When you have a s’more, it’s not just about eating a delicious treat. It’s also very much about sitting around a camp fire with people you love in the stretched out days of summer, maybe singing some songs and telling some stories, and certainly enjoying some lovely weather. They’re a treat that’s kind of synonymous with summer and they’re certainly synonymous with a good time.
But do you know what part of all that doesn’t go quite so well with the summer heat? Toasting something over a hot fire. Sometimes that’s just a little too hot, if you ask me. But never fear — these Frozen S’mores will help cool you down! You still get that chocolatey, marshmallowy, graham cracker goodness… but think of it more like an ice cream sandwich. It’s cool, creamy, and delicious and it still comes with all the great summer memories.
These are a shortcut kind of a recipe. You’re not making a ton of things from scratch like marshmallows and chocolate sauce and cookie layers. Nope, you’re going to just grab a few simple things from the grocery store and then let your freezer do most of the work. You’ll need:
Graham crackers (of course), instant chocolate pudding, some milk to mix it with, Cool Whip, cream cheese, and some marshmallow creme. That’s it.
Basically you’re going to make the pudding mix according to the package instructions (by whisking some milk into it) but then you’re going to fold half of the Cool Whip into it too. This makes the mixture a little fluffier and a better texture to bite into after freezing. You’ll split your graham crackers in half and then line the bottom of a baking dish with half of the squares and then top them with the pudding mixture. Let it chill in the fridge to harden up a bit while you work on the next layer.
Now, toasted marshmallow this is not, but it definitely still has the gooey fluff of a marshmallow which is all we really need. Beat some cream cheese until smooth and then beat the marshmallow creme into it. Add the rest of the whipped topping and you should have a mixture that’s still very marshmallowy but not painfully sticky. Spread that over the chocolate layer and top it with the remaining graham crackers, cover it, and pop it in the freezer.
You want these to really be frozen so give it about six hours to harden up, and then let it soften for fifteen minutes or so before you try to slice them into bars. Use the graham cracker halves as guides so you have nice, neat squares, and then dig in. The same chocolate, graham, and marshmallow layers you love, but soooo much cooler.
(And pro tip: you can store any extra in a ziploc in the freezer so you can pull one out to snack on any time the mood strikes.)
Frozen S'mores
Yield(s): Serves 12
15m prep time
6h inactive
Ingredients
- 1 (5.9 oz) box instant chocolate pudding
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 1/2 cups Cool Whip, thawed and divided
- 12 graham crackers
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 7 oz marshmallow creme
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
- Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a small overhang over two edges to pull out bars later.
- To a medium bowl, add the pudding mix, milk, and half of the Cool Whip. Whisk until smooth.
- Break graham crackers in half and lay half of them evenly in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spread pudding mix evenly over the top and transfer to fridge to chill.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and marshmallow creme with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in remaining Cool Whip and salt.
- Spread cream cheese mixture over chocolate layer, then place remaining graham crackers on top.
- Cover dish with foil, then freeze until firm, about 6 hours.
- Lift bars out using parchment paper, then using the graham crackers as a guide, slice into 12 squares. Neaten by trimming away any excess filling.
- Let soften at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Store extras in a zip-top bag in the freezer. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from I Heart Naptime.