You know how, when parents talk about how great their kids are, you kind of want to roll your eyes because you know they’re indirectly bragging about how great THEY are, since their kids are (usually) the result of their genetic material and parenting efforts? Well, I kind of feel like that with these croissants. It feels arrogant to brag about them, because they’re my brainchild. I came up with the idea, executed it, tweaked, and re-executed, then reveled in the awesomeness. I show off pictures of these croissants to people at parties just like a proud mother shows off pictures of her baby. But I can’t help telling you how great they are, because they’re one of the most incredible things I’ve ever eaten, let alone made.
S’mores are, in a sense, the perfect kid food: messy, outdoorsy, and involving sticks and fire. But their appeal lasts long beyond childhood. Even when you’ve outgrown your love for milk chocolate, s’mores remain irresistible.
These are the perfect fusion of childhood nostalgia and grown-up elegance (which is quickly becoming my trademark, I think). A croissant is French and fussy, requiring far more time and technique than stuffing a marshmallow and piece of chocolate between two graham crackers and scarfing it down (although there is a fair amount of technique involved in toasting a marshmallow correctly. I was never a member of the ‘burn it to a crisp and pull off the outer layer’ school of thought). But when you combine French technique with the classic s’mores flavor, you get an absolutely world-class result that everyone will love.
To wit: I initially only made three of these. My husband traded half of his to a colleague for a ride home from work. Later he told me he wished he’d just taken the train. That’s how good they are.
