Air Fryer S'mores Are Exactly What You Need For A Cozy Night In
While toasting marshmallows around a bonfire yields a tasty, rustic treat, adding some graham crackers and chocolate bar pieces to make s'mores elevates the experience. Plus, you can always take things a step further, amping up your s'mores with some easy additions like candies, caramel, or peanut butter. Bonfires may be the traditional way to toast marshmallows, and the feeling of roasting over an open flame is plenty fun. However, if you find yourself craving the flavor combination of s'mores and you don't have access to a campfire — or you just want a quick and easy treat — you can use your air fryer to make some s'mores right in your own kitchen, perfect for a movie night, sleepover, or a casual dessert.
Enlisting your air fryer for this task is a great way to achieve that delicious s'mores flavor, even without the benefit of a smoky fire. The appliance will circulate hot air around the marshmallows, crisping them up on the outside while leaving them gooey inside — a similar consistency to what they'd achieve outdoors.
The s'mores only need to heat up for a few minutes
If you want to use your air fryer to make s'mores, you'll need to start by preheating the appliance to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once heated, place your marshmallows inside for a few minutes, but not before putting down a small piece of parchment paper first to prevent them from melting and sticking to the inner tray.
Then, open the air fryer and carefully remove the marshmallows. Start assembling your s'mores by adding chocolate bar pieces on top of the graham crackers. Then, top that chocolate off with the warm marshmallows and add them back to the air fryer.
The s'mores will only need about a minute in the air fryer before it's done — you'll just want to give it enough time to warm up a little bit. Since the graham crackers are already baked, leaving them in the air fryer for too long could cause them to burn or become too crunchy. Ideally, the chocolate will be just a little bit melty, and the marshmallow should be perfectly browned on the outside and airily soft on the inside. Then, take another piece of graham cracker and top off the marshmallow to finish off the sweet treat.
Using an air fryer is a quick and easy way to make a small batch of these sweet treats. And, if you're craving other desserts featuring the same flavors, the appliance can help make a few other s'mores-flavored snacks.
Ways to level up your air fryer s'mores
To add some extra flavor to your treats, you could try using different flavored marshmallows, like coconut, strawberry, or pumpkin spice, if you're a fan of the seasonal flavor. Or, if you're missing that campfire flavor, try adding a little bit of liquid smoke to mimic the taste.
The next time you host a party and want to whip up a bigger batch of s'mores, try turning the components of the treat into a dip instead. All you'll need to do is layer marshmallows and chocolate into an oven-safe bowl. Then, place that bowl in the air fryer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around four minutes. Once the marshmallows and chocolate are melty, dip graham cracker pieces in to scoop the dip out.
If you still want to serve individual portions, you could try making miniature s'mores pies. The steps are the same as making the dip, but you should swap in miniature store-bought graham cracker crusts in place of an empty bowl. Air fry the pies at 345 degrees Fahrenheit for around four minutes. Then, you can dig in with a fork and enjoy. The next time you're craving some s'mores without the hassle of building a campfire, try heating up your air fryer to make things a little easier.