S'mores Clusters

There's nothing like the combination of s'mores! The nostalgic flavors take you right back to childhood summers spent camping or crisp fall nights when you only want to light up the grill and nothing else will fit the bill except for s’mores.

S’mores is such a fun flavor to recreate in many different forms like brownies, cakes and snack mixes. When we grill, I usually try to wrap a few tin foil packages of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows together. Once the grill is turned off, we leave the packages on for 15 minutes, until everything just comes together and melts. It’s straight up yum!

This time around, I wanted to create a straightforward no bake treat. One that you can build either in the middle of the summer or even a snow day activity. I also wanted it to be easy for little helpers to join in, because it’s more fun that way.

Chock full of pantry items you probably already have, this is totally for chocolate lovers. The S’mores Clusters tastes rich and satisfying, and anything but simple. It balances the sweet marshmallows with a crunchy graham element and a blend of chocolate. 

To make the S’mores Clusters prepare two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the marshmallows in a glass bowl and microwave to gently soften. Make sure the marshmallows are sticky but still solid, not melted. To construct the treats, scoop the softened marshmallows onto the prepared baking sheet. If you have a kitchen torch, carefully toast the marshmallows for a few minutes. Place mini chocolate chips on each treat, followed by the cereal squares.

For the decoration, melt the chocolate bars or chocolate melting wafers (see notes on melting chocolate!). Spoon the melted chocolate over the treats. For a "rustic" look, allow some of the marshmallow or grahams to stick out, and for a "cleaner " look, cover the treats completely. With the remaining chocolate bars, carefully break apart the rectangular pieces so they are bite sized. Top the treats with the pieces to decorate. 

To fully set, cool the S’mores Clusters at room temperature for 1-2 hours then overnight in the freezer or refrigerator. 

The S’mores Clusters are best made ahead of time. They are portable and adaptable, too. Easy for beginner bakers.

Yield: 24 treats

Author: Stacey Berk

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S'mores Clusters

Chock full of pantry items you probably already have, this is totally for chocolate lovers. The S’mores Clusters tastes rich and satisfying, and anything but simple. It balances the sweet marshmallows with a crunchy graham element and a blend of chocolate.

Prep time: 25 MCook time: Total time: 25 M

Ingredients:

Clusters

• 1 bag of mini marshmallows
• 1 cup of graham cracker square cereal
• 1 cup of semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Decoration

• 10 chocolate candy bars, 1.55-oz. (milk or dark chocolate; typically sold in a 6 pack; a combination of the two is preferred) or a 10oz. bag of chocolate melting wafers (milk or dark chocolate)
• Two chocolate candy bars, 1.55-oz. (milk or dark chocolate) or a bag of miniature chocolate bar candy, 10.4 oz.

Instructions:

1. Clusters- Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the marshmallows in a glass bowl and microwave on medium heat for 10 seconds to gently soften. Make sure the marshmallows are sticky but still solid, not melted. To construct the treats, scoop approximately 24 mounds of the softened marshmallows onto the prepared baking sheet using an ice cream scoop. Place a half teaspoon of mini chocolate chips on each treat, followed by 4-5 cereal squares. Gently squeeze with your hand to help hold the clusters together. If you have a kitchen torch, carefully toast the marshmallows for a few minutes. Place a half teaspoon of mini chocolate chips on each treat, followed by 4-5 cereal squares. Gently squeeze with your hand to help hold the clusters together.
2. Decoration- In a large glass bowl, melt 10 chocolate bars or the bag of chocolate melting wafers (see notes on melting chocolate). Spoon the melted chocolate over the treats. For a "rustic" look, allow some of the marshmallow or grahams to stick out, and for a "cleaner " look, cover the treats completely. With the remaining chocolate bars, carefully break apart the rectangular pieces so they are bite sized. Top the treats with the pieces to decorate.
3. To fully set, cool the S’mores Clusters at room temperature for 1-2 hours then overnight in the freezer or refrigerator.

Notes:

• For easy release of the ice cream scoop, use a vegetable oil spray in between forming the treats. • To melt the chocolate, chop or break the chocolate into pieces and place in a medium sized glass bowl. Microwave in brief increments of 30 seconds at a time, stirring until chocolate is melted and smooth. • There are some amazing variations you can try with this basic recipe. I can't wait to see what which ones you create! o Rocky Road Clusters: try replacing the grahams with coarsely chopped walnuts. Keep the other ingredients the same. Top with a whole walnut. GF friendly. o Rice Crispy Clusters: make a riff on the classic by using rice cereal for the grahams. Keep other ingredients the same. Top clusters with a few pieces of rice cereal. GF friendly. o PB & J Clusters: substitute the grahams and chocolate chips with a mix of 1/8 cup panko breadcrumbs or vanilla wafers, 1/4 cup coarsely chopped freeze-dried strawberries or dried fruit, 1/2 cup coarsely chopped peanuts. Top with a whole peanut and whole freeze-dried strawberry. o Easter Clusters: for a fruity spin, replace the standard vanilla mini marshmallows with fruit flavored, substitute the grahams with broken up pretzel sticks and coat with white chocolate instead of milk or dark. Top with two fruity marshmallows and pastel sprinkles or small jellybeans. Note, the combination of marshmallows and white chocolate makes these clusters very sweet! o Special Occasion Clusters: for the holidays, replace 3 of the melted chocolate bars with a best quality chocolate mint chocolate bar (in the candy or baking isle), chopped mint chocolate candies and crushed chocolate wafer cookies. Top with a whole miniature chocolate candy, silver candy balls and holiday sprinkles. o Trail Mix Clusters: substitute the grahams with a combination of 1/2 cup chopped mixed dried fruit (like raisins, cranberries, cherries and apricots), 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes, and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped mixed nuts (such as pistachios, peanuts, and almonds). Try using mainly dark chocolate when coating the clusters. Top with half pieces of nuts and a few different colored dried fruits.

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