Recipe: End Of Summer S'mores

By Chef Jenny McCoy, School of Pastry & Baking Arts

As summer winds down to a close, we're all eager to make the most of our favorite warm-weather traditions. When it comes to dessert, there's nothing that says summer fun like a batch of DIY s'mores. In honor of National S'mores Day, I'm sharing my go-to recipes for fluffy marshmallows and cinnamon graham crackers, plus some of my top tips for making them special—with or without the campfire.

1. Indoor s'mores are just as fun. Simply use a stovetop gas burner or hand-held kitchen torch to toast.
2. Keep it simple. If you don't have time to make every component from scratch, just make one! (I recommend the homemade marshmallows.)
3. Or get creative. Try mixing and matching different marshmallow flavors with milk chocolate, semisweet, dark or white chocolate bars.
4. Know your audience. For kids, good ol' Hershey's is the classic pick for a reason. But for adults with more discerning palates, splurge on higher-quality chocolate bars; it will make all the difference.
5. Skewers are all around you. Twigs, bamboo and metal skewers, or even leftover wooden chopsticks from your Chinese take-out will all work well for toasting marshmallows over an open flame.
6. Make a big batch. Prefer to do the marshmallow toasting in a single batch? You can brown marshmallows under your broiler for a couple of minutes on piece of aluminum foil, then spread the gooey goodness on graham crackers. (A great option for those without a gas range, kitchen torch or grill!)