Are healthy marshmallows an oxymoron?

Nothing says summer like fireflies, swimming pools and s’mores around a campfire. Since we have been basically at home this summer and trying to really limit our interactions one of the simple things we have been doing a lot of is s’mores around our little patio fire pit. My five year old decided almost a year ago that he would become a vegetarian and when he learned about gelatin and marshmallows he decided he would give them up too. Now this is from a child that once fell asleep in his car seat hugging a bag of marshmallows after saying he was going to marry marshmallows when he grew up. Now that’s commitment. I had seen the “natural” marshmallows a few years ago in Whole Foods but thought to myself that they were probably disgusting but I decided to give them a try. So I ordered some from my favorite online market – Thrive Market and when they arrived we did a blind taste test. The family agreed – they were actually delicious! It takes a little bit more patience to get them nice and brown but they are great! But look at the difference in ingredients – yikes!

So with 4th of July rolling around, the one thing that the kids requested was my now “infamous” American flag s’more dip. I take no credit in this one as I found it on Pinterest a few years back and there are several variations online see this and this). But this simple festive dessert has become a tradition in our family but this year I tried to make it slightly healthier – a seemingly impossible task when the main ingredients are marshmallows, chocolate and sprinkles J I have altered the original recipe over the years in order to have a double layer of marshmallows and chocolate – because why only have one layer when you can have two? So here it is, slightly healthier in all its glory:

· 1 bag Dandies marshmallows

· 1 or 2 bags of chocolate chips or about 5-6 chocolate bars

· Water for dipping

· Red, white and blue sprinkles or food coloring (healthier versions here) https://thrivemarket.com/p/colorkitchen-food-coloring-combo

· Graham crackers, for serving

Preheat oven to 450°. 

In a slightly greased rectangular glass pan, place a layer of chocolate chips to cover the bottom of the pan.

Cut all the marshmallows in half – I use either wet kitchen shears or a wet knife. Layer half of the marshmallows on top of the chocolate chips. Cover with another layer of chocolate chips.

With the remaining marshmallows separate them into 3 piles – about 10 pieces for blue and the rest split between red and white.

Now comes the messy part – I try to lay down parchment paper and using a wooden skewer, dip the marshmallows in water and then roll and or sprinkle them with them with either food coloring or sprinkles. Place on parchment paper to dry. Repeat this process to make all of the three colors of marshmallows. Then layer the dried colors on top of the chocolate to make a flag design.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes and serve with graham crackers. It is an instant crowd pleaser!