Things You Should Be Adding To Your S'mores, But Aren't
Anyone who says there's no such thing as a perfect food has clearly never tasted a s'more. What other food is named after the fact that they're impossible to stop eating? A s'more is a divine sandwich made of the three most important food groups: crisp, not-too-sweet graham crackers, along with gooey, toasted marshmallows and melted chocolate.
A large part of the joy of s'mores is in making them. There's a kind of ceremony to toasting that marshmallow to perfection, whether that means a slight golden crust or one that's been intentionally lit on fire. All told, the beauty of a s'more is in the beholder. If you're making and enjoying a s'more, it's a good indicator that lots of things in life are going well. It's likely summer and you're probably outside, sitting around a campfire, hopefully with people you enjoy as much as the indulgent treat you're making together.
There's an ancient proverb, that maintains that if something ain't broke, don't fix it. And while the s'more is far from broke, it's also endlessly adaptable and customizable. While we know you'd never get bored with the classic triad of graham, marshmallow, and chocolate, here are a few other ways you can take your s'mores to the next level.
Bananas and peanut butter
Consider it the meeting of the culinary minds. A chocolatey caucus. A banana briefing. Call it whatever you want, but adding peanut butter and banana together between some graham crackers makes for an intensely delicious s'more. How could it not?
Chocolate and peanut butter are obviously a match made in heaven. Peanut butter and banana make for a delicious sandwich, rivaled only by the peanut butter fluff sandwich. Anyone who's ever had a frozen banana dipped in melted chocolate knows that those two ingredients work together in perfect harmony. Combine all these ingredients together between two graham crackers? Heaven.
So next time you're grabbing s'mores supplies, make sure you grab some bananas and a jar of peanut butter. Simply spread some peanut butter on one (or both) graham crackers, slice or smash some bananas, add your chocolate and toasted marshmallow, and you've got yourself a s'more so hearty you might as well call it dinner.
Bacon
Okay, okay, this could be a controversial ingredient. It's true that slabs of salty meat are not the first things that comes to most people's minds when thinking of s'mores. However, the truth is that salty and sweet make a perfect coupling. According to our Mashed recipe developers, bacon and chocolate are no less than a match made in heaven. So go ahead and save a few pieces from breakfast next time you're making s'mores.
Better yet, take things to the next level by making your own candied bacon to top your s'mores creations. Sure, your campfire mates may make fun of you at first, but once they try it, they'll be converts, too.
If you want to really go crazy, why not go full Elvis by adding peanut butter, banana, and bacon to your s'mores? Inspired by the King's favorite sandwich, this flavor combo has been memorialized by the internet and is about as iconic as his swooping hair and sparkly white pantsuits.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is one of those spices that pretty much goes with everything. You can sprinkle it in your coffee, add a bit too much to your muffin recipes, or throw a dash or two in a savory meat pie. So why not use it to elevate your s'mores game? After all, anyone who's ever had Mexican chocolate knows that cinnamon and chocolate are beautiful together.
But what's the best way to incorporate this ultra-useful spice into your s'mores? It could be as easy as sprinkling a little on the chocolate before assembling. Or perhaps you'd like to roll the toasted marshmallow in a cinnamon-sugar blend. Or as one Redditor suggested, the easiest way to get that cinnamon flavor you're craving is to swap out regular graham crackers for cinnamon-infused ones. According to them, they "Accidentally bought cinnamon once instead of honey and [have] never looked back." Nothing better than a happy culinary accident!
Peanut butter cups
A s'more without a slab of chocolate would be a blasphemy. But what about a s'more with an upgraded chocolatey center? Enter the peanut butter cup, a simple and simply delicious way to take your s'more game to the next level. Smooth, sweet peanut butter provides a light, nutty flavor that really elevates the s'more. Since the peanut butter here happens to be nestled inside a shell of milk chocolate, it will soon make you wonder how you ever ate s'mores without this addition. You don't even need to stick to peanut butter, as almond butter or sunflower seed butter cups would work, too, as would dark or white chocolate.
Whether you're making s'mores over a campfire or toasting them up at home with your oven or microwave, we suggest also warming up the peanut butter cup to maximize its creamy, gooey goodness when you smush it between the toasted marshmallow and graham crackers.
Crushed nuts
When you think of chocolate and marshmallows, many of us think of s'mores. But the other classic treat that combines those two ingredients is Rocky Road ice cream, which is chocolate ice cream blended with marshmallows and nuts. There's some controversy over who exactly invented Rocky Road ice cream, but suffice it to say, it tastes like someone blended a candy bar into chocolate ice cream. In other words, it's delicious. So, let's take a cue from this classic ice cream and apply it to s'mores!
When it comes to choosing which nuts to mix in, it's dealer's choice. Adding crushed or sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or even some chopped toasted pecans to the melted chocolate or marshmallow of your s'mores will add a delightful, nutty crunch. Heck, even some salted pistachios or cashews would taste delicious. There's really no bad option here, unless you happen to be allergic to nuts. In that case, you can move on to one of the many other delicious ideas here.
Pretzels
Picture this: a perfectly toasted s'more with an extra salty crunch in the middle. Is your mouth watering yet? This reality could be yours if you grab a bag of salted pretzels and stick one or two inside your s'mores. It's like the sweet club sandwich of s'mores, with the graham crackers on the outside and the pretzel forming that perfect middle layer that brings some extra salt to contrast with the sweetness of the marshmallows and chocolate.
If you had any doubts that this flavor combo is a winner, know that it's been vetted by the queen of pretzels and mall food courts, Auntie Anne. A TODAY poll of 1.3 million pretzel devotees placed Auntie Anne's s'mores flavored pretzel in second place. The pretzel that secured first place? Sriracha. That may make for a tasty and spicy pretzel, but maybe leave it off your s'more. (Or try it and let us know how it goes.)
Chocolate chip cookies
Making s'mores without graham crackers is kind of like trying to enjoy mac without the cheese, Maryland crabs without the Old Bay, or a BLT without the B. But in life, we must evolve or perish, and the same applies to our favorite desserts. So, apologies to Mr. Graham, but maybe it's time to ditch the cracker and upgrade to a chocolate chip cookie.
If the thought of melty chocolate and toasted marshmallow nestled between two chocolate chip cookies didn't immediately send you to the grocery store, then this Instagram post surely will. It now seems downright wrong to make s'mores with anything other than two big, pillowy, chewy chocolate cookies. If you're more of a crispy, browned butter cookie fan, then those would work spectacularly as well. And if you have the bandwidth to make your chocolate chip cookies from scratch? Then you've just won life.
Oreo cookies
If a chocolate chip cookie only enhances a s'more, then it stands that an Oreo cookie would make a s'more of greater or equal value. To be clear, we aren't talking about just buying s'mores-flavored Oreos, although that is also encouraged. We maintain that incorporating classic Oreo cookies into your s'mores is a great, if not downright revolutionary, idea.
There is no one way to Oreo-ify your s'more. As this genius Redditor discovered, you can take things along the obvious (though delicious) path and simply replace the graham crackers with an opened Oreo cookie. That way, you can still enjoy the added bonus of the creamy filling. An Oreo Thins cookie would also fit beautifully nestled between the chocolate and marshmallow of a traditional s'more. Or you might sprinkle some crushed up Oreo cookie crumbs into your s'more filling and serve it up open-faced. Really, you can do no wrong!
Sliced strawberries
Chocolate covered strawberries might make you think of romance, bubbly Champagne, and a really classy date. But now they'll make you think of s'mores. If you're looking to impress a special someone around the campfire, then this might be just the s'mores hack for you. As suggested by one Redditor, a few sliced strawberries can really take your s'more up a notch or two. Who wouldn't swipe right on that, right?
Or if you want to really impress a date with some sick culinary campfire skills, another Redditor took things a step further by roasting a strawberry covered in marshmallow fluff over a campfire. Perhaps the only way to make a strawberry even more delicious is to roast it, releasing the natural sugars and letting them blend in with the toasted fluff goodness. Swoon. If you make someone a roasted strawberry s'more, we're pretty sure that they're gonna want to lock it down.
Salted caramel
Is there any food on this planet that isn't improved with a drizzle of salted caramel? How is it even possible that melted, kind of burned sugar can taste so exquisitely divine? Given the popularity of this stuff, it goes without saying that adding salted caramel to your s'mores constitutes a massive improvement to an already delicious treat. In fact, it's kind of wild that it's not a standard s'mores ingredient.
Now, of course you can likely buy salted caramel sauce at your local store, but why not make it yourself? Making caramel may first seem daunting, and it can indeed burn if you're not careful. However, it really is as simple as melting sugar in water until it turns a golden-copper color, then adding butter and cream. This recipe not only walks you through the steps of making salted caramel yourself, but it also shows you how to make s'mores in your oven. That means no chopping wood, no inhaling smoke, and no accidentally lighting your marshmallow on fire — what could be easier?
White chocolate
White chocolate and Kim Kardashian actually have a lot in common. Yes, seriously, stay with us here as we justify the comparison. They're both incredibly rich, and they both know that if you're going to live your life under the spotlight, then it stands that you're going to have to deal with your fair share of haters. If you identify as a tireless defender of this controversial chocolate, then rest assured that you are amongst friends here. If you want another reason to like white chocolate, we present to you another way to celebrate the creamy sweetness of this cocoa butter-based treat: put it in your s'mores.
White chocolate is super versatile, after all, so there are many ways to work one into your s'more. For starters, you could simply swap out the milk chocolate for white chocolate. If you want some more complexity, you could also add some tart raspberries to counterbalance the sweetness of the white chocolate. Or you can do what the Hampton Chocolate Factory does and dip your s'more into some melted white chocolate. It may make the eating process a little messier, but just consider the taste. A s'more encased in a shell of sweet, smooth white chocolate? Who could possibly hate on that?
Coconut flakes
When you think of s'mores, you don't often think of tropical vacations. It makes sense that your mind would go elsewhere, like to a campfire in the woods, a firepit by a mountain cabin, or a beach bonfire. But we think you should try making s'mores that Jimmy Buffet himself would approve of by adding some coconut flakes. The sweet, mildly nutty, ever so slightly tropical flavor pairs perfectly with the classic s'mores flavors of rich chocolate and sweet marshmallow.
So, go ahead and give your s'mores the pina colada treatment, minus the rum. That said, if you can figure out how to inject some rum into your s'mores without making a complete mess, then please let us know how you managed such a tasty feat.
How, exactly, should you add coconut to your s'mores? You can sprinkle on some plain coconut flakes, making for a pretty easy treat. Or, if you're feeling adventurous and have a bit of extra time, go for a deeper, nuttier flavor and try toasting the coconut before adding it to your treat.
Lucky Charms
Remembers how, back in the it '90s, it was considered totally normal to eat a bowl of tiny freeze dried marshmallows as part of a balanced breakfast? Ah, those were the days. While your dentist and your nutritionist might warn against eating Lucky Charms every morning, who says you can't incorporate them into your s'mores rotation? After all, their main ingredient is marshmallows, so you're basically already two thirds of the way there!
While it might be tough to fit a Lucky Charms marshmallow onto the end of a stick for roasting over an open fire, they're perfect for making a batch of delicious and colorful oven roasted s'mores. Simply line a roasting dish with graham crackers, add a layer of chocolate on top, then sprinkle in a hearty layer of those iconic Lucky Charms mini marshmallows. Now that Lucky Charms sells entire bags of just the marshmallows, this recipe is even easier! Just stick the pan in the oven until the hearts, stars and rainbows puff up a bit, and bam! They're magically delicious.
Nutella
Adding Nutella to your s'more repertoire seems like an absolutely excellent idea. According to Nutella, this iconic chocolate hazelnut spread has been around for over half a century. Like so many fans of this stuff, we think that it could make even a rubber tire taste good. So it's not surprising that the addition of Nutella would knock a s'more into the stratosphere of deliciousness. But something that is surprising? You're probably pronouncing Nutella wrong. Apparently it's "new-tell-uh," according to Food Network. Go fig-yuh.
So next time you've got a s'more craving, simply replace the chocolate in your s'more with a smear of Nutella. Or better yet, combine chocolate and Nutella! Life is short, so we see no reason to skimp on the chocolate. If you're looking to get really funky with your Nutella s'mores, why not give this air fryer s'mores recipe a try? Here, you'll ditch the graham crackers and wrap chocolate and marshmallows in a crescent roll dough. Air fry them to perfection, drizzle with Nutella, and enjoy while trying not to think about all the times you've mispronounced Nutella.
Lemon curd
Any home chef will tell you that making a lemon curd can be tricky. Making it at home typically requires a double broiler, while the result has a tendency to curdle. In short, it can be a whole thing. Luckily, this microwavable lemon curd recipe is much easier than more traditonal recipes, so now you can always have a jar of this extremely versatile and extremely tasty spread handy. Spread it on muffins, toast, put a dollop in your yogurt, or use it to completely reinvent your s'mores game.
To make a lemon curd s'more, swap out the graham cracker with a shortbread cookie or even some saltines. Ditch the chocolate or, better yet, replace it with some white chocolate to perfectly compliment the tart tang of the lemon. Slather on some of that freshly made lemon curd, top it with melted marshmallow, and you have a new and improved s'more that's like eating a bite of pure summer. It's the next best thing to visiting Capri!
Sweetened cream cheese
The internet is full of recipes for s'mores-flavored cheesecakes. Even The Cheesecake Factory has a chocolatey s'mores cheesecake on its menu. So why not make a cheesecake flavored s'more? To bring this confection into your life, first whip some honey or confectioner's sugar into softened cream cheese, then spread it on a graham cracker, top the affair with chocolate and marshmallow, and you've got yourself a deliciously sweet and savory cheesecake s'more stack. Yum.
Just like the infinite varieties of cheesecakes out there, there are many ways to make a cheesecake s'more. Add some blueberry or strawberry pie filling to make it a fruity cheesecake, for instance. Or embrace the PSL life this fall and make a pumpkin cheesecake s'more with some cinnamon graham crackers and a touch of pumpkin pie filling. If you've got some of that homemade lemon curd still lying around, then why not whip up a lemon cheesecake s'more? Finally, if you want to put an Italian spin on it, use some mascarpone cheese, which is an already sweetened whipped cheese spread. Whatever cheesecake s'mores path you choose, we're sure that your taste buds will thank you.