When you think of the summer treat that really brings nostalgic smiles to those young and old, it is very likely s'mores. When you think of s'mores you think of building a campfire and roasting them out in the fresh, open air when you are nestled away camping in the mountains. Or maybe you think of roasted marshmallows over a fire pit with family and friends in your backyard --the perfect way to end your night after a fun afternoon of corn hole, squirt guns, slip 'n slides and lots of good eats.

We are going camping right on the beach in just a couple weeks and I'm really looking forward to making s'mores there and creating new memories with my little family. There's just nothing quite like it in these summer months.

HISTORY OF S'MORES

When looking into the history of S'mores I found that no one actually knows who invented the s'more. However, the first published recipe for "some mores" was in the 1927 publication called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. Loretta Scott crew, who actually made them for the Girl Scouts by the campfire, is given credit for the recipe.

So thank you, girl scouts, for another victory in the addictive sweets category! As if Thin Mints and Samoas weren't enough!

NACHO S'MORES

I love s'mores but I don't have a fire pit or anything outside to make them on the regular and I don't really like using a candle inside because I don't necessarily want my smores to taste like some musky, sandlewood scent from my favorite scented candle.

However, by making s'more nachos, I can have my cake and eat it too, so to speak! All you need is your basic s'more ingredients and any fixings you'd like to add. Turn your broiler on low, add a layer of quartered or halved graham cracker squares and a layer of mini marshmallows. Broil until your marshmallows look nice and toasty, just the way you like em! (Roughly 1 minute, depending on the strength of your broiler.) Then add a second layer of grahams and marshmallows and pop those under the broiler for another minute. When that comes out, you are going to add some nice, warm chocolate sauce on top. You can use hot fudge, or just slowly melt dark chocolate chips with some heavy whipping cream and butter on the stovetop. You can eat them now as is, or add some toppings like sliced bananas, toasted coconut flakes, caramel, chopped nuts, crushed pretzels, etc. Then they are ready to dive in! Keep plenty of napkins handy.

Do you like this take on S'mores or are you more of a traditionalist? Please share in the comments below!

SHEET PAN NACHO SMORES

Prep time:
Cook time:
Yield:

Serving size: 4
Calories per serving: 0

Ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 (10 ounce) bag mini marshmallows
optional toppings: caramel, caramel chips, chopped nuts, chopped dark chocolate, toasted coconut flakes, sliced bananas, crushed pretzels, or even a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt


Directions:

Preheat the broiler to low. Position the oven rack so it's 6 inches from the heating element.

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Place the cream, butter, and chocolate chips in a large heatproof bowl and set it over the saucepan (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Stir the mixture until the butter and chocolate have melted, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave the bowl over the saucepan to keep the sauce warm.

Place half the graham cracker halves on a baking sheet and top with half the marshmallows. Broil just until the marshmallows turn golden brown, about 1 minute, depending on the strength of your broiler. Place the remaining graham crackers and marshmallows on top and broil one more time until the second layer of marshmallows is golden brown (or burnt, if you prefer that!), about 1 minute more.

Drizzle the warm chocolate sauce over the "nachos", add any toppings you'd like, and serve straight from the pan, with plenty of napkins handy.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.