The Ingredient Swap That Makes Gooey S'mores Way Easier To Eat

S'mores are the quintessential treat of both the fall and the summer. There's something so nostalgic and whimsical about toasting a marshmallow until it reaches the perfect stage of golden-browness before sandwiching it between a molten chocolate square and two graham crackers. What's not very nostalgic and fun about it, though, is the feeling of sticky marshmallow coating your fingers, clothes, and hair. 

The mess-free way to make tasty campfire treats is to make s'mores cones instead. Instead of opting for the graham crackers, which allow you to push out the marshmallow and the chocolate all over your clothes and hands, grab a box of waffle ice cream cones instead. You can easily sandwich all of your tasty fillings inside of the cone, wrap the entire thing in tin foil, and place it near (not on) the flames so that the ingredients can melt inside of it. Once everything is melted down, you'll be rewarded with a light, gooey cone that you can hold with the tin foil to prevent anything from getting on your hands. 

Waffle cones are a bit sturdier than sugar cones, an important distinction to keep in mind if you're trying to mimic the feel of graham crackers. Still, both sugar or waffle cones can be the vessel for an array of sweet fillings. If you are a big fan of all things peanut butter, consider adding a swipe of it to the inside of your cone and stuffing it to the brim with mini peanut butter cups. You could also try a take on a Black Forest s'more with a schmear of cherry jam, dark chocolate, and marshmallows. Or, fill the cones with fruit, like chopped bananas, to give them a fresh flair. You'll just want to avoid putting anything inside of the cones that takes a long time to cook, like raw bacon, because the cones will only need to be in the fire for a few minutes before they're ready to eat.

Regardless of what you stuff into your cones, you'll need to be careful not to burn them, or burn yourself on the hot tin foil. Use a long pair of heat-safe tongs to extract the cones from the coals once they're done cooking. This is a great campfire dessert to make with kids; just be sure the adults are the ones pulling them from the fire.