Chocolate Experts Share 3 Tips for the Best S’mores Ever
Editor’s note: August 10 is National S’mores Day, so there’s no better time for us to take a closer look at this treasured treat.
Photo courtesy Dandelion Chocolate
Traditionally synonymous with campfires and summertime, s’mores have moved even more mainstream—onto restaurant dessert menus, as cookies for sale year-round in grocery stores, as the inspiration for bon bond, and featured in at-home kits designed to let people enjoy them anytime, anywhere.
Their popularity has also brought about a range of new flavors and ingredients. Whether it’s the use of Nutella, Mexican hot chocolate, or even Reese’s Pieces, creativity abounds when assembling s’mores, and all of these hot takes made us wonder: What are the best ingredients, tricks, tips, and twists when it comes to successfully making the most savory renditions? So we reached out to a few industry experts for some insights and intel.
Choose Dark Chocolate
“When it comes to eating (or drinking), we always recommend using only the best ingredients you can find (often made with the least ingredients) and ingredients you can read and know what they are,” says Doreen Leong, a chocolate educator and founder of the chocolate subscription service Cocolectic, that focuses on high quality chocolate bars. She adds, “We recommend using any bean to bar dark chocolate with a higher cacao content—between 70% to 80%. Dark chocolate bars in the 70% to 75% range are the best percentage to bring out the unique flavors of the cacao bean. They also have the balance of sweetness and chocolaty-ness you’re looking for in a good chocolate bar.” She adds that since marshmallows are made from sugar, water, and gelatin, having a chocolate bar that’s higher in cacao content will also make your s’mores less sweet. “Dark chocolate starts to melt between 85°F to 90 °F,” she continues, “so let your marshmallow cool down before assembling your s’more. That way your chocolate doesn’t melt immediately, and all over you.”
Stacked s’mores photo courtesy Dandelion Chocolate
And Leong isn’t the only one leaning toward dark chocolate, Ashley Ugarte—Head Chocolatier at San Francisco–based Dandelion Chocolate, which offers their own Single-Origin S’mores Kit—prefers to use it too. “Personally (and I might be biased here), but I strongly prefer dark chocolate—especially in a s’more,” she says. “When you consider the other components, they’re already so sweet (the marshmallow and the graham cracker), so the dark chocolate helps balance out that sweetness.” Ugarte also likes to sprinkle a touch of sea salt on top of the chocolate, which is a prime example of new additions consumers are enjoying.
Riff on the Ingredients
“For me, I think the best thing about s’mores is that they’re so versatile. They’re easy to customize to your own flavor preferences—whether you’re a fan of milk or dark chocolate, whether you like pretzels or prefer nuts,” says Michelin star–chef Serena Chow Fisher of Marlena Restaurant in San Francisco. She and her team are currently running a “Summer Camp” pop-up at the Hotel Zeppelin, which includes a seven-course tasting menu with s’mores and chocolate charms made from Tcho Chocolate as its final course. “S’mores are nostalgic for a lot of people, so I highly recommend using your favorite childhood candy bars when making them and experimenting with what you like,” continues Chow Fisher. “I’ve used everything from a Mr. Goodbar to my current favorite: a salted dark chocolate and almond bar from Tcho. We have even had some diners who don’t like chocolate at all, so we use white chocolate.”
Photo courtesy Tara Rudolph
Refine your Technique
Of course, even with the ideal ingredients, putting together the perfect s’more isn’t always a seamless experience. “I think the secret to a perfect s’more is patience and organization—you can’t rush the process. Getting the marshmallow toasted perfectly is key. You don’t want it to catch fire or burn. To get a gentle and even toast, I diligently rotate the marshmallow just over the flame (not directly touching it),” explains Ugarte. “I like to have my graham crackers set up nearby, with one side ready to go and the chocolate placed on top of it. Once my marshmallow is ready, I carefully sandwich the marshmallow between the graham crackers and let the residual heat slowly melt the chocolate—just enough so there’s still a little bite to it.” Here’s where dark chocolate has an advantage over milk chocolate in preventing a melty mess, she notes. Because dark chocolate has that higher percentage of cocoa in it than milk chocolate and melts at a higher temperature, it doesn’t melt as fast.
Chow Fisher also offered some additional insights on the process. “The best tip I have is that it’s all in the setup: Make sure your graham cracker is already split in half, make sure your chocolate is sitting on top of one side to immediately melt together with the toasted marshmallow,” she says. “Beyond that, it’s the rotation of the marshmallow. If you could imagine the way a rotisserie chicken roasts on a spit, that constant rotation will allow the marshmallow to toast and melt at the same speed—so you never have to worry about it falling off of your stick.”
Chow Fisher also believes nostalgia adds to the enjoyment—when what you’re eating reminds you of a time, place, or feeling that you’ve enjoyed or had a connection to in your past. “I think s’mores are one of those perfect foods that remind you of your childhood—of camping with your friends or being outside and learning something new,” she explains. In that same way, Chow Fisher thinks it’s great when people experiment and use non-traditional ingredients too. “It’s a great time to push limits of what might be weird or unexpected, and the whole experience will be a good memory for later.”
For her part, Ugarte supports moving past the tried and true into something new as well. “I’m all for creativity and innovation, so I love seeing fun, non-traditional additions or alterations,” she says. “One that we like to recommend is using our single-origin chocolate hazelnut spread in place of (or in addition to) our 70% chocolate. I’m biased here, but I think it’s amazing, and who doesn’t love hazelnuts and chocolate?”
Look Beyond the Fire
Ugarte told us her team recently released a 24-piece summer bonbon collection, which contains six different flavors inspired by nostalgic summer memories unique to each member. “It just so happens that my bonbon was inspired by s’mores,” she says. “I created a toasted pipeable vanilla bean marshmallow, cold-smoked our 70% house chocolate to make a ganache layer, and finished it off with a crunchy graham cracker praline layer. It’s one of my favorite bonbon flavors that I’ve created so far, and I’m really excited for people to taste it!”
S’mores baked Alaska photo courtesy Atwood Restaurant
Another treat inspired by the s’more is the s’more baked Alaska, a seasonal special from Atwood Restaurant in Chicago. The plated dessert features marshmallow fluff, which tops a moist chocolate cake filled with house-made graham cracker ice cream, proving there really are no limits to what a s’more can inspire.