Easy ways to jazz up classic campfire s’more

5/28/2013

Three simple ingredients — a marshmallow, a piece of chocolate and two graham crackers. The symbol of summer and campfire snacking.

And there are so many possibilities for jazzing it up! Once you have a toasted marshmallow, you can sandwich it between all kinds of cookies, crackers and the like. Or you could swap out the basic chocolate for something a little more over-the-top, perhaps something with bacon or candied ginger embedded in it. And don’t overlook gourmet marshmallows, which come in some wonderful flavors.

And don’t hesitate to jam other ingredients in there, too. Liven up your s’mores with:

• Thin pretzel sticks

• Dried fruit (such as dried cherries and pineapple)

• Sweetened shredded coconut

• Thinly sliced fresh strawberries or apple

• Maraschino cherries

• Slices of banana

• Thinly sliced brownie or cake (as an additional filling, not in place of the graham crackers)

• Potato chips

And here are four more ideas to get your creativity flowing.

Toasted Mocha S'more

1 marshmallow

1-ounce piece dark chocolate with espresso

2 soft snickerdoodle cookies

Toast the marshmallow on a stick or skewer to the desired level of toastiness. Carefully place the marshmallow and the chocolate between the snickerdoodles, using the top cookie to clamp the marshmallow in place and help remove it from the stick. Squish the cookies together and allow to cool for a minute before enjoying.

Yield: 1 s'more

Sesame Caramel S'more

1 marshmallow

1-ounce piece caramel-filled chocolate

2 pieces sesame crisp bread or thin crisp cracker

Toast the marshmallow on a stick or skewer to the desired level of toastiness. Carefully place the marshmallow and the caramel-filled chocolate between the crisp bread, using the top piece to clamp the marshmallow in place and help remove it from the stick. Squish the crisps together and allow to cool for a minute before enjoying.

Yield: 1 s'more

Double Chocolate Grasshopper S'more

1 marshmallow

1-2 mint-filled chocolates

2 chocolate graham crackers

Toast the marshmallow on a stick or skewer to the desired level of toastiness. Carefully place the marshmallow and the chocolates between the graham crackers, using the top graham cracker to clamp the marshmallow in place and help remove it from the stick. Squish the crackers together and allow to cool for a minute before enjoying.

Yield: 1 s'more

Salted Oatmeal S'more

1 marshmallow

1-ounce piece sea salted dark chocolate

1 square soft caramel, flattened with your palms

2 oatmeal cookies

Toast the marshmallow on a stick or skewer to the desired level of toastiness. Carefully place the marshmallow, chocolate and caramel between the cookies, using the top cookie to clamp the marshmallow in place and help remove it from the stick. Squish the cookies together and allow to cool for a minute before enjoying.

Yield: 1 s'more