How to Make S'mores Without a Fire

Who says s'mores can only be eaten by a campfire? All you really need is a broiler.

Indoor s'mores
Indoor s'mores

For many of us that live in a city, that have no yard or fire pit or tiny balcony -- those of us that can't build fires on a regular basis -- s'mores become a distant dream, a memory, an abstraction. We eat s'mores ice cream and s'mores cake and tell ourselves they're just as good (no, better!) than the original. One day, we say, we'll hunt for skinny twigs in the woods and sit on logs in front of a roaring fire, and we will toast our marshmallows and melt our chocolate and our hands will smell like smoke as we smear everything on graham crackers to the soft pluckings of an acoustic guitar. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Until it actually happens, you can make indoor s'mores instead.

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With just a broiler -- and approximately one minute -- you can get your chocolate all gooey and melty and messy, your marshmallows bubbly and toasted, your hands and your clothes and your cheeks sticky with sugar. Here's how.

Break your graham crackers in half, and put them on a baking sheet. Place two strips of chocolate on one side, three marshmallows on another. (We used Hershey's chocolate for tradition, but you can use whatever chocolate you'd like). Repeat for as many s'mores as you want.

Mise
Mise

Turn on your broiler. Let it heat up.

>>RELATED: Dig into another chocolatey summertime treat: Homemade Fudgesicles.

Stick the baking sheet on a rack right underneath the broiler. Keep the door open and watch it carefully. Rotate the pan as necessary, and brown the marshmallows to your desired color.

Mise
Mise

Flip the chocolate-sided graham cracker onto the marshmallow side. Eat immediately.

Tell us: Do you have any tips for making indoor s'mores?

Photos by James Ransom