Simple Treats for Your Memorial Day Barbeque

Sometimes the best food does not come from a recipe, but rather from an inspiration. Sometimes the most memorable food is the most simple. Sometimes, the cook just wants to get out of the kitchen with the least amount of mess.

This Memorial Day, forgo the typical pies, brownies and cakes. Forget turning on the oven. Forget any last minute preparation.

The following recipes are for simple, single serve items certain to put a smile on every face, young and old. Variations of S’more on a Stick recipes can be found everywhere on the internet, but the premise is the same. Toast a marshmallow. Dip it into melted chocolate. Roll in graham cracker crumbs.

A slight twist on the S’more on a Stick concept is to replace the graham crackers with toasted coconut, crushed toffee candy or chopped peanuts.

Ice cream sandwiches are simple crowd pleasers that really require no recipe. They are a breeze to put together the night before the main event. on Highway K in O’Fallon sells their custard by the quart. The custard lends a rich creaminess to the ice cream sandwich that is unmatched by ice cream.

Plain vanilla custard gives the cook the ability to get creative with the toppings. Using cookies approximately 3-inches in diameter, you can get about 12 servings of custard from a quart. Each sandwich will use a generous 1/3 cup of custard.

One of the keys to successful ice cream sandwich making, is to freeze your cookies before assembling the sandwiches. Also, if the custard is freshly packed and not completely firm, leave it in the freezer until it is very firm before assembling the sandwiches.

The sky is the limit when choosing toppings in which you roll your ice cream sandwiches. Small, candy coated chocolate or peanut butter pieces tend to slide off of the frozen custard, so they require a bit more work. When using those, you need to press them firmly into the custard rather than rolling.

Following are some ideas to get you started: toasted coconut, cake decorating sprinkles, miniature chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, toasted chopped nuts, dried chopped fruit or crumbled cookie pieces.

Prepare the toppings on dinner plates for quick and easy rolling before assembling the sandwiches. Use the following for inspiration, not as an absolute.

Inspired Ice Cream Sandwiches

Makes 12

• 24 3” diameter sugar cookies, frozen
• 1 quart frozen vanilla custard
• Various toppings, according to taste

Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper and place in the freezer while assembling toppings.

Sprinkle chosen toppings on a large dinner plate. Remove baking sheet, cookies and frozen custard from the freezer.

Scoop a generous 1/3 cup frozen custard on each of 12 cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

Roll each cooking in the topping, pressing into the frozen custard if necessary.

Place on chilled baking sheet and return to the freezer for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

S’more on a Stick

12 sucker sticks

• 12 marshmallows
• 3 ounces chocolate chips, melted
• 3 graham cracker sheets, crushed

Insert one sucker stick on each marshmallow. Toast each marshmallow over a stovetop burner or a small food torch. Cool the marshmallow slightly before dipping into the melted chocolate. Do not fully coat the marshmallow, leaving some toasted marshmallow visible.

Dip each chocolate coated marshmallow into the graham cracker crumbs and let dry.

S’more on a Stick can be made up to 24 hours ahead.