The Ultimate Guide To Campfire S'mores

No other food screams summer quite as much as a perfectly molten s'more, cooked gently and slowly over the flames of a campfire. These charred-marshmallow and chocolate-filled treats have been enjoyed by kids (and grown-ups) throughout America since the 1920s, when the Girls Scouts spread the word about this magical sweet treat. Since then, the popularity of s'mores has, thankfully, only increased. Today we seem to be simply unable to get enough of them. Here, we talk you through making the perfect, classic s'more, and offer up some s'more inspiration to ensure that your summer evenings spent round a campfire are as tasty as can possibly be.

Always use milk chocolate rather than dark chocolate in s'mores. Milk chocolate has a higher cocoa butter content, so it melts more easily than its darker counterpart.

For the expert s'mores cookers among you, create a melting block before you start toasting your marshmallows. Place a flat piece of wood at the edge of the fire, slightly away from the flames. Place the graham crackers topped with chocolate on the melting block while you char your marshmallow to warm the cracker and start melting the chocolate ahead of time.

It may be tempting to bite straight into the s'more as soon as the marshmallow is cooked, but this is always a mistake. Make sure you let the marshmallow cool down just for a few seconds before you start eating it to avoid burning your mouth, tongue, and taste buds.

The original s'mores recipe was written in the 1927 Girl Scouts' guidebook. For this recipe you need two graham crackers, two pieces of chocolate (one for each cracker), and one marshmallow toasted over an open flame.

For the Classic S'mores recipe, click here.

As s'mores are a summertime food, it seems a shame to serve a dessert where we don't make the most of the season's berries. Add some raspberries and strawberries to the molten marshmallow and chocolate center of your s'more for a fruity take on the classic.

If you don't want to faff around with cookies, chocolate chunks, and searing-hot marshmallows, there is a cheat's way to create s'mores: Begin to toast your marshmallow, and when it's just beginning to soften, push your favorite candy into the center of it. Heat for a little longer until the marshmallow is done to your liking, and the candy center is beginning to melt.

A double chocolate s'more means serious business. Swap the graham cracker for a chocolate-coated cookie, and definitely don't skip the cube of molten chocolate inside.

Swap the regular chocolate center for something more exciting, such as a square of cookies and cream chocolate, for a simple way to jazz up a classic s'more.

Add a layer of cotton candy to your s'mores filling for some extra melty, colorful, sugary goodness.

For the Cotton Candy recipe, click here.

Swap the graham crackers for a banana stuffed with chocolate chunks and mini marshmallows, and then roast over the fire for a molten, sticky, fruity, s'more-inspired campfire dessert.

For the Grilled S'more Banana Pockets recipe, click here.     

Fill a bowl with M&M's, and once the marshmallow is cooked to gooey perfection, roll it in the candy until it's well coated, before sandwiching it between chocolate and cookies.

For all you Nutella addicts, this simple trick will make you fall even more in love with s'mores: Swap the regular cube of chocolate for a tablespoon of Nutella to create a nutty campfire treat.

Be gentle when preparing this s'more: Take your Oreo, carefully remove the top cookie, and leave the filling intact. Then proceed as you would for a classic s'more, except this one will be even sweeter and creamier.

Adding a peanut butter cup to your s'more leads to the magical fusion of two favorite childhood treats: fluffernutters and s'mores.

This s'more is delicious whether you keep the chocolate and simply add a tablespoon of peanut butter, or whether you decide to swap the chocolate for peanut butter for a slightly less sweet campfire dessert.