The Graham Cracker Swap For Sweet And Salty S'mores

The crackling campfire is mesmerizing as you stare at the marshmallow you're roasting, which is turning into a perfectly golden, gooey mess. You take it out of the fire at the last second, just before it's about to fall into the flames. You move it over to a picnic table where the rest of your sticky-sweet sandwich is waiting anxiously to be assembled. You slide the marshmallow off the stick and onto a graham cracker topped with a few pieces of milk chocolate that melt as the sandwich is topped off with that final, crunchy square. Not much beats the combination of ingredients in a classic s'more on a careless summer night — but a Ritz cracker just might. 

People have been upgrading their s'mores for years by adding luxury ingredients such as dried fruit or candied bacon or simplifying them by using a chocolate cookie in place of the graham crackers and chocolate. However, this flaky, buttery, and crisp cracker substitution makes for the perfect sweet-and-salty campfire treat. It may get a bit messier because of the smaller size of the cracker compared to a graham square, but any real s'mores lover knows that keeping clean is not a priority. A true connoisseur also knows that it doesn't have to be summertime to indulge, and you don't even need an outdoor fire — gas stoves work just fine to roast marshmallows, or you could make a s'mores skillet dip in the oven and use Ritz crackers to scoop up the melty mix. 

Ritz crackers don't just lend themselves well to s'mores (or cheese or peanut butter, for that matter), but they make a great base for many sweet-and-salty snacks. For a simple fix, try them spread with Nutella or another nut butter. For a fun Halloween spider treat, make Nutella or nut butter sandwiches with pretzel stick legs and M&M eyes. And for the holidays, use them as a foundation for toffee and chocolate bark. Other delicious topping ideas include cream cheese with strawberry pie filling; sweet potato with marshmallow for Thanksgiving; and cream cheese, caramel, pecans, and chocolate chips.

These beautiful, buttery biscuits are not confined to the snack world, but go far beyond. Putting one of these starchy crackers inside a burger patty helps the meat hold its juices while it cooks. As mentioned in these 13 creative ways to use Ritz crackers, you can also use them as a breading for protein or vegetables, add them to the top of any casserole for a nice crunch, or use them as a pie crust (always circling back to that delightful contrast of sweet and salty!). No matter how you choose to use your Ritz crackers — whether in a meal, for a snack, or in place of the graham crackers on a s'more — they will add a flaky and perfectly salty touch to any dining experience.