Shelve the grahams this summer and smash some chocolate and marshmallows with a new carb.
I’m not trying to start a fight. Graham crackers are the original s’mores vehicle and they deserve all the melty, marshmallowy action they get. (I do, however, have a problem with their packaging. What were they thinking?) But branching out now and again is exactly how you discover your new favorite flavor combination. This summer, shelve the grahams and employ one of these winners to carry your chocolate and charred ‘mallow.
Crunchy, slightly sweet, and sometimes oaty, these are “biscuits” in the British-sense, not the fluffy and tender buttermilk ones. Digestives are round like cookies but not quite as sweet. They usually come in plastic sleeves of 20 or 30 and are the perfect size for a single s’more. I prefer chocolate-coated ones, which are kind of like a hack on their own—then you only need a marshmallow. McVitite’s plain are classic, but I prefer their oaty sister Hobnobs.
It’s true there’s a wee problem with pretzels as s’mores—there are holes. But the best view is at the top, so put on a shirt you don’t mind getting chocolate on and enjoy the perfection. You can use hard or soft pretzels for this application; it’s the salt and that unique flavor from the lye wash that makes this an irresistible combination. For single bite s’mores, I suggest the square pretzel snaps.
Sweet and salty will almost always win the day. Marshmallows and chocolate pack enough sugar, which means a salty cracker will balance everything out. Almost any cracker will do, though I wouldn’t suggest a water cracker, or one with garlic. Think more salty and buttery: Try Ritz, saltines, or that glorious green box of temptation, Kellogg’s Club Crackers.
TikTok wants you to s’mores with croissants, and my official position is that it’s objectively pretty good. The croissant flavor gets pushed aside by the mass of chocolate and marshmallow so it reads a little more like plain bread. On the bright side, a more flexible carb means you won’t have to wrestle with a brittle cracker that shatters in half and gets molten candy lava all over your chin, so give it a try.
I couldn’t let you leave without this: If you’re a sweet and salty lover, well, it doesn’t get saltier than chips. I suggest kettle chips primarily for the crunch and structure, but a wicked salty tortilla chip like Santitas would be fantastic. As an added benefit, potato chips and corn tortillas are often gluten-free, which is not something any of the other options can boast.
Really, I wrote this entire piece because I wanted to tell you how good Pop-Tarts are for s’mores. They’re portioned well in the perfect sleeves (learn something, graham crackers!) for camping trips or cookouts. They have structural integrity, and yet they’re easy to bite into without completely disintegrating. Greatest of all, there are numerous flavors so you can let your creative side run wild. I used cherry and the jam filling added just the perfect amount of tangy flavor to brighten up my s’more. Try frosted wild berry, confetti cupcake, or±dare I say it—s’more flavor.
This one might make your teeth hurt just thinking about it, but cookies are excellent for s’mores purely because they introduce a wide variety of sizes and flavors. You can keep it simple with sugar cookies or chocolate chip. Make a combination with one coconut Shirley and one snickerdoodle, or get weird with a rosemary parmesan cookie brittle s’more.
