S'mores Dip
Melted chocolate chips buried under toasted marshmallows, scooped with graham crackers straight from a cast iron skillet. Three ingredients. Ten minutes. The campfire dessert that doesn't need a campfire.
Tasted & written by Rachel
Prep
5 min
Cook
10 min
Total
15 min
Serves
8
The Key
The two-stage heat is the whole trick. Bake at 350°F to melt the chocolate gently and puff the marshmallows, then hit broil for 90 seconds to blister the tops. Skip the broil and you just have melted marshmallows. That char is where the s'more flavor actually lives.
Mia asked if we could make s'mores. It was raining. We had no fire pit, no sticks, and Noah was twenty minutes from a meltdown. So I dumped chocolate chips in a skillet, covered them with marshmallows, and shoved the whole thing in the oven. Ten minutes later, six hands were fighting over the same pan with graham crackers.
This is not a recipe you need to be told how to make. You already know. Chocolate. Marshmallows. Heat. The only thing I'm here to tell you is that broiling the marshmallows for two minutes at the end is the difference between fine and genuinely great — that blistered char is the whole point.
The white chocolate chips are the quiet move here. They melt into the semi-sweet layer and add a creaminess that straight dark chocolate doesn't have. You won't taste white chocolate distinctly — you'll just notice the dip is smoother and richer than expected.
David ate half the skillet standing at the counter. I'm not mad about it.
Serve it fast, serve it communal, and don't bother with plates. The skillet stays hot for a good fifteen minutes — plenty of time for everyone to get their share. If you want to be fancy about it, add a pinch of flaky sea salt right when it comes out. Sweet-salty is the move.
Mise en place
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup Chocolate Chips
- 0.5 cup White Chocolate Chips
- 1 cup Mini Marshmallows
For Serving
- ½ box graham crackers, broken into dipping pieces
The Method
Instructions
- 01
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Done when:Oven indicator light turns off or thermometer reads 350°F.
- 02
Spread semi-sweet chocolate chips in an even layer across the bottom of an 8-inch cast iron skillet.
Done when:Chips cover the entire bottom in a single, mostly flat layer with no bare spots.
- 03
Scatter white chocolate chips evenly over the semi-sweet layer.
Done when:White chips are distributed across the surface — they don't need to be perfect, just roughly even.
- 04
Cover the chocolate layers completely with mini marshmallows.
Done when:No chocolate visible from above. Marshmallows should be a single layer, touching but not stacked.
- 05
Bake at 350°F until marshmallows puff up and just begin to turn golden.
Done when:Marshmallows have swelled to roughly double their size and the edges are starting to go pale gold. The chocolate underneath will be fully melted — you'll see it bubbling slightly at the edges of the skillet.
- 06
Switch oven to broil. Watch constantly — broil for 1-2 minutes until marshmallow tops are toasted and blistered.
Done when:Marshmallow tops have dark golden-brown char spots and the surface looks like a toasted campfire marshmallow. This goes from perfect to burned in about 30 seconds, so do not walk away.
- 07
Remove from oven. Serve immediately with graham cracker pieces for dipping. The skillet stays hot for a long time — warn everyone.
Done when:Dip is bubbling and gooey when you drag a cracker through it. The chocolate should pull in strings.
Where it goes wrong
Common mistakes
- ✕Walking away during the broil — marshmallows go from golden to charcoal in 30 seconds flat
- ✕Stacking marshmallows too thick — a single layer toasts evenly; a double layer leaves raw marshmallow underneath the char
- ✕Letting it cool too long before serving — chocolate re-solidifies after about 15 minutes and you lose the dippable texture
- ✕Using a thin baking sheet instead of a skillet — chocolate overheats on the bottom and can seize or burn
Context
Compared to the usual
The campfire original is a single marshmallow squeezed between two graham cracker halves with a square of Hershey's bar. This skillet version trades precision for communal chaos — everyone dips from the same pan, the chocolate is actually melted (instead of that lukewarm Hershey's square that never quite softens), and the broiled marshmallow top is more evenly toasted than anything you've ever managed over an open flame. It's the indoor upgrade that somehow tastes more like summer than the real thing.
Glossary
Techniques used
- Broil
- Top-only heat at the highest oven setting. Cooks the surface without heating from below — perfect for toasting marshmallows without scorching the chocolate underneath.
- Seize
- When chocolate tightens into a grainy, clumpy mess instead of melting smooth. Usually caused by a drop of water or too-high direct heat. Using a skillet with even heat distribution avoids this.
Riffs
Variations
Peanut Butter S'mores Dip
Drop tablespoon-sized dollops of peanut butter over the chocolate layer before adding marshmallows. The peanut butter melts into ribbons through the chocolate.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Version
Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne to the chocolate chips before baking. Warm spice with chocolate and marshmallow is absurdly good.
Nutella Base
Spread a layer of Nutella on the bottom of the skillet instead of (or under) the chocolate chips. Richer, more hazelnut-forward, melts even faster.
Q & A
Frequently asked
Can I make this in the microwave?
You can melt the chocolate and marshmallows in 60-second bursts, stirring between. It works for the gooey part but you won't get the toasted marshmallow top. If that's fine with you, go for it — but you're missing the best part.
Can I use regular-size marshmallows?
Yes — cut them in half horizontally so the flat sides face up. They'll toast more evenly than whole large marshmallows, which tend to brown on the peaks and stay raw in the valleys.
What size skillet should I use?
An 8-inch cast iron is ideal. A 10-inch works but the layers will be thinner and it'll cool faster. You can also use a small oven-safe baking dish.
Can I add peanut butter?
Absolutely. Dollop spoonfuls of peanut butter over the chocolate chip layer before adding marshmallows. It melts into the chocolate and takes this from great to unfair.
Storage
Cover the skillet with foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The texture changes — chocolate solidifies and marshmallows deflate — but it's still good cold, almost like a fudge. Reheat to restore the gooey texture.
Reheating
Oven at 300°F for 5-7 minutes until chocolate is melted and bubbly again. Microwave works in a pinch — 30-second bursts — but the marshmallow top loses its toast. You can re-broil for 60 seconds to crisp it back up.
Freezing
Not recommended. Marshmallows don't freeze well — they turn rubbery and weep moisture when thawed. This takes 10 minutes to make fresh; just make a new batch.
Make ahead
Assemble the skillet with chocolate chips and marshmallows, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake straight from the fridge — just add 2 extra minutes to the initial bake time before switching to broil.
Serve with
Straight from the skillet with broken graham crackers. Pretzel sticks and apple slices are excellent alternatives. Set the skillet on a wooden board or thick trivet at the table — it stays hot. This is a pass-the-pan dessert, not a plated one.