S'mores Toastie
Marshmallows roughly double in size when heated, which is why most s'mores toasties burst out of the sides and weld themselves to the plates. Use mini marshmallows pressed into a thin layer of chocolate spread, keep everything 2.5cm from the edges, add crushed digestive biscuits for crunch, and cook for only 2–2½ minutes in a standard toastie maker.
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Recipe: S'mores toastie
Ingredients
- 2 slices medium white bread
- 15g (1 tbsp) chocolate spread or smooth peanut butter
- 15g milk or dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 12–15 mini marshmallows (about 10g)
- 1 digestive biscuit (about 15g), roughly crushed
- 8g softened unsalted butter for the outside
Method
- Preheat the toastie maker with the lid closed.
- Butter one side of each slice thinly. Turn them over.
- Spread the chocolate spread over the unbuttered side of one slice, leaving a 2.5cm clean border.
- Press the mini marshmallows into the spread in a single layer, spaced slightly apart. Scatter over the chopped chocolate and digestive crumbs, all within the border.
- Place the slice butter-side down on the bottom plate, top with the second slice butter-side up and close the lid gently.
- Cook for 2 minutes, then check. Remove as soon as the bread is golden, at 2½ minutes at most.
- Rest for 2–3 minutes before cutting. Molten marshmallow is extremely hot and sticky.
Why marshmallows need special handling
A marshmallow is a sugar foam: sugar syrup whipped with gelatine and full of tiny air bubbles. When heated, that air expands and the sugar softens, so a marshmallow swells and then flows. In an open campfire that's fine. Inside a sealed toastie maker, the expanding foam has nowhere to go but out through the crimped edge, where it hits the plates, caramelises and sets like glue.
Mini marshmallows spread the volume evenly instead of creating one big balloon of molten sugar. Pressing them into a thin layer of chocolate spread anchors them so they don't roll towards the edge when the lid closes, and spacing them leaves room for expansion. The extra-wide 2.5cm border, wider than the 2cm used for other sweet toasties, gives the swelling foam somewhere to go before it reaches the seal.
The short cook matters most. The chocolate only needs to melt and the marshmallows only need to soften; after about 2½ minutes the foam starts to break down and liquefy, which is when leaks happen. Take it out early and let carryover heat finish the job while it rests.
Keeping your plates safe
Burnt marshmallow is among the hardest things to remove from non-stick plates. If some escapes, unplug the machine straight away, let it cool to warm and lay damp kitchen paper over the spot for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar before wiping. Don't scrape with a knife or metal utensil. Full advice is in why your toastie is sticking and how to clean a toastie maker. Machines with removable plates are much easier to clean after sweet toasties, as you can soak them.
Watch out: melted marshmallow sticks to skin and holds heat. For children, rest the toastie for 3 minutes and cut it open before serving. See our kids' toastie ideas for more safety tips.
Other machines and methods
In a deep fill toastie maker, you can use 20 mini marshmallows and 20g chocolate; cook for 2½–3 minutes, still keeping the 2.5cm border. Avoid a panini press for this one: without sealed edges, marshmallow runs straight out. In a frying pan, cook on low for 1½ minutes a side. Around the campfire, a jaffle iron is the natural home for a s'more; our camping toastie recipes cover timings over embers.
Variations
- Peanut butter s'mores: swap the chocolate spread for smooth peanut butter and use dark chocolate.
- Biscoff s'mores: spiced biscuit spread and crushed Lotus-style biscuits instead of digestives. Very sugary, so check at 1½ minutes.
- Banana s'mores: add 4 thin slices of banana; see the Nutella and banana toastie for banana timings.
- Raspberry: a few fresh raspberries with white chocolate.
- Marshmallow fluff: 1 tbsp marshmallow spread instead of mini marshmallows. It expands less but runs more, so spread it very thinly in the centre.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using large marshmallows: they expand unevenly and burst the seal. Cut them into quarters if they're all you have.
- Cooking for savoury times: 4 minutes guarantees a leak.
- Opening the lid repeatedly: each time you open it the seal reforms in a new spot. Check once at 2 minutes.
- Thick butter or brioche: adds to the scorching risk. Plain white bread and a thin layer of butter are best.
Make a dessert board with the apple pie toastie, or explore more in our toastie recipes.
FAQs
What can I use instead of graham crackers in the UK?
Digestive biscuits are the usual swap and give a similar sweet, wheaty crunch. Rich tea or hobnobs also work.
Can I use chocolate buttons instead of chopped chocolate?
Yes. Small milk chocolate buttons melt evenly; use about 15g and keep them in the centre.
Are marshmallows vegetarian?
Most standard marshmallows contain gelatine. Vegan and vegetarian marshmallows are widely available and behave similarly, though some melt a little faster.