This S'mores Trick Is So Good, You'll Never Make Them the "Normal" Way Again

S’mores: the ultimate dessert of the summer bonfire—and a guaranteed mess. Whenever it’s me vs. s’mores, I lose every time: accidentally sitting in melted marshmallow, smearing chocolate on a borrowed sweatshirt, touching everything with sticky hands for the rest of the night and not realizing the scope of the damage until the unforgiving light of a post-bonfire living room or campsite sunrise reveals the mess I’ve made.

Luckily for us eaters, Allrecipes Allstar Sarah Stone offers a brilliant solution for mess-free s’mores. All it takes is substituting a waffle cone for graham crackers.

How to Make Waffle Cone S'mores

Fill a small waffle cone with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, then wrap the whole thing in heavy duty aluminum foil. Let it sit over the fire for 7-10 minutes until it’s gooey and melty inside. Let it cool slightly (and be careful of steam escaping when you open the foil!). Once it’s cool enough to handle, you might even top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Where did Stone get her inspiration for this mess-free bonfire hack?  “I don’t like messy food,” she says, “and I especially don’t like wearing my food.” She recalls a time when she tried to enjoy a s’more at a bonfire on a windy night. “The chocolate and melted marshmallow took a trip onto my hands, face, and—due to the wind—my hair!” Relatable.

Stone says waffle cone s’mores are mess-free and stress-free. For one thing, they’re less of a fire hazard. Since the mini marshmallows are tucked away in foil, they melt and mingle perfectly with the chocolate chips without burning or charring. Waffle cone s’mores also require less supervision than their graham cracker counterparts. I can’t tell you how many marshmallows I’ve burned to a crisp because I got a little distracted or clumsy while toasting. Stone’s waffle cone hack takes the gamble out of the process: Just set them over the grill or fire and you’re good to go. She suggests using a jalapeño grill rack to hold the cones over the fire for the ultimate no-stress dessert.

How to Customize Your Waffle Cone S'mores

Waffle cones are also a more forgiving vessel for experimentation than two flimsy graham cracker halves; there’s literally more room to customize your ideal marshmallow-to-chocolate ratio. (Stone’s recommendation: 29 grams (3 tbsp) chocolate chips to 45 grams (about ¾ cup) mini marshmallows.) There’s also lots of room for variation. Here are a few of her favorites:

• Triple Chocolate S’more: chocolate waffle cone, chocolate chips, chocolate marshmallows
• Cheesecake S’more: chocolate waffle cone, white chocolate raspberry chips, whipped cream cheese marshmallow fluff
• The Elvis S’more: waffle cone, peanut butter chips, banana, marshmallows
• The Girl Scout S’more: chocolate waffle cone, mint chocolate, marshmallows
• The Bougie S’more: waffle cone, Ferrero Rocher bonbon, marshmallows
• Crazy for Coffee S’more: waffle cone, chocolate-covered coffee beans, marshmallows
• The Tropical S’more: waffle cone, chocolate chips, marshmallows, macadamia nuts, dried toasted coconut with pineapple

“Truly, you’re only limited by your imagination,” Stone says. Enjoy!