S’mores pops

S’mores
(the classic American campfire treat made with roasted marshmallow)
don’t have the same resonance in the UK as they do in the US, but I
would like to give them the Blighty welcome that they deserve. These
pops are naughty, but taste like a little bit of sweet heaven on a
stick. You can buy the lollipop sticks online and in some supermarkets.

MAKES 20

20 regular-sized marshmallows (from a 180g bag)

100g dark chocolate (minimum 70 per cent cocoa solids) or milk chocolate

50g digestive or ginger nut biscuits

EQUIPMENT

20 lollipop sticks

♥ Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Push a lollipop stick into
each marshmallow (into the narrower end if applicable), standing them on
the tray as you go. Push the sticks quite far in, but you don’t want
them coming out of the other side.

♥ I like to toast the marshmallows over a gas flame (adults only!) until
they are just starting to caramelise. Swirl each marshmallow briefly
over the flame, being careful not to let the stick catch fire. Return
the pops to the tray as you go, without touching the mallow as its centre will be molten hot. Don’t be tempted to lift them until set firm or the stick may pull out of its soft centre.

♥ Meanwhile,
break the chocolate in a small bowl and either melt it sitting on top
of a pan of simmering water (without allowing the bowl and water to
touch) or in 30-second blasts in the microwave, stirring between each
go. Once melted, stir until smooth and set aside to cool a little.

♥ Pop the biscuits into a resealable food bag and bash them to fine crumbs with a rolling pin. Tip them into a small bowl.

♥ Once the mallows are firm, dip them into the melted chocolate so that
it comes up about a third of the way. Tilting the bowl to pool the
chocolate will help. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off and then
immediately dip into the biscuit mix, so it comes up to almost the top
of the chocolate. Return the marshmallows to the tray as you coat them,
repeating until all the ingredients have been used up. Eat straight away
or set them aside for about 30 minutes if you prefer the chocolate to
be set firm.

♥ You can serve the pops propped up inside a glass, stick side down, or
arrange them stick side up on a serving platter. Alternatively, you can
just serve them unassembled for people to help themselves to and get
stuck in!