Ditch Your Graham Crackers. Upgrade Your S'mores With Croissants

For many people, the fondest flavors of camping are sweet, sticky s'mores. The process of assembling them is often as satisfying as the final product. Grab that perfect pokey stick you found and stab a marshmallow onto one end. Roast it painstakingly slowly over the fire or set it ablaze if you're fond of the burnt bits. Slide the melty marshmallow on top of a graham cracker and some chocolate before sandwiching it shut with a second cracker, then savor it. Of course, not all s'mores need to be made over a campfire to be tasty — or even need to be made with graham crackers.

Whether you're at home or in the great outdoors, there are many ways to elevate the simple s'more, especially by swapping ingredients. For a slightly less messy eating experience, make s'mores with an ice cream cone by filling the edible receptacle with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. Take the gooeyness to the next level by using homemade marshmallows, plain or in a fun flavor. Set aside graham crackers for cookies (even of the Girl Scout variety), or, better yet, substitute them with croissants for an unexpectedly delicious upgrade.

A viral twist on the classic treat, croissant s'mores, bring a lot to the picnic table. Doubling down on the fluffiness of the marshmallows, the airy pastry makes the treat pillowy and extra soft. Plus, this swap is perfect for anyone who wishes s'mores were larger. Suffice to say, the croiss'more or s'moreant (or whatever you'd like to call it) is worth a firsthand taste test.

If the croissant s'more tickles your fancy, you'll be delighted to know that the steps are comparable to making a standard s'more over an open flame. Start with the croissant, slicing it open length-wise. It's best not to cut all the way through the pastry, though, so you don't have to deal with gooey marshmallows coming at you from all slides. Stuff as many chocolate pieces as you'd like inside, then roast the marshmallows as you would normally. Once melted, place them inside the croissant. For an extra toasty treat, you can wrap the whole thing in tin foil and heat it by the fire for a few minutes.

No campfire? No problem. Kitchen appliances will work just as well for this hack. Since the croissant-clad ingredients aren't as messy when melted inside the pastry, it's simple enough to pop this upgraded s'more in the air fryer. It can also be prepared in the oven or outdoors on the grill.

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While the croissant s'more is as delicious as any ordinary s'more, there are plenty of ways to take the treat to the next level with other ingredients. Not feeling basic chocolate? Swap it for peanut butter cups or another chocolate-flavored candy. Mellow out the sweetness and add some brighter flavors with sliced fruit or by spreading jam on the croissant. You could even make a peanut butter banana s'more sandwich of sorts. The sky's the limit.

It's only natural that a croissant s'more would be delicious. The flaky, buttery pastry is satisfying enough on its own, especially when enjoyed with coffee. But it also adds a delicate crispness to the staple campfire treat that can't quite compare to the crunchiness of traditional graham crackers. (Although, if you do feel like you're missing the crunch, you can always tuck crumbled graham crackers into the croissant alongside all the other fixings.) Paired with gooey marshmallows and melted chocolate, the croissant s'more might draw out fond memories of another treat: Pain au chocolat.

Although croissant purists would probably scoff at the comparison or outright label this fancy s'more a monstrosity, the two share some similarities — enough that this treat is sort of like if a s'more and a chocolate croissant had a baby. At its core, pain au chocolat is a croissant stuffed with chocolate chunks. But the chocolate comes into the picture prior to baking, rolled into the puff pastry before the croissant enters the oven. The final product is a golden-brown pastry with light, airy layers, elevated by hints of rich chocolate hidden throughout — much like a croissant s'more, simply sans marshmallow. Perhaps, the most decadent campfire treat of all isn't a s'more made with an ordinary croissant, but a s'more made with a pain au chocolat.