There are a few things that every good summer celebration needs – Family, Friends, Food, and Fireworks. Whether you’re grilling out or keeping it simple potluck style, there is a very good chance most of us are having the same thing for dessert- S’mores.
Just imagine sitting around a roaring fire, relaxing, and roasting marshmallows while enjoying some much needed adult conversation…. That is, until you remember you have kids. I don’t know any mom (or dad) who can ever let themselves fully relax around a fire with little ones running around. (Frankly, that’s probably a good thing.) There are tons of delicious alternatives to traditional s’mores that don’t require a fire, like cookies and bars. However, there is nothing quite like a perfectly toasted (or burnt, depending on your taste) marshmallow.
(Left) How my kids eat marshmallows – (Middle) How I eat marshmallows – (Right) How my husband eats marshmallows
How do you like your marshmallows?
Tabletop S’mores Bar
We got rid of our fire pit a few years ago and we haven’t made s’mores since. Until now. I have seen a number of tabletop s’more bars online and I thought it would be a perfect way to enjoy s’mores inside or outside with the kids without the hassle of large fire. There are a variety of ways to create your own s’more bar using sterno cans. You can simply put a sterno can and rocks inside a flower pot or dish, but I wanted to create a box that would allow a group of people to gather around.
HERE is the tutorial I decided to follow. The instructions are easy enough that I could have done it myself, but I opted to give my husband a workout with his power tools. I’m not ashamed to admit that his patience and attention to detail resulted in a box far better than I would have ended up with.
About $20 later, we had a stunning s’more bar and I couldn’t wait to share it with our kids. First, we had to gather up all the essentials – skewers, marshmallows, graham crackers, and a variety of chocolate.
Time out.
Did you know they made Butterfinger chocolate bars? They come just like the big Hershey bars you would traditionally break up for s’mores. I hope I’m not the only one who finds this seriously exciting! (FIY – you can find them at Hy-Vee in the candy aisle.)
Here is the final product. Seriously, how cool is this? We can now enjoy s’mores year round. Plus, with the amount of rain we’ve been getting it’s nice to have a backup indoor option.
Quick shout-out to my awesome husband who took the time to make this box knowing that I could have realistically just thrown some sterno cans on a plate and called it a day. Also, despite the amount of un-finished projects I have taking up room around the house, he didn’t put up a fight and managed to totally exceed my expectations, and I’m actually excited to get a lot of use out of it. I’m already thinking about how I can take the cans out and add some plants or different seasonal decor.
S’more Pops for Little Ones
I must say, this setup was perfect for our family including our seven-year-old and four-year-old. But, we still weren’t going to let my youngest (22-month-old) roast a marshmallow. S’more pops are a perfect alternative for young children, but would be enjoyed by kids and adults of all ages! Just dip the end of the marshmallow in melted chocolate and then into graham cracker crumbs. (If you want the chocolate to harden then just pop them in the fridge for a couple minutes.)
Enjoy!
…. then enjoy s’more.
SaveSave