My Favorite Things: S'mores Please

As a kid who loved summer camp more than anything, my whole school year was spent dreaming of the day I got to climb back on the bus and head off to Skylake Yosemite Camp for the summer.

As I help kids in our store to stock up for summer every year, I always become nostalgic for the many days I spent at Bass Lake and all the special friends I made over my many years at camp.

Of course it also helped that camp meant the only time I would be served Pop Tarts for breakfast and tatter tots for dinner (much better than granola and broccoli when you are 8 years old.)

However, one of my favorite things about camp were the nights by the campfire when we made S'mores. Nothing beat hunting for that perfect stick to roast your gooey marshmallow on.

I was never patient enough to get that perfect golden brown crust on my marshmallow. Instead, mine always ended up burnt to a crisp, but who really cared, it was all about sticking the gooey inside into a sandwich made of graham crackers and chocolate.

So, for all of you summer camp loving 'kids at heart' out there, here are some of my favorite S'more recipes for you to try this summer. All taste fantastic whether your marshmallow is roasted to a golden glow or charred to perfection!

Mexican S'mores

Using the three classic s'more ingredients, this sweet treat is prepared under the broiler or on the campfire and uses cinnamon graham crackers instead of plain. For an adult-friendly option, use spiced chocolate.

Grilled Banana S'mores

Ingredients

• 3 small bananas, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 (0.3-ounce) individually wrapped squares dark chocolate
• 12 graham cracker sheets, halved

• Thread banana pieces onto 3 (8-inch) metal skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350° to 400°) 5 minutes or until soft.
• Place 1 square dark chocolate onto 1 graham cracker half. Top with hot banana pieces and another graham cracker half. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Raspberry S'mores

Ingredients

• 8 graham crackers
• 32 large marshmallows, cut in half
• 2 1.5-ounce chocolate bars (such as Hershey's)
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

• Adjust rack to middle position and heat broiler or toaster oven. Break the crackers in half to form squares and place on a baking sheet. Arrange 4 marshmallow halves on top of each square. Broil for 30 to 60 seconds or until the marshmallows are golden brown. Break each chocolate bar into 12 pieces. Arrange the chocolate and raspberries on top of half the crackers. Invert the remaining marshmallow-topped crackers onto the raspberry-and-chocolate-topped crackers, pressing gently to make sandwiches. Stack them, if desired.
  Tip: For more deluxe s'mores, use high-quality chocolate, like Scharffen Berger or Valrhona.

Of course for those of us S'more lovers who are just plain lazy or enjoy our S'mores served to us in a more formal setting than a campfire, there is always Luna Park. This SF Mission District restaurant serves up the best homemade S'mores 'sans' the smoke and mosquitoes.