Frozen S'mores Are The Ultimate Cool Spin On This Classic Gooey Treat

The classic combination of graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows dubiously known as s'mores is actually way more versatile than its iconic association with campfires might suggest. You can batch make s'mores in the oven for an anytime delight to please a crowd. You can tinker around with all manner of secret ingredients to give your s'mores a signature twist. Or you can move them out of the fire and into the freezer for a less expected treat that transcends seasons.

S'mores are appealing for myriad reasons. Yes, they're sweet, and our brains are hardwired to desire said sweetness. The graham crackers will also typically add a little bit of saltiness, another sensation with science-backed appeal. And the textures bring the whole thing together — alternately crisp, gooey bites that you might think require heat to achieve, but are easily replicable as an icy treat as well. And making them that way is actually much more convenient than rubbing two sticks together out in the woods.

It likely comes as no surprise that frozen s'mores are about as adaptable as their al fresco counterpart. In general, you'll want to swap whole marshmallows with marshmallow fluff, which you can buy or make yourself, as it has a more yielding consistency, but your other ingredients are fairly forgiving from there. One of the simpler methods is to layer your favorite chocolate ice cream onto a graham cracker, top that with the sticky spread, sandwich it all together with another cracker, and freeze to set. You can briefly torch the edges if you truly crave that campfire color and near-caramelization. You can also, of course, use the merely cocoa-adjacent flavor of your choice, instead, or even swap the chocolate for a totally different effect.

Some preparations eschew the ice cream (or gelato, frozen yogurt, or sorbet) for an instant pudding mix. Those swaps might have you incorporate heavy cream into the pudding powder for a somewhat softer final product than you would expect from the ice cream alone. You can also consider a thicker marshmallow center and dual layers of something like Nutella for yet a quicker way to the essence of s'mores, indoors.