Gimme Smore!

Cake pops are everywhere! Checking out at Kroger yesterday I saw at least 4 different magazines with cake pop recipes featured on the cover. No wonder, they're so cute! Who can resist a fancy ball of yummy cake on a conveniently portable stick? I was so enamored with this adorable new trend I set out to find a healthy version, but no matter where I looked all the recipes are calorie packed. I search high and low but could never find a recipe that registered less than 100 calories per pop.

And then I discovered Smores on a Stick! A delicious twist on a classic camp fire favorite that brings you the cuteness of a cake pop without the burden of a high fat and calorie load. And while I wouldn't go so far as to call these treats "healthy", I do feel that they are a healthier alternative to the classic cake pop. So roll up your sleeves and get to dipping, these little guys will be the star of you Halloween Party this year.

Smores on a Stick

this version is based on multiple recipes that have been "tweaked" by me

Tools

lollypop sticks (you can find these at most craft stores and sometimes at Walmart)

either a Styrofoam block or wax paper (for drying)

a zip lock bag

Microwave

Ingredients

(will make approximately 50-60 pops depending on how much chocolate you use per pop)

1 box Cinnamon Graham crackers (or plain, whatever you prefer)

1 bag Large Marshmallows (typically have 50-60 marshmallows per bag)

1 12-15oz bag/bar of melting chocolate or chocolate candy coating

(You can make your own chocolate coating by using Ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate chips (12oz) and 1Tbsp + 1 Tsp of Crisco- melt chocolate slowly until temp is between 80-84 degrees Fahrenheit. But you really need a double boiler to do this, I don't recommend using the microwave.)

Directions

1- put the crackers in the ziplock bag and smash them. I mean smash them really good! You want the cracker crumbs to be as fine as possible.

2-melt the chocolate or candy coating by following the microwave instructions on the package. Be Careful! Chocolate burns easily and will ruin the flavor.

3- Skewer a Marshmallow on a lollypop stick and dip it into the coating about half way up the marshmallow. Use a spoon to gently scrap off any excess coating, leaving enough to still cover the marshmallow.

4- Quickly dip the coated marshmallow into the cracker crumbs so that the crumbs stick to the bottom and around the bottom edge of the marshmallow.

5- Either stick the lollypop stick into the foam block, or set the cracker side down on the wax paper and allow the coating to set. This will typically take around 45min to get good and hard.

6- Serve to your very impressed family and friends.

Want a FREE SAMPLE?? Come by the UNSA Booth at the VolAware Street Fair tomorrow (Oct. 5th) from 10am to 4:30pm at the University Center Plaza to get some great Nutritional Information and your very own Smore on a Stick. But get there early before all the Smores are gone!

Please remember, with handmade treats like this the nutrient information can vary depending on how much you put on each treat. If you use lots of chocolate or crackers the nutritional info will be different than my estimates.

Nutritional Info

serving size: 1 pop

Calories: 71 . 5

Total Fat: 2 . 7 g

Saturated Fat 1 . 2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0 . 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.1g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 23 . 3mg

Potassium: 0mg

Total Carbohydrate: 12 . 5g

Dietary Fiber 0 . 1g

Sugars 9 . 2g

Protein: 0 . 9g

Photo Credit: Anna Lavender