Skillet S'mores Dip
Chocolate and marshmallows melted down in a cast iron pan. Graham crackers do the scooping.
- calories
- 490
- weight
- 3.8 oz
- cal / oz
- 129
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Dutch oven
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Butter | 1 tbsp | a foil-wrapped stick keeps fine for a weekend |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-sweet chocolate chips | 12 oz | chips hold their shape in a pack better than a bar |
| Large marshmallows | 8 oz | enough to cover the surface in one layer |
| Graham crackers | 1 sleeve | pack them in a hard container or you get graham dust |
Method
- Burn the fire down to coals and set a grate low over them, or pull a bed of coals off to one side. Flames will scorch the chocolate before the marshmallows brown.
- Set a 10-inch cast iron skillet on the grate for a minute, then rub the butter across the bottom.
- Pour the chips in an even layer. Cover with marshmallows, flat side down, packed close.
- Put a lid or a sheet of foil over the skillet for about 6 minutes, until the chocolate is loose underneath.
- Uncover and leave it another 2 to 4 minutes to brown the tops. If the fire is weak, hold a burning stick above the marshmallows instead.
- Pull the pan off the heat and set it on a rock. Hand out the crackers and let people dig in straight from the skillet.
A cast iron pan is the point here. It holds heat long after it comes off the coals, so the dip stays molten while eight people work through it instead of seizing up after the second cracker. A thin pan gives you two good minutes and then a puck.
The order matters. Chocolate on the bottom melts slowly and evenly against the iron; marshmallows on top get direct radiant heat and brown. Put them in together and you get scorched sugar over chocolate that is still solid. Keep the pan over coals, not flame — the sugar catches fast and there is no recovering it.
This is a car camping recipe and stays one. There is no backpacking version worth carrying: the whole thing is fat and sugar in a heavy pan, and it does not keep once melted.
Packing
Chocolate and marshmallows each in their own bag inside the food bin. Chocolate in the cooler on hot days, or it fuses into one brick. Crackers ride on top of everything else.
Variations
- Swap half the chips for butterscotch or peanut butter chips. The peanut butter version is no longer nut-free.
- A spoonful of instant espresso stirred into the chocolate as it melts cuts the sweetness.
- No skillet: build the same layers in a foil pan, seal the top with foil, and set it on the grate.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/skillet-smores-dip