Serious Summer Yum: S’mores Bites, Two Ways: Classic and PB&J
S’mores—just reading that word will likely conjure visions of laughter-filled evenings around a campfire with your friends and family. A simple combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and the all-important roasted marshmallow, s’mores are virtually a childhood rite of passage. Of course, campfires aren’t always easy to come by (or toddler-friendly), and while roasting marshmallows over your stovetop can be done, it doesn’t have quite the same magic.
The solution? Our muffin-style s’mores bites! With just a couple extra ingredients and about eight minutes in the oven, you’ll have a whole batch of gooey deliciousness ready and waiting to be devoured (full recipe below)—we suggest going purist with half of them and then giving the other half a fun flavor makeover: PB&J. These “indoor s’mores” make a sweet finish for a healthy dinner during the summer, or really any time of year. Here’s how to get your yum on:
Your shopping list includes the three classic pillars of s’mores awesomeness (marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars, of course) plus butter and powdered sugar to make the crust. Swap out the chocolate for peanut butter cups and jam for a tasty twist.
More great filling alternatives: Lemon curd; Nutella® and banana slices; caramel sauce and toasted coconut; or ground cinnamon and chili powder with chocolate.
Baking up a batch of these delicious grin-inducers takes two simple steps:
1) Combine the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and melted butter, and then evenly dispense in a lightly greased 12-cup muffin pan. Use your fingers to press down on the mixture and create a shallow well in each cup before baking for a few minutes to form “crusts.”
2) Top each crust with chocolate or a wedge of peanut butter cup and a little jam. Crown every cup with a marshmallow and then pop the bites back in the oven for a toasty finish.
Voilà! All the fire-roasted flavors you love, without the fire. Serve these bites at your next picnic at the park, on the porch after dinner, or beneath the stars while backyard camping.
S’mores Bite bonus: The muffin shape is much easier—and less messy—for your munchkin to hold and eat than the traditional drippy, sticky sandwich.
That said, half the fun of eating s’mores is making them, so we suggest inviting your kiddos to get in on the cooking. They can do everything from making graham cracker crumbs and measuring, pouring, and mixing ingredients to piling on the toppings. Spending time in the kitchen with your children has numerous benefits: it can help them learn and practice basic math and science concepts, as well as build language skills. We guarantee that making these s’mores will give them plenty to talk about!
S’MORES BITES, TWO WAYS: CLASSIC AND PB&J
Yields: 12
Total time: 15 minutes prep/8–10 minutes baking/15 minutes cooling
Ingredients
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2 cups graham cracker crumbs (1.5 sleeves of graham crackers, or between 14–16 sheets of graham crackers)
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½ cup powdered sugar
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8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), melted
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1 (1.55 ounce) Hershey’s® milk chocolate bar
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1 (1.5 ounce) package of Reese’s® Peanut Butter Cups
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6 teaspoons jam or jelly
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12 large marshmallows
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
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Grind or crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs—you can use a food processor, blender, or even place them in a plastic bag and smash them with a potato masher or something similar.
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Combine the crumbs, powdered sugar, and melted butter in a medium-size bowl, and mix well.
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Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan, and then evenly divide the crumb mixture into each of the 12 cups. Using your fingers, press down to form a shallow well in each cup of crumbs. Place the pan in the oven and bake the “crusts” for 5–7 minutes or until the edges are bubbling.
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While the crusts bake, cut or break the chocolate bar into at least 6 pieces. Cut each peanut butter cups into wedges.
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Remove the muffin pan from the oven and place either a piece of chocolate or a piece of peanut butter cup in the center of each crust. For PB&J bites, top with about 1 teaspoon of jam or jelly. Finish each s’mores bite with a whole marshmallow.
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Return the pan to the oven and bake for 2–4 minutes or until the marshmallows are just slightly softened. For browned marshmallows, broil the s’mores bites for 1–2 minutes instead.
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Remove the pan from the oven and cool the bites on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
