A DIY S'mores Kit
I don't know if s'mores are as synonymous with camping and Summertime in other parts of the world as they are here the U.S., but when I realized that my mom's birthday would fall during our Colorado wilderness vacation (that we are currently on) I knew I wanted to have a special surprise camping-appropriate birthday dessert for her...and decided that the best way to celebrate would be by packing along a homemade s'mores kit. Today is her actual birthday (happy birthday Mom), and my daughter and I can't wait to pull this little surprise out of our backpack later tonight (we also brought ribbons along with us to festoon the trees around our campsite so that she awakes to a birthday-worthy surprise).
On a side note: Did you know that you can make s'mores in an oven (directions found at the bottom of this post)? Neither did I! It's a good thing too, because we discovered the day before our trip that campfires are currently banned in the state of Colorado...and we just happen to be bringing along a toaster oven (yes we are really going to be roughing it... sleeping in a tent, but cooking via an outlet outside - wink).
If you want to make your own s'mores kit for your next camp out here's how I put mine together. These kits would also make really cute favors at a party or a great holiday gift (include directions for making them in the oven and your gift recipient will be especially happy). Please note that our kit was made to be gluten free, but you can substitute any of the ingredients with your personal favorites.
Ingredients needed:
- Marshmallows — We used the gluten free, kosher Elyon Marshmallows variety (purchased at Whole Foods).
- Milk, dark or white chocolate candy bars — Ours are the Whole Foods 365 brand with both hazelnuts and almonds.
- Graham Crackers — Ours are S'moreables Gluten Free Graham Crackers (also available at Whole Foods). As you can see from the almost empty container, these were tastier than expected and I had to run to the store for a second box to finish the kit. Oops!
Additional supplies:
- Plastic food-safe bags with twist-ties — I purchased mine from Michael's craft store in the cake decorating isle. You could also use regular sandwich bags if you want to.
- Labels or adhesive-backed sticker paper — I used some name badge labels that I had laying around.
- Color pencil — I used red, but you can use any color you like.
- Ball-point pen
- Decorative paper — Standard weight paper will work best for this project. Mine is from an old set of Martha Stewart papers.
- Double-sided permanent tape (standard crafting tape will also work)
- Scissors
- Baker's Twine or ribbon (optional)
- Gift box — I used a Recycled Paper Takeout Container (similar to the kind used at Whole Foods) but you could use anything from a Cardboard Takeout Box to a basket for your kit.
Making the labels:
I had so much to do on Sunday to prepare for our trip, so making fancy labels wasn't really a possibility. Instead I just decided to used what I had on hand and quickly made up these little vintage-inspired labels by tweaking some adhesive name badges that I had in my craft closet.
To make something similar, Just write your desired text in the center of your tag using a ballpoint pen (yes, I misspelled marshmallows - ugh). Then draw a rectangle around it using your colored pencil. Color in around the outside of the line to create a wide enough border (don't worry about being too precise, you'll be trimming around the outside edges soon). Draw a thinly-lined frame on inside of your large border (optional).
Use your scissors to cut around the outside of your label. If you'd like you can trim off the corners of each rectangle to create a more bevelled tag look.
Wrapping the chocolate bars:
You don't have to wrap your chocolate bars in decorative paper, but if you're making a gift out of your kit, it really helps to bring the whole thing together and make it feel gift-worthy. Because this kit was for my Mom, I decided to remove the exterior paper manufacturer labels on the chocolate bars and wrap my decorative paper bands just around the white interior packaging for a more uniform look. If you are creating kits for people who may have dietary concerns or allergies, it is best to either wrap the entire bar (original packaging intact), or cut out the ingredients portion of the wrapper and include it somewhere within your kit. The same thing applies for the other food elements of your kit.
To create your chocolate bar wrap, lay a candy bar face down onto the back side of your paper. Fold one side of the paper up and and around the edge of your bar, and crease. Hold in place as you fold the opposite side in until it overlaps your first fold. Use scissors to cut off excess paper. If you are covering multiple candy bars for your kit, use your first paper band as the template so that you can quickly and effortlessly cut out your remaining wraps.
Using a piece of double-sided tape, attach one side of your paper band to the back of your candy bar (lining the creases up along the edges of the chocolate). Bring the opposite side across so that if is wrapped tightly around your candy bar, and then secure with double-sided tape. Attach your handmade labels as you go so that you don't lose track of which flavor is which (that happened to me in the beginning).
To finish your kit, use baker's twine to group together the chocolate bars if you'd like. Repackage marshmallows and graham crackers in food-safe plastic bags and seal with twistie ties. Label all bags with your remaining decorative labels and arrange all items inside your gift box or gift-giving container. Attach a gift label (maybe even include some birthday candles and matches) and you're done!
I'll let you know how my mom liked the s'mores kit next week when I'm back from my trip. And I hope you'll have fun creating a kit like this for a sweet tooth in your life sometime soon. xo Ez
Directions for oven-baked s'mores:
- Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.
- For each s'more, set down two graham crackers onto a baking tray (I covered mine with non-stick aluminum).
- Top one cracker with a square of chocolate and the other with a marshmallow.
- Place in the oven and heat for 1-3 minutes, or until marshmallow is lightly browned and puffy and chocolate has begun to melt slightly.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for a moment. Place the marshmallow-topped cracker onto the chocolate-topped cracker and eat.
Additional Sources: Papyrus Birthday Candles (purchased at Whole Foods), Mini Matchboxes from our local grocery store (covered in coordinated decorative paper).
27 Lovely Comments | Email Article | found in D.I.Y. + Projects, Food / Recipes, Tutorials Print Article | Share This | 
| by Ez Thursday, July 21, 2011 
Reader Comments (27)
I really have to up my game in the gift department :) I didn't know s'mores could be beautiful, but you did it!
simplicity and little extra effort and something is classic as smores can make a really meaningful birthday gift! AND... it doesnt cost a lot of money! i know that i would appreciate something like this just because it was handmade. thanks for the idea. i think i'll be doing a post on this soon. i'll have to go buy some marshmallow and chocolage first! ;) xo
I love this! Thank you for sharing. I pinned this one to my "Gift Ideas" board on Pinterest so I can re-create it in the future.
Blessings!
LaVonne @ Long Wait For Isabella
Super cute! :)
love this project, EZ -- you're BRILLIANT.
A little confession - I didn't know what smores were before this post! I think we either don't have them over here in England or we call it something different... but they look absolutely delicious!
Claire x
http://tea-breaks.blogspot.com
What a great idea! I'm currently making a beach themed wedding gift for a close friend. I've made a beach bag and matching napkins, gotten beach towels, a seashore creatures guide book, a flashlight (on their registry) and marshmallow roasting sticks. I will now be adding the DIY s'mores kit too!
Yay, the Colorado wilderness is not as hot and humid as Oklahoma! This was a great post, makes me want s'mores! xox
this is such a sweet idea! its pretty rainy today here in oregon, i might have to send a smores kit to my family in california just so someone i know can have a decent summer!
I love this!! I think s'mores are a fantastic idea for wedding favors- i'm seriously getting hungry just reading this post! And i love the paper you used to wrap the chocolate... so perfect! <3
so sweet!
What a sweet idea! I cannot believe campfires are actually banned! We still use them frequently here in Georgia. Anyways, I love the personalized packaging, I'm sure your mother will think it special.
Q: I am working on a recipe assemblage project. Would you send me your favorite, tried-and-true recipe?
Thanks!
Rachel
http://the-pea-and-me.blogspot.com/2011/07/whats-your-favorite-recipe.html
Such a cute idea!
omigoodness, this is so cute! what a great gift package to give.. and receive!
I've never had a s'more in my life, but these are too cute not to want! :D
This is such a cute idea, I love the way it's all packed up! I made s'mores and mini kits just last week as well. I made the graham crackers and marshmallows from scratch too. S'mores are definitely a summer/campfire treat!
I think you lovely state-side chicks can definitely lay claim to S'mores - defnitely not in Aus, nor Europe - but golly gosh I wish they were, they look delish! If I knew how to get my hands on a "Graham Cracker" (after I figure out what this is) i'd definitely be trying the oven version in England-town! PS Can we run a poll on how many S'mores posts there are on blogs - I actually think each and everyone i've read has at least 1 post about them :)
Such a cute gift. I love all your wrapping and the packaging as a whole.
Happy birthday to your mom!!
xoxo
http://www.thewrittenrunway.com
Oh my gosh, too cute, Miss Ez! Such a lovely idea!
Oh Ez, I just love the gift ideas you come up with!! What a very cool idea. In New Zealand (where I'm from) we don't have smores as you can't get graham crackers here... and I don't actually know what I would use as a substitute ... but they sound so yummy! H xo
LOVE! <3
Oh yay! Thank you so much everyone! I'm glad you liked my little kit. It ended up being a big hit with my mom! xo Ez
This little s'mores kit is absolutely genius! S'mores always makes me think of summertime outings but I also have lots of great memories of roasting marshmallows by the fireplace as a child. I am thinking of making a couple of these for the holidays! Perfect little gift set.
you have such a knack for packaging! love this. i really like how you improvised on the tags by altering the labels you had on hand--i love the hand-colored borders and your handwriting.
for those without graham crackers in stores, i remember seeing a homemade graham cracker recipe on martha stewart once--you could make your own and i bet they would be even tastier!
This is the cutest birthday gift idea! Thanks for sharing!