A Cool Recipe For Next Level S’mores

Are you ready to give this campfire classic an update? Try these tips, just in time for summer.

The search for a better s’more

My husband and I are on the fourth year of Our Grand Tour, living the road trip dream in a 23-foot motorhome. One of our ongoing obsessions is making a raging campfire and cooking over the coals.

I’ve grilled bacon and flipped flapjacks, roasted squash and even baked biscuits. But when it comes to campfire cooking, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making s’mores.

We’ve even turned the marshmallow toasting portion of the project a bit of a competition. Who’s technique is best? I spin mine, rotisserie-style, to try and achieve that golden hue. He’s all about going in hot, occasionally having to blow on the flaming marshmallow. No matter what happens, we both win.

Over the many miles, I’ve tried bringing different ingredients to the party, upgrading from the traditional graham crackers with various cookies and swapping out the Hershey’s bar for something fancy. There’s been varying degrees of success until I found a couple of stellar ways to take those sticky sweet treats to the Next Level.

An elevated marshmallow

No judgement if you’re set on your gummy white blob that goes on a stick to be toasted. But there is a better product out there. If you can find Smashmallow on the shelf, it’s a game changer. (The website says it’s now available at Target.)

Various flavors are available, from Cookie Dough to Candycane. My all-time fave is Cinnamon Churro, but the Toasted Vanilla works well, too.

The company’s mission is to deliver a marshmallow like the one you get all nostalgic about from childhood, but better. Made from organic sugar and non-GMO ingredients, it delivers intense flavors and gooey goodness.

Fran’s comes through

Seattle-based Fran’s Chocolates is probably best known for its truffles and its salted caramel chocolates — President Barak Obama’s a big fan.

Yet, this famous chocolatier has a line of spectacular sauces that are well worth exploring. I first stumbled onto the Dark Chocolate Sauce when I was camping at the wonderful San Elijo State Park near Encinitas, Calif., birthplace of the fish taco and a strong surfing community.

I bought a jar and some early season strawberries and that combo was a winner. Later, I started thinking that I wanted to try bringing that sauce into the s’mores equation, smearing some on graham crackers — the cinnamon-sugar crackers from Trader Joe’s are the best, but not always available.

No shocker. That experiment was an instant hit, the rich chocolate playing off the melted marshmallow. Maybe it was a little bit messy, not that I minded licking my fingers in this case.

Here’s to a happy summer of s’mores making!