You think you know everything you need to know about s’mores? We beg to differ. Not only did we remix the famous trio of ingredients into delectable pie form, but we also gathered all the shocking, scandalous, and morbid facts surrounding this infamous delicacy. The union of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker is a tale of ingenuity. We’ve followed the trend, taking this recipe up a notch and redefining the s’more yet again!

The first known recipe emerged 90 years ago, but the s’more and its’ components were no new kids on the block. Marshmallow root was used to heal wounds throughout the ancient world, but Ancient Egypt created a sweet elixir by mixing the root with honey. The divine treat was used to soothe coughs and sore throats and was solely reserved for royalty and gods. They were used medicinally again in 1800’s France, sold in bar form as lozenges. The modern-day marshmallow has substituted gelatin for the plant’s sap, and has become a whole lot fluffier, but it still goes by the same name.

Graham crackers had a far more dogmatic origin. Presbyterian Minister, Sylvester Graham, created the recipe for these crackers to curb society’s impure desires. He believed moral collapse was imminent, and our diets were a contributing factor. Condemning the sensuous nature of juicy, flavorful foods, he proposed a dry, unseasoned vegetarian diet of starches and vegetables to curb bodily excitement. The author of “On Self Pollution,” preached that a plain, wholesome diet would allow society to resist its lustful urges and allow us to return to our natural, chaste state of being.

Strangely, the first known union of chocolate and marshmallow dates back to Victorian-era funeral tradition. It was customary to serve sponge cakes and sandwich cookies filled with chocolate and marshmallow at these services. Rich, elaborate treats were often served to display the wealth of the deceased and their family, along with decorative ostrich feathers and extravagant costumes.

Later, marshmallow roasts became a trendy way to mingle. Young people congregated around bonfires, nibbling each other’s marshmallows and socializing with friends. Marshmallow roasting was considered a fun, flirtatious activity for singles. The summer fad continued through the 1890’s as a simple, inexpensive way to host.

The s’more we all know and love made its first appearance in the 1927 issue of the Girl Scout guidebook “Tramping and Trailing With the Girl Scouts” with the title “Some Mores.” The recipe gained popularity and quickly became a campfire staple. Somewhere down the line the name got shortened, but the recipe lives on. People love their s’mores so much that the flavors have been integrated into everything from ice cream to waffles to protein bars.

As much as we love the holidays, it’s always a little sad to see the summer go. Or it was, before we found a way to keep all the gooey, rich flavors of our beloved s’mores close to our heart (and bellies) all winter long. What’s more seasonal than coffee and pie? We certainly can’t think of anything.

Try out this super easy, super yummy recipe and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Ingredients:

• 1 package chocolate pudding mix
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup strong brewed fall roaster’s blend
• 1 (9-inch) graham cracker pie crust
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, whisk chocolate pudding mix, evaporated milk, and strong brewed coffee. Set aside.

Carefully pour in filling. Chill.

Place marshmallows in the center of the pie (they will spread as they melt). Broil until marshmallows are golden brown.

Serve!

Holiday season is almost upon us, which means cookies in the break room again. Shortbread is a favorite because you can make many variations with one big batch of dough. If you have a tried-and-true shortbread dough you love, you can easily adapt it by mixing ground coffee into the dough and glazing the cookies with coffee icing (recipe below).

We followed this recipe, for the shortbread dough, with a couple of changes: we used our 0 Dark 30 blend coffee, ground for a standard autodrip machine, and two kinds of icing to mix things up a little.

Ingredients (yield: about two dozen cookies)

For the dough
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon ground 0 Dark 30 (or any dark roast coffee you like)
½ vanilla bean, split and scraped for seeds
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cup flour, sifted

For the icing
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons half and half (or strong brewed coffee, cooled)

You can find the full directions for the dough here. Mix the icing ingredients together until smooth and glaze the cookies once they have cooled completely. Then bring them to work so you don’t eat them all by yourself.

Many of us at Coffee Bean Direct are foodies and pretty talented cooks — if you ask any of us we’d be happy to tell you just how talented. That’s why potlucks turn into cook-offs which turn into marathons of indigestion. Today’s chili cook-off is an especially happy occasion since Sandy put last year’s event on hold indefinitely and we all had to suffer through the storm bloat-free. The chili was delicious, of course.

Also noteworthy was the collection crockpots, some museum-worthy.

The winning chili belonged to this beauty.

The talent behind the winning dish is chef John, was kind enough to share his recipe using our Dark Sulawesi coffee. Here’s the quick and dirty version:

Cook 2lbs of chopped onions in bacon fat over low heat until translucent, remove from heat.

Brown 2lbs of meat (the winning batch was a ground pork and bison mix) and deglaze the pan with 1/2 pot of brewed Dark Sulawesi Kalossi.

Throw everything in a crock pot, add 2lbs of Anasazi beans (soaked overnight), 4 pints of dark beer, chili powder, molasses, salt, and sliced Szechuan chili peppers (feel free to get creative with the quantities).

Cook on high 4-6 hours.