It wouldn’t be a camping trip without sitting around a campfire, making s’mores, getting smoke in your eyes while your marshmallow on the stick burns to a black inedible mess. After burning your fingers trying to get the sticky marshmallow onto the graham cracker you smile and say, “I love S’mores!” The following are some ways to add a twist to this traditional campfire treat. Don’t worry, you’ll still have plenty of chances to get smoke in your eyes and burn the marshmallow.
- Forget the Graham Cracker: Want a streamlined way to make a S’more? Instead of using graham crackers, purchase a package of fudge striped cookies. Then simply roast your marshmallow and place it between two cookies. The cookie gives support, the chocolate gets melted and you have a S’more without having to wait for the normal piece of chocolate to melt.
- Everything is Better With Nutella: While many people prefer to eat Nutella directly from the jar with a spoon, try using this delicious hazelnut-chocolate spread for S’mores. Spread Nutella on your Graham Cracker, add the oeey-gooey marshmallow and you have a first-class S’more!
- Salty S’mores: Many snacks now center around a “salty-sweet” taste. How about trying a S’more with a salty, buttery flavor? Simply replace the graham crackers with two Ritz crackers. You’ll still get the full taste of a S’more, but with a little “kick”.
- Breakfast S’mores: Want to give your kids a real camping treat? Surprise them with Breakfast S’mores. Slice a bagel in half and use a toaster (if you brought one) or insert a stick so you can lightly toast the bagel over the campfire. When toasted, place a thin piece of chocolate on the bagel, add sliced bananas and top with melted marshmallow. Now before someone complains that this too sweet for breakfast, is it any different from making chocolate chip pancakes doused in maple syrup? Breakfast bagels for all!
- More Chocolate, More Crunch: Here’s a way to get a double layer of crunch in your S’more. Set out Oreo cookies, which will replace the normal graham cracker. Adding additional chocolate is optional. Most people simply put their roasted marshmallow between two Oreos and munch away. Generic Oreo-type cookies work as well.
- Not Just One Type of Chocolate: Yes, it’s traditional to use Hershey chocolate in S’mores. But let loose and try some other chocolates. How about using Andes Thin Mints? Or Campfire mints? Ever try a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup between graham crackers? Try adding a layer of peanut butter to the chocolate and marshmallow to create that perfect chocolate-peanut butter combo S’more.
- Mini S’mores: Trust me on this idea. It’s fun and safe. If it’s raining and you can’t make S’mores over a traditional campfire, try making these mini-s’mores… under adult supervision of course. Set out Teddy Bear type graham crackers, along with miniature marshmallows. (Or break regular graham crackers into smaller pieces.) Melt some mini-chocolate chips in the microwave. Have children spread the melted chocolate on the Teddy bears. Here’s the fun part. Light a few votive candles. Children use toothpicks, (or bamboo skewers if you are extra cautious) and “roast” the mini marshmallows over the candle flame. Then just put the melted marshmallow between Teddy Bear crackers and you have a delicious mini-treat. An extra bonus is that kids concentrate on their tiny marshmallow with such concentration that they are very quiet!
