S’more Charcuterie Board with Tabletop Grill for an Unforgettable Party
Sneak Preview: This S’More Charcuterie Board boasts a homemade tabletop grill or marshmallow roaster. A recipe for homemade graham crackers is included if you’re up to it. Go as simple or complicated as you want–you’ll find many ideas to choose from here.
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Invite your friends, kids, or grandkids to celebrate a special occasion with this s’more charcuterie board. This post will give you ideas for many different fillings. Add toasty marshmallows and homemade graham crackers to make the whole event memorable.
Let your kids or guests help you make graham crackers from scratch in your kitchen if you’re brave. (I’ll share my “Ziplock-bag-trick” to make it easier.)
Follow the directions to make a simple DIY marshmallow toaster. Make more than one to make the process go faster and more fun.
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Making S’mores is a fun dessert and activity for a relaxed, sit-down meal or a party where people linger around the food.
How to make a table-top grill:
You can buy a miniature tabletop grill at the store–if you can find one, for 30$ and up. But it’s easy to make them yourself. It’s nice to have more than one if you are serving more than four people.
I first tried using a soup mug and an old metal apple corer.
If you don’t have the same, you can make a tabletop grill with a clay pot, hardware cloth (available at a hardware store by the inch or foot), and a can of Sterno.
- Invert a 4-inch clay pot and trace the shape of the opening onto a sturdy piece of hardware cloth.
- Cut hardware cloth with wire snippers and trim if necessary to barely fit inside. You need to be able to remove and replace the wire easily to change the Sterno.
- Use a can of Sterno to provide the heat. (In case you’re wondering, Sterno is a formulation of denatured alcohol, water, and gel. Commercially sold table-side marshmallow roasters use the same.)
- Sterno comes in more than one size. Buy one that will sit on the bottom of the pot with at least 1-2 inches of clearance from the top.
Ideas for a S’more Charcuterie Board or Dessert Platter:
Graham crackers: I like to make honey graham crackers (see recipe below), but the store-bought crackers are also good. I recommend including a variety. Homemade chocolate graham crackers (see the notes in the recipe below) are the most popular and fabulous with various spreads.
You don’t have to make graham crackers from scratch, but they will make your graham cracker bar a more memorable event. Making them yourself means you can experiment with the spices. It also means you can roll them out thinner–more like a wafer.
Chocolate: Use your favorite chocolate bar. Milk chocolate is traditional. Gently melt it in a microwave oven, Spread it thin (see the picture of the s’more above) on wax paper, and chill. Cut the chocolate into squares about the same size as the crackers. A variety of different chocolate makes the tray interesting.
Marshmallows: If you are a candy maker, try making marshmallows in different flavors like maple, coffee, or orange. Regular marshmallows you buy at the store work fine, too.
Roasting Sticks: Wooden or metal k-bob sticks.
Spreads: Sweetened cream cheese, peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, and hazelnut spread (Nutella) are easy. My favorite is cookies and cream frosting made with Oreos. If your party includes kids, they might enjoy a plain buttercream frosting with colored sprinkles or chocolate chips.
Small Candy Bars: Put out peanut butter cups and various types of Hershey chocolate bars like white chocolate bars and caramel-filled chocolate.
A trick for rolling out graham crackers for s’mores:
Using zippered plastic bags is much easier than the traditional method of rolling out the dough on a floured cutting board and transferring each cracker to a cookie sheet.
FAQ for S’mores:
Honey graham crackers are traditional. But for a charcuterie board, it’s more interesting to provide a variety. Homemade graham crackers will please almost everybody. Adding cinnamon or chocolate makes them special. If you’re not into graham crackers, put out some vanilla wafers, Ritz crackers, shortbread cookies, or chocolate chip cookies. They make great “dippers.”
Milk chocolate is traditional. And most people use a flat Hershey bar when they make s’mores over a campfire. Elevate your game with candy bars like a peanut butter cup. Or melt your favorite chocolate (50% power in a microwave) and spread it on a sheet of wax paper. When it cools, cut it into squares or break off random pieces and stack them in a small dish on the charcuterie tray.
The traditional way: Grab two graham crackers and a piece of chocolate. Spear a marshmallow and toast it over the fire until it’s as toasty as you want. Make a sandwich with one graham on the bottom, then a piece of chocolate, the gooey marshmallow, and top with the second graham cracker. Squish together and take a big bite!
The charcuterie board way: No rules. Put it all together the way you want.
Parting Thoughts: This s’mores charcuterie board is a fun way to serve an interactive dessert. Make it simple or go crazy with creative ideas. Add fruit such as apples, bananas, and fresh berries like strawberries for people who want to dip them in chocolate instead of making s’mores.
p.s. Serve with lots of napkins. We all know how messy s’mores can be!
If you have questions or suggestions, email me privately for a quick answer: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon!
Homemade Graham Cracker Recipe for S’mores Charcuterie Board
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon - optional
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter - chilled
- ⅓ cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift flours, cinnamon if using, soda and salt together.
- Mix butter and sugars together. Add honey, egg and vanilla and continue to mix.
- Add dry ingredients in three batches, mixing just until ingredients are combined and come together in a ball.
- Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Place each dough ball inside of lightly floured gallon-sized zippered plastic bag. If dough is very soft, refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
- Remove from refrigerator and use a rolling pin to roll dough out inside plastic bag until evenly distributed and the same thickness everywhere. If wrinkles develop, use your hand to smooth out bag.
- Place plastic bag in the freezer and leave until hard. Dough will keep in the freezer for several weeks.
- When ready to bake, use scissors to barely trim edges from 3 sides of the bag. Carefully pull plastic from one side (the ugliest side). Place ugly side down on parchment paper or a silicone mat. Peel other side of plastic from dough.
- Use large knife or pizza cutter to make 16 equally sized squares. Make 4 holes in each wafer with a wooden k-bob skewer. Sprinkle with sparkling or sanding sugar. If making cinnamon grahams, add a bit of cinnamon to granulated sugar and sprinkle crackers.
- Bake at 350˚F for 13 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and re-cut the squares in the same place as previously cut.
Paula Rhodes, author
I’m a retired home economist, wife, mother, grandmother, and creator of Saladinajar.com. I believe you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Here you’ll find time-saving tips, troubleshooting advice, and confidence-inspiring recipes to make life in the kitchen more fun, appetizing, and satisfying.