S’mores Recipes for National S’mores Day

August 8, 2026 Megan Fowler

August 10 is National S’mores Day, which is excellent news for anyone who believes a perfectly reasonable snack should require both an open flame and a strategic amount of chocolate.

The classic s’more is already pretty close to perfect. Toasted marshmallow, melty chocolate, and crisp graham crackers have been carrying summer snack time for generations. But the basic formula is also wonderfully easy to play with. Swap the chocolate or change the cookie. Add one extra ingredient and suddenly you have an entire s’more tasting menu. Very fancy. Probably still sticky.

Whether you’re gathering around a campfire, using a backyard fire pit, or making yours under the oven broiler, here are plenty of combinations to try for National S’mores Day.

Start with the classic s’more

You’ll need:

2 graham cracker squares
1 large marshmallow
1 piece of milk chocolate

Toast the marshmallow until the outside is golden and the center is soft. Place the chocolate on one graham cracker square, add the hot marshmallow, and top it with the second cracker. Press everything together and wait just long enough for the chocolate to begin melting.

This is the baseline. The control sample. The version to make when you do not want your dessert to become a full creative side quest.

Peanut butter cup s’more

Swap: Use a peanut butter cup instead of the chocolate.

Place the peanut butter cup on a graham cracker while you toast your marshmallow. Sandwich the hot marshmallow on top and let it sit for a few seconds so the peanut butter cup gets wonderfully soft.

For even more peanut butter, spread a thin layer on the second graham cracker before assembling. This is a structural risk, but a delicious one.

Salted caramel s’more

Add: A soft caramel and a small pinch of flaky salt.

Layer a piece of chocolate and a soft caramel on the bottom graham cracker, then add your toasted marshmallow. Finish with a tiny pinch of flaky salt before adding the top cracker.

Soft caramel works better than a firm candy here. Your teeth should not have to complete an obstacle course to earn dessert.

Strawberry chocolate s’more

Add: One or two thin strawberry slices.

Make a classic s’more with milk or dark chocolate, then tuck the strawberry slices beside the toasted marshmallow. The fresh berry cuts through the sweetness and makes the whole thing feel suspiciously close to a balanced snack.

Pat the strawberry slices dry before adding them so your graham crackers stay crisp.

Cookies and cream s’more

Swap: Use a cookies-and-cream chocolate bar instead of plain chocolate.

Pair it with regular or chocolate graham crackers and one toasted marshmallow. The bits of chocolate cookie add a little crunch, and the white chocolate gets extra melty against the hot marshmallow.

If you want to fully commit, replace the graham crackers with chocolate sandwich cookies. Twist them apart and use two cookie halves to make a tiny s’more. They are small, which obviously means having two is simply responsible planning.

Chocolate chip cookie s’more

Swap: Replace the graham crackers with two chocolate chip cookies.

Add a toasted marshmallow between the cookies with a square of chocolate. Soft cookies create the gooiest version, while crisp cookies are a little easier to hold. Both routes end with chocolate on your fingers, so choose according to your preferred level of chaos.

These are especially fun as a dessert bar because you can use store-bought cookies and let everyone assemble their own.

Dark chocolate banana s’more

Add: Two thin banana slices, and use dark chocolate.

Place the dark chocolate and banana slices on the bottom graham cracker, then add your toasted marshmallow. The banana gets warm and soft while the darker chocolate keeps the s’more from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.

A very thin swipe of peanut butter also works here if you have decided restraint is not part of the day’s itinerary.

Peppermint bark s’more

This holiday version originally appeared during the Scoutmas 2025 digital advent calendar, and it deserves a return trip for National S’mores Day.

Swap: Use chocolate graham crackers and peppermint bark.

For four oven-baked s’mores, place four chocolate graham cracker squares on a lined baking sheet. Top each with a square of peppermint bark and a large marshmallow. Bake at 400°F for 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely, then add the remaining graham cracker squares.

The peppermint bark melts under the toasted marshmallow and gives the whole thing a cool, chocolatey twist. You can find the complete instructions and printable recipe card in the original Peppermint S’mores Recipe.

Cookie butter s’more

Swap: Use crisp spiced cookies in place of graham crackers, then add cookie butter.

Spread a thin layer of cookie butter on one cookie and add a piece of white or milk chocolate. Top with a toasted marshmallow and the second cookie.

This one leans a little cozier than the classic, which makes it just as good beside a fall fire pit as it is during peak summer.

Build a s’mores board

If you’re making s’mores with a group, set out a mix of crackers or cookies, marshmallows, chocolate options, and one or two extras. Everyone can build a combination before heading to the fire.

A few easy mix-and-match options include:

Graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, or crisp cookies
Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peppermint bark, or peanut butter cups
Sliced strawberries, bananas, soft caramels, or cookie butter
Flaky salt, chopped nuts, or crushed peppermint candy for finishing

Keep the ingredients unwrapped and ready to assemble so no one is trying to wrestle a peanut butter cup out of its wrapper while holding a flaming marshmallow. I feel like that is how a fun snack becomes an incident report.

How to make s’mores without a campfire

You can still celebrate if an actual campfire is not in the cards.

In the oven: Heat the oven to 400°F. Place half of each graham cracker on a lined baking sheet and top with chocolate and a marshmallow. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely, then add the top cracker.

Under the broiler: Assemble the bottom cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow on a lined baking sheet. Broil briefly until the marshmallow is toasted. Stay close because the jump from golden to tiny fireball happens fast.

Let oven-made s’mores cool for a minute before eating. Melted sugar has no respect for National S’mores Day or the roof of your mouth.

A little s’more sewing for the occasion

If National S’mores Day has sent you down a full campfire-themed rabbit hole, I have a few quilty additions for the adventure.

Keep your roasting skewers packed and ready with the S’more Ready Skewer Roll-Up, a free pattern created as a gift for Quiltbound email subscribers. You can also stitch up the S’mores Stop foundation paper pieced block or add the S’more Quilting patch and sticker to your collection.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE S’MORE READY PATTERN