It has been over a month since National S’mores Day came and went, yet s’mores continue to stick around. People are still clamoring for the messy cookie sandwich that’s been part of our camping culture for nearly a century.
But of course, s’mores aren’t just for camping anymore.
Multitudes of creators and corporations have spent the past year flaunting how s’mores are no longer restricted to kids. In fact, Wine Enthusiast not only sells a Reclaimed Bourbon Barrel S’mores Roasting Station, they also offer advice on how to pair bourbon, Scotch, beer, and wine with s’mores. These sticky-sweet sandwiches are also not limited to campfires, desserts, summertime, night-time, or—surprise—even food. Case in point: while not yet impacting every home or gift category, the essence of s’mores is populating many merchandise segments.
Products for and about this tasty treat have gone beyond simple roasting sets to tabletop, skillets, mugs, spreaders, prep trays, presentation boards and serving trays. Their appeal at retail has helped to make s’mores sticky in more ways than one!
While s’mores campfire play sets, plush toys and squishable stress toys target kids, ornaments depicting this treat acknowledge an audience that reaches well beyond childhood. Ganz says a resurgence of interest is motivating an expansion of ornaments in this theme for 2024.
S’mores have made their way to aprons, kitchen towels and even accent pillows. Peking Handicraft, for example, sells cushions featuring whimsical campfire vignettes, in which marshmallows (sometimes joined by bears) have feature status. These themes recall enjoying the outdoors, something this company says has become increasingly popular. They see s’mores as a natural take on the outdoor lifestyle that is nostalgic, popular with a new generation, and a key factor behind the rising enthusiasm for s’mores-related designs.
This year alone, revealed Instacart, a 7.5 percent increase in orders containing s’mores ingredients was registered during what they consider peak s’mores season (Memorial Day to 4th of July, roughly), compared to 2022. For context, food marketers say that mid-single-digit growth is a noteworthy achievement for any product, so a 7.5% jump is nothing short of remarkable. No wonder s’mores caddies and displays overflowing with marshmallows, Graham crackers and chocolate have moved up front in almost every grocery store we’ve walked into in the past 30 days.
We have only theories as to why s’mores today are hotter than campfire coals. It might be a holdover from COVID-19 times. According to Mud Pie, “The height of the s’mores craze came during the pandemic when people were looking for more activities to fill their time.” Lockdown events like movie nights and s’mores-making became a popular coping mechanism among North American families. In April 2021, Hershey Company’s CEO Michele Buck credited both of these family activities for increases in their candy sales.
At the same time, it probably didn’t hurt s’mores’ trendability when recent historic inflation rates reminded us how easy on the wallet camping is when compared to other forms of vacations. And we can all agree that s’mores are unique in their power to momentarily transform a staycation (or even a bland weekend night) into something a little decadent.
Speaking of decadence, it really is in the eye of the s’moresmaker. To some, a slightly melted chocolate bar, smushed against a roasted marshmallow inside a Graham cracker sandwich, is indulgent enough. But for social media stars, swapping out traditional s’mores components for more extravagant ingredients has become a sport. Consider:
- Vids and recipes flaunting Ghiradelli or Dove instead of Hershey chocolate
- Croissants or brioche instead of crackers
- Injecting extra luscious layers, such as Butterfinger crumbles or other candy bars
With baking now a legitimate part of the s’mores experience, it wasn’t surprising to see s’mores trifle become part of the mainstream dessert vernacular. A phenomenon on Tiktok known as #smorescookies (175.5 million views so far) has convinced everyday folk to stuff a large dollop of cookie dough with an entire s’mores sandwich before baking. Even celebs have gotten involved: Pop-rock songstress Demi Lovato’s July 25, 2023 baking vid on TikTok on perfecting s’mores cookie bars has fetched 1 million likes.
As post-pandemic life normalizes and families spend less time together again, Mud Pie has noticed the first hints of a sales downshift. Nonetheless, product innovation just keeps on coming, including for those who don’t want to spend their time over an open flame (think electric tabletop s’mores makers). One of the best examples is Sh’mallow, a vegan marshmallow aerosol from a mom-and-pop startup in Portland, OR. This spray marshmallow (who hasn’t wished for THAT?) shook things up—and nearly stole the show—at the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Foods Show in June. Meanwhile, Stuffed Puffs, the company that brought marshmallows-designed-for-s’mores making to market in 2019, is exploring the viability of a marshmallow-y coffee-topper disc.
Beyond the realm of dessert, restaurants and recipe makers are adapting s’mores to be servable as appetizers and meals. Estonian-Canadian TikTokker Chef Paul Lillakas makes a convincing argument for bringing beef tenderloin and cheddar to the campfire ring instead of candy. It may just work.
Be sure to share your favorite s’mores recipe in the comments section below or tell us about the innovation you’ve been dreaming about but haven’t tried yet.
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