Leave Your Cookout Guests In Awe With This Clever Take On S'mores

S'mores are practically a necessity on camping trips and bonfire nights in the backyard. While the classic version made with graham crackers, chocolate, and toasted marshmallows is great for all seasons and circumstances, why not do something spectacular the next time you make s'mores for friends and family? A delicious treat can be made when you stuff all the traditional ingredients of s'mores into a banana – peel and all — and roast the whole thing in a fire.

This treat is best made in a live fire over hot coals, so prep your fire pit accordingly — you can also make these on a grill. Just take a ripe banana and cut a long, lengthwise slit in the peel, but don't slice all the way through the other side of the peel. You're looking to create a pocket in the banana, like you would if you were splitting open a baked potato. 

Scoop a bit of the fruit out so you can place some miniature marshmallows, chocolate chips or chunks, and pieces of graham cracker inside. Wrap the entire banana securely in heavy-duty foil and place it on your hot coals with a long pair of tongs. Let the bananas roast for up to about 10 minutes and retrieve them from the fire. Carefully open up the foil packets; the banana skins will be browned, but the inside of the fruit will be soft and contain warm, melting chocolate and marshmallows. Enjoy your banana s'mores with a spoon.

When you're making these treats for a group, let everyone assemble their own s'mores banana boat by setting out as many filling options as you want. Just like there are a ton of unique ways to make classic s'mores, the same goes for their banana boat cousins. Chocolate squares or chips are really just one option as far as the chocolate goes; you can offer white chocolate or other varieties of chips with flavors like butterscotch and cinnamon. Vanilla-flavored marshmallows are the go-to choice, but there are also fruit-flavored miniature marshmallows that taste great in these desserts.

Graham crackers give the perfect amount of crunch, but so will granola, toasted nuts, spicy gingersnaps, chocolatey Oreos, buttery shortbread, and breakfast cereals — think Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, and even corn flakes. Candies are always a welcome addition for anyone with a sweet tooth, so consider anything that either melts or adds a little crunch, like chopped peanut butter cups, Twix pieces, or M&M's. Guests can drizzle caramel sauce, hazelnut cocoa spread, peanut butter, honey, and fruit jams on top. Finally, let the grown-ups in your group spike their banana s'mores with cordials such as spiced rum, Irish cream, and chocolate or coffee liqueur.