This DIY S'MORES BAR PARTY was created in partnership with HERSHEY'S + Jet Puffed + HONEY MAID. As always, all opinions and recipes are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Shared Appetite!
Summer vacation. It's finally here. One of the biggest perks of being a teacher are these two months of glorious freedom. And you better believe I have a lot of big plans to enjoy this... okay, that's actually a lie. I have no plans. I'm actually wildly unprepared for what lies ahead in these next few weeks. Our second child is due towards the end of June. So just when I thought we had a handle on this whole parenting thing and everything was going smoothly with our three year old, yeah... like I said. Wildly unprepared for what lies ahead.
So my plan for this summer is actually quite simple. Start over. Enjoy what it's like having a baby in the house again, but this time with the added joy of watching my daughter be a big sister. I can pretty much guarantee we won't be venturing out a whole lot this summer on any grand adventures, but I am pretty darn positive we'll be having a lot of informal get togethers with family and friends here at our house.
When I'm not on bottle/burp/diaper duty, you better believe I'll be in the pool (or participating in one of the various other toddler-friendly outdoor activities) with our dear Olivia. She'll be my go-to helper in the kitchen too. Olivia loves helping me cook, and I'm excited to show her the joys of outdoor grilling this summer. And more importantly, I have just one little (but GIANT) goal for this summer. Introduce Olivia to the immense joy of s'mores.
Laying out the bars of HERSHEY'S Chocolate Bars and breaking those crisp sheets of HONEY MAID Honey Grahams in half. Piercing the fluffy Jet Puffed Marshmallows onto wooden skewers and slow roasting them over the grill. If there's one quintessential dessert that represents all that is right and good with summer, it's the humble s'more. Three simple ingredients, magically transformed into the perfect end to any good summer evening.
We all know that the classic s'more is an icon in the canon of summer desserts, but I'm all about riffs, variation, and customizations. Making s'mores is fun, but having a DIY S'mores Bar Party is legendary.
Kids. Teenagers. Young adults. Uhm... less young adults. EVERYONE loves a good s'more, and it's the perfect end to any summer get-together.
It all starts, of course, with the big three: HERSHEY'S Chocolate Bars, HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, and Jet Puffed Marshmallows. You can always stock up on these three essentials at your local Walmart. While I'm there, I also make sure to get my hands on all the rest of my DIY S'mores Bar Party needs! And let's be honest, you always find a bunch of other cool things you didn't even know you needed while walking through the aisles of Walmart! I got my daughter a HUGE bouncy ball the last time I was there (it's literally the size of her) and it's her favorite thing to play outside with these last few weeks.
Make sure to stock up for s'mores and shop for your favorites at Walmart! And to find a Walmart near you, check out their store locator!
Creating a DIY S'mores Bar Party is incredibly simple and the PERFECT way to pull off easy entertaining this summer! Just put everything out on one huge platter, and let your guests have at it!
Less time cooking, more time actually spent with the people you invited over in the first place! And best part, your guests will LOVE your DIY S'mores Bar (be prepared for them all to take lots of photos for their Instagram accounts... a s'mores platter is very photogenic)!
Let's break down ten creative s'mores you can create with this DIY S'mores Bar Party:
The Classic. It needs no introduction. It's perfect.
The Chocolate Covered Strawberry. Add some sliced strawberries for a fruity kick. Feel free to try other fruit as well!
The Chocolate Covered Pretzel. It adds a salty crunchy bite! Potato chips would also be pretty epic!
The Chocolate Peanut Butter. Peanut butter + chocolate is a match made in heaven. Our Olivia is allergic to PB unfortunately, so we'll be using an alternative nut butter at our house.
The Caramel Coconut. A instant favorite, just add toasted coconut and caramel topping to your s'more!
The Bacon. Bacon makes almost anything better. Don't believe me? Try it.
The King. Everyone’s favorite rock and roll legend liked PB + banana + bacon!
The Cookies & Cream. Swap out your usual HONEY MAID Honey Grahams for HONEY MAID Chocolate Grahams and use HERSHEY'S Cookies n' Cream Bars.
The Triple Chocolate. HONEY MAID Chocolate Grahams, HERSHEY’S Chocolate Bars, and Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. Ohhhh yeah!
The Mexican Hot Chocolate. Adding some cinnamon and chili powder to your s'more will give you a whole new experience!
Of course, your friends are welcome to create their own customized s'mores combinations as well! Heck, you can even hold a contest to see who can think up the most creative s'more!
One more idea... have each guest bring a unique ingredient to add to your DIY S'mores Bar! The more people get involved, the more interactive the experience! Just make sure to stock up on those HERSHEY'S Chocolate Bars, HONEY MAID Honey Grahams, and Jet Puffed Marshmallows!
DIY S'MORES BAR PARTY
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: Approximately 8 people
Ingredients
- HONEY MAID Honey Grahams
- HONEY MAID Chocolate Grahams
- Jet Puffed Marshmallows, to be toasted on demand
- HERSHEY'S Chocolate Bars
- HERSHEY'S Cookies & Cream Bars
- Sliced Strawberries
- Sliced Bananas
- Bite-sized piece of cooked Bacon
- Mini Pretzels
- Peanut Butter
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
- Caramel Topping
- Chili Powder
- Ground Cinnamon
- Toasted Coconut
Instructions
- Arrange all items on a large platter. Let guests help themselves in creating epic s'mores combinations!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute per s'more
Jeff the Chef
On the one hand, I want to say, "Isn't every smore DIY?" On the other hand, though, what an unbelievably magnificent spread you've created!