Make Your S'mores A Little More Interesting With One Simple Swap
When it comes to desserts, nothing hits the spot quite like s'mores. These gooey little treats — typically made by sandwiching marshmallows (traditionally cooked over a campfire) and chocolate between graham crackers — have been a cultural staple since first appearing on the pages of the Girl Scout guidebook, "Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts," way back in 1927 (though undocumented versions of the dessert likely existed before this). While s'mores are delicious even in their simplest form, you can easily elevate them into something even more mouthwatering with just one simple swap.
And when we say simple, we mean it — because, quite literally, all you have to do is replace the graham crackers with Extra Big Cheez-Its. These popular baked snacks, known for their iconic square shape, rigid edges and trademark hole in the middle, made with real aged cheese, might seem like an outrageous addition to s'mores purists, but trust us when we say that they give this treat a uniquely moreish, savory edge that you'll be enjoying around the campfire for years to come.
Why Cheez-Its make surprisingly great s'mores
There are a number of reasons why you should try making s'mores with Cheez-Its. First off, Extra Big Cheez-Its, while not exactly the same size as a graham cracker, are definitely large enough to use as a base (you might just be looking at more of a one or two bite job, rather than multiple mouthfuls). They're also relatively sturdy, making them the perfect vessel for carrying the other, more delicate components of the s'more, i.e. gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate. The crisp and flakey texture of the crackers balances out these softer elements quite nicely too. However, the main reason why this pairing works is because it embodies the sweet and savory flavor combination that has proven so successful with food from PB&J sandwiches to French toast with bacon, banana, and maple syrup.
In fact, Cheez-Its have been featured in a number of dessert style recipes already, including for brownies, cookies, cupcakes, apple bars, lemon bars, ice cream sundaes, and even milkshakes. In addition to their signature savory cheese flavor, which chimes surprisingly very well with sweet flavors like marshmallow and chocolate, Cheez-Its have a pronounced saltiness and salt, in itself, is a well-documented friend to desserts (just think of all the salted caramel recipes out there).
Stephanie Izard's take on Cheez-It s'mores
Cheez-It s'mores actually have a famous fan in "Top Chef" winner and television personality Stephanie Izard. A self-confessed Cheez-Its obsessive (no joke, she even had a Cheez-It cake for her wedding!), Izard included her own, slightly more elevated take on the treat in her cookbook, "Gather & Graze." The celebrity chef took Extra Big Cheez-Its and coated them in a mixture of melted butter, chocolate, and creamy peanut butter before tossing them in icing sugar and finally wrapping them around the all-important toasted marshmallow. The result is a game changing treat that falls somewhere between puppy chow and a Butterfinger candy bar (Izard herself likened the taste to "a Butterfinger with an awesome roasted marshmallow in it" during an episode of Food & Wine's "Mad Genius Live.")
Our only advice when making these yourself is to take care when coating the crackers in the chocolate mixture, so they don't break. On that note, you could switch up these treats even more by experimenting with different flavors of chocolate. Don't feel like you have to reserve Izard's Cheez-It s'mores strictly for the campfire either. The "Top Chef" winner herself recommended them as a dinner party snack. However you choose to enjoy these treats (or the less involved version detailed above), one thing's for sure: You'll definitely be having s'more.