 9 graham squares in single layer on bottom of 8-inch square pan; top with 36 marshmallow halves. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate. Top with remaining marshmallow halves, cut sides down. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes and cut into squares.   –Anon (Nashville, TN)

Graham crackers, dark chocolate, marshmallows, 4 blackberries. Yum!  –D. Griffin (Farr West, UT)

Graham crackers drizzled with caramel, then chocolate, topped with a roasted cinnamon marshmallow.  –Anon (New Richmond, OH)

Chocolate graham cracker, Hershey’s mint chocolate bars, Smash Mallow mint chocolate chip marshmallows.  –S. Coleman (Cottonwood Heights, UT)

Regular s’mores, but put peanut butter on the graham cracker. It’s great! –T. Campbell (Northville, MI)

We used to roll our marshmallows in Jello powder before roasting them! Chocolate strawberry s’mores!  –B. Westfall (Rochester, MN)

Try using a peanut butter cup with a chocolate graham cracker. –R. Kinkaid (Ballston Lake, NY)

S’more Pie: Graham cracker pie crust, cold chocolate pudding filling with chocolate chunks — set in fridge to chill. Add Marshmallow Creme topping spread on top and return to fridge to chill. Ready to slice and serve after 1 to 1.5 hrs.  —H. Hansen (Desert Hot Springs, CA)

Hollow out the toasted marshmallow and drizzle in some Bailey’s liqueur.   –J. Cloward (Bar Nunn, WY)

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Planning Tips for Your Outdoor Living Makeover Project

Outdoor Living Makeover Project Planning Guide

Whether you’re wanting to improve your curb appeal or add functionality to your backyard, these planning tips can help you start your outdoor living makeover planning process, as well as help you avoid potential pitfalls.

TIP 1:  DO YOUR RESEARCH

  • Inspiration: Spend a significant amount of time looking through magazine websites, outdoor living Pinterest boards and the Belgard Inspiration Gallery to see which styles, textures and colors tend to grab your attention. Keep the architectural style of your home in mind to ensure your design works well with your home’s color or architecture.
  • Budget: Check websites like HomeAdvisor to get a rough idea of what installation costs are for your type of project. The costs won’t be exact until you get quotes, but it will help start the planning process. And as with any home improvement project, you should include some buffer room in the budget to cover any unforeseen contingencies, like a last minute design addition.

TIP 2:  FIND A GOOD CONTRACTOR

When planning for any outdoor living makeover project, a good rule of thumb is to get three quotes. Don’t necessarily choose the lowest bid, but the contractor you feel has the best understanding of your vision and the necessary skills to bring it to life. Be sure to ask to see examples of their work and references. If you’re planning to install patio pavers or landscape walls, Belgard is North America’s leading manufacturer of hardscapes and provides an online contractor locator of pre-screened installers who are required to adhere to specific standards and are reviewed annually.

TIP 3:  PLAN FOR THE FUTURE

  • Phasing: If you have an overall vision for your property and know you can’t do everything at once, you should still PLAN everything before breaking ground on the first project. Doing so can save you a lot of money and headaches down the road. For example, if you’re installing a pool and plan to add a pavilion and outdoor kitchen later, put in column footings and pre-run needed electrical and gas lines under the pool deck. It will cost a little extra on the front end but will save significant money and time later. In addition, a contractor who understands the overall vision can help you plan the best way to phase everything out.
  • Design: Be sure to ask for design renderings so that everyone is on the same page. If your project involves Belgard pavers or walls, a Belgard Authorized Contractor can provide Virtual Reality Designs from the Belgard Design Studio free of charge. These designs offer an ultra-realistic 360-degree view of your future space including furniture, landscaping and images of your home.

TIP 4:  YOU WILL NEED MORE SPACE THAN YOU THINK

  • Driveways: Homeowners who choose to install a standard driveway (8 to 10 feet wide) often wish they had splurged and gone with 12 feet. The additional width provides more room for wider vehicles, as well as walking space around the vehicle. This will keep your future guests from having to step off of the driveway into wet grass on a rainy day, or from accidentally missing a portion of a narrow driveway and leaving tire ruts in your yard.
  • Patios: Don’t just think about furniture groupings, but also the walking and gathering space that will be needed around the furniture. If you like to entertain, you will want to plan enough space for multiple conversation zones. And if you’re planning an outdoor kitchen, remember to plan for food prep and serving space.

TIP 5:  GET THE BELGARD PROJECT GUIDE

Outdoor Living Makeover Project GuideOur comprehensive Project Guide can be viewed online or downloaded for future reference. It offers a wealth of additional project planning information — including project considerations, planning timelines, design basics, budgeting tips, contractor selection tips, long term maintenance tips and more.

GET THE PROJECT GUIDE

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RECIPES: A New Way to S’more

Guest blog from Chuao Chocolatier® artisan chocolates.

Hey Belgard fam, it’s your friends from Chuao Chocolatier again! Living in sunny San Diego has its perks, including having beautiful weather all year round. That means even in August, we’re breaking out our s’mores kits and gathering ‘round the fire pit. But, that means that the classic s’mores can get a little… boring. So, in true Chuao style, we made up some SUPER fun recipes for s’mores that are so good you’ll want to s’more all year long, too!

maple donut bar, bacon s'more recipeForget The Diet S’Mores

What could possibly elevate a s’more recipe to an unheard of level? How about a maple donut bar, bacon and our Baconluxious Chocolate bar?  Sweet sticky maple with salty smoky bacon come together in a s’more that is completely out of this world good. We say, forget the diet and indulge!

What you’ll need: maple donut bar, Chuao Chocolatier Baconluxious Chocolate mini bars, marshmallows, cooked bacon.

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Dark Chocolate S'Mores with French breadQueen Bee S’Mores

We couldn’t help ourselves – we had to take ooey gooey s’mores and add even MORE sticky sweetness. The deliciously sweet honey balances out deliciously with soft French bread slices and rich dark chocolate.

What you’ll need: French Bread loaf, Chuao Chocolatier Honeycomb mini bars, marshmallows, honey.

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Breakfast Waffle S'More Recipe With StrawberriesS’More Breakfast Please!

Eat these for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, because they’re delicious any time of day. Sweet cinnamon cereal and creamy milk chocolate are met with sweet, fresh strawberries and crunchy waffle to balance everything out. It’s a s’more worth getting out of bed for.

What you’ll need: Waffles, Chuao Chocolatier Cinnamon Cereal Smooch mini bars, marshmallows, fresh strawberries.

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Oh, SNAP! S'More RecipeOh, SNAP! S’Mores

We went to flavor town with our last s’more creation. Spicy ginger cookies meet caramel apples meet chocolate meet s’mores… meets total deliciousness. We chose to buy our ginger cookies, and we went with a soft cookie instead of a typical crispy ginger snap, but either version is delicious! If you want to make these s’mores even more delectable, add a drizzle of caramel sauce to them!

What you’ll need: ginger cookies, Chuao Chocolatier Caramel Apple Crush mini bars, marshmallows. Optional: caramel sauce.

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Have Your Own Idea for a New Kind of S’more?

Belgard is celebrating fireside s’mores throughout the month of August and would love to hear your fireside stories and original s’mores recipes. Submit your story or recipe at Belgard.com/smores and enter for a chance to win a free Ashland Fire Pit Kit and a $500 gift certificate for Chuao Chocolatier artisan chocolates!

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RECIPE: Homemade S’mores
(From Scratch)

Guest blog from Chuao Chocolatier® artisan chocolates.

Oh My S’mores! Chuao ChocolatierWe’re Chuao Chocolatier, a San Diego-based chocolatier known for our innovatively delicious chocolate bars, and we’re excited to share our recipe for Homemade S’mores with the Belgard family. We know the name of this recipe sounds ridiculous – of course all s’mores are homemade. Is there really any other way to s’more? Actually there is! We have a fun portable version of s’mores that you can eat anytime, anywhere, with no flame required: it’s Oh My S’mores! chocolate bar, and yes it’s delicious.

BUT we’re here to tell you about a different kind of s’more – one where the graham crackers and marshmallows are all homemade from scratch.

Oh yeah, we’re going there.

It sounds difficult, especially if you aren’t one to enjoy baking on the regular. But we promise, it’s so delicious that you will never want to use store-bought ingredients again! Plus, it’s so easy. Yes, homemade marshmallows are easy. You barely have to do anything! And you get soft, sticky, sweet marshmallows as a result.

Graham Cracker Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup graham flour
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 tbs ounces whole milk
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Place both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine.
  2. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
  3. Add the molasses, milk, honey, and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball — approximately 1 minute.
  4. Press the ball into a 1/2-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  6. Unwrap the chilled dough and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper and top with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick.
  7. Slide the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut the dough, using a rolling pizza cutter into 2-inch square pieces, by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough. Trim off any excess.
  8. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the dough.
  9. Leave the crackers on the pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges just start to darken. Remove from the oven, set the sheet pan with the crackers on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
  10. Once completely cool, break into individual crackers.

Marshmallow Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 packages unflavored gelatin
  • 1 cup cold water, divided
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
  • Special Equipment Needed: Candy Thermometer, Electric Mixer

Directions

  1. Combine all three packets of gelatin and ½ cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Allow to sit while you make the sugar syrup.
  2. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and ½ cup water into a sauce pan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise heat to high and cook until the sugar syrup reaches 240º F on a candy thermometer (about 7 minutes). Remove from heat.
  3. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin.
  4. When all the syrup has been added, put the mixer on high and whip until the mixture is very thick and shiny, about 15 minutes.
  5. While the mixture is whipping, generously (and we mean really generously) dust an 8×12 inch nonmetal baking dish with confectioners’ sugar.
  6. When the marshmallow fluff has reached the desired texture, add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
  7. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the prepped baking dish. Smooth out the top, and add either more confectioners’ sugar, or desired decorative toppings. Let the marshmallows stand uncovered overnight until they’re dried out.
  8. Once the marshmallows have dried out, turn the marshmallows out onto a board that has also been dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Cut them into squares and dust with more confectioners’ sugar.

The Final Component: Chocolate

Ok, so now you have your base layer and your sticky, smoky layer. Next you need a rich, melty layer to make everything come together. We have a few pretty delicious options for you (though you really can’t go wrong with any of our chocolate stuffed into a s’more).

Oh My S’mores!Oh My S’mores!: It’s basically doubling down on your s’more game. The most fun part about this is the marshmallows, because they stay slightly soft and chewy, instead of ooey gooey like the blazed up marshmallows. The texture is killer and the creamy milk chocolate makes for the perfect combo.

Sprinkle Dreams: Imaging combining a trip to your favorite ice cream shop with an gooey and delectable s’more, all in one fabulous bite! The sprinkles in this chocolate bar keep things colorful and fun, while the bits of waffle cone and hazelnuts add a delicious crunch that brings the whole s’mores experience together!

FirecrackerFirecracker: Get ready for a totally unique s’mores experience! Rich dark chocolate makes this sumptuous and heavenly, but then a surprising kick of chipotle tickles your throat while popping candy explodes in your mouth. Trust us, you’re going to want to try this one! It’s like a party in your mouth.

Joy-Filled CaramelsJoy-Filled Caramels: This is NEXT LEVEL s’mores. If you want to make your s’mores totally and completely indulgent, throw a Joy-Filled Caramel in your s’more and let the rich, sweet caramel take your taste buds to flavor town.

There are countless other fun s’mores recipes to create with our chocolate – what would you try first? Or is there another chocolate bar you’re checking out? Well don’t be shy, tell us in the comments! And then go ahead and give it a try – you won’t ever regret eating this deliciousness.

-Team Chuao

If you enjoyed this recipe, head over to the Chuao recipe page and try your hand at all the fun and delicious treats we have there!

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COMING SOON:  National S’mores Day is coming up on August 10! Come back to the Belgard blog on that day to celebrate with us, and you’ll have a chance to enter to win a Belgard fire pit.