Your Next Quarantine Activity: Bacon S'mores

S’mores season is upon us. In my house, we’ve always gotten creative with our layered treats. I’m a fan of using two peanut butter cups in place of the graham crackers. Those hard, honey flavored things are a waste of my time.

My kids once asked if they could use two chocolate chip cookies instead of graham crackers and chocolate bars. I thought, Why the hell not? Also, I gave birth to geniuses.

No matter how you like to stack your melty chocolate and gooey, fire-seared marshmallows, it’s fun to keep your taste buds guessing so they don’t get bored with s’mores night. We’ll probably see a lot more of those this summer, since we won’t have as much to do. Plus, roasting marshmallows is familiar and comforting. What’s not to love?

So, when I heard there was a new s’more in town—with bacon—I had to try. It’s like s’mores gone wild and I’m not afraid to invite that kind of excitement into my life.

I can handle pretty rich dishes. While everyone else is saying things about fudge, frosting, or the fat on a ribeye steak like, ”Oh, I can only have a few bites, it’s just tooooo rich,” as they clench their belly, I don’t know what they are talking about. I can eat a jar of frosting and the meat-fat that’s left on all my kids’ plates without a problem.

However, even I wasn’t sure if I could handle one of these babies.

Instead of graham crackers, this masterpiece is constructed out of two bacon crackers which are made from 6 pieces of bacon cut in half. You make these by weaving the pieces of bacon together and sprinkling them with brown sugar before baking. (You can see full instructions and a video here.)

Keep an eye on these. They need to be rotated a few times so they cook evenly.

After your bacon crackers are done, you can drain them on paper towels if you wish, or let the grease meld with the chocolate and marshmallow — which I did, because I wanted the full experience.

Next, place your choice of chocolate (I went with plain Hershey’s, but wish I’d gotten Ghirardelli caramel squares because, hello) and marshmallow on that crispy meat and watch the magic happen.

The added warmth of the bacon makes the chocolate melt even more than it does with a regular s’more. It was exactly what I needed to enhance my Friday night.

The bacon wasn’t too much like I thought it might be. It complimented the chocolate and marshmallow so perfectly, and before I knew it my dessert was half gone.

This is when a thirst so deep hit me, and I couldn’t get enough water inside of me fast enough. Fair warning: don’t try these without liquids nearby.

My youngest son (who is also my pickiest eater) loved these. My other two kids didn’t touch them and we were okay with that because it meant more for us.

While these were a lot more work than just buying a box of grahams and throwing together a classic s’more, they were worth it and we will be making them again. Not every time we have s’mores — I am not a machine — but they will be making an appearance several times this summer.

Like if I have PMS, if we have leftover bacon from Sunday breakfast, or if it’s a Friday night.

These are a true dessert, and even though I’ve been told I’m a “garbage gut” my entire life, one was enough for me — which isn’t the case with the regular chocolate marshmallow sandwich. So really, these can practically be classified as a healthier option, amiright?!

PSA: If you have a dog, the smell of these will drive them wild. Be prepared for that, and keep your s’more close to your person because they may try and grab it from your hot little hand.

Even if you aren’t a bacon fanatic, but love things like salted caramel treats, are a sucker for maple syrup drizzled on your sausage, or have been known to put potato chips in your peanut butter and jelly sandwich, this will get your mouth dancing.

It’s the perfect sweet-to-salty ratio and the bacon weaves can handle any kind of chocolate you put in it. Especially extra chocolate, which is everyone’s favorite kind.

And if you’re worried about the work it takes to make them, I realized I could make the bacon weaves ahead of time, store in the fridge between paper towels, and heat them up in the microwave when it’s party time.

You are welcome.