Summer Desserts | How to Upgrade Your Smore

Some more. S'more. Smore. Those two little words have morphed into something truly yummy over the last 80 plus years. Smore purists, traditionalists, camping conservatives all prefer the classic summer dessert recipe: two plain graham crackers, a marshmallow roasted over an open flame to golden perfection and an adequately sized square of milk chocolate, not too big, not too small. And, that's all well and good but look passed that roasting stick. See the possibilities. Know that a smore can be so much more than the camping recipes of our youth. Take a deep breath and read on....

First of all, smore lovers are usually divided into two camps. The golden brown and the charred. The battle lines are drawn and the opinions are fierce. Conversations can get just as heated as the flames they are held in front of. It's ok. I have always been a roast and let roast kind of girl. I prefer to light my marshmallow on fire and let it get nice and charred. I like that slightly burnt taste; it complements all the sweetness inside. I don't judge those who sit, tirelessly, croached down in front of the fire, turning their smore with the utmost care. To each their own, just don't complain when I am on my 2nd creation. Both methods get to the same place, a melted marshmallow, the glue to hold all the other ingredients in place long enough to get everything in your mouth. Mmmm!

You can change every single aspect of a smore. That's right. Every.Single. One. 

Start with the marshmallows. Did you know they come in, like, a million other flavors? Alright, at least ten, chocolate, strawberry, coconut (a personal favorite), vanilla caramel, "zebra", chocolate dipped, you name it. Each creates a subtle difference in your favorite smore. If you switch out just this one ingredient, you can create a new masterpiece. However, there is so much more experimenting to do. So much more. 

The graham crackers also come in chocolate and cinnamon, both of which can add another subtle layer of flavor to the classic summer dessert. But, what if you skipped the graham cracker altogether? What if you used a chocolate chip cookie to contain all the marshmallow-y goodness? What if an oatmeal raisin cookie sandwiched your design together? See? Now, you're thinking.

You know what's up next. The chocolate. You could class up the smore with dark chocolate, indulge your sweet tooth with white chocolate or take everything in an entirely different direction. Grab your favorite from the grocery store check out lane and break off a chunk for your next smore. Seriously. Peanut butter cups, caramel or raspberry-filled candy bars, minty, nutty, toffee chips. They all work. You are only limited by your imagination and your tastebuds. 

You can add even more stuff to your smore. It doesn't have to be on that orginal camping recipe to be stuffed into one. I know, its mind-blowing. 

Fruit is a great example. You can add sliced bananas, strawberries, pineapple, apples or pears. Heck - you can add any fruit that you fancy. I'd like to say that it helps reduce the caloric intake but its doubtful. Tasty, yet doubtful.

Along the same lines, you can spread some yummy jam on your smore. Take the idea of summer fun to the extreme. Strawberry jam, cherry preserves, peach jelly, orange marmalade (with dark chocolate ... *groan*); any jam or jelly will work. Again, its that whole imagination thing.

Lastly (but *so* not least), you could smear some peanut butter on there. Right there. On that awaiting graham cracker. Smore nirvana on a paper plate. Don't stop there. Try almond butter, Nutella or even cashew butter. Yum. Yum! Y.U.M.

Gotta go and make me some! Smore, that is!