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Best S’mores Recipe with Maria Crackers and Dulce de Leche

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I love this s’mores recipe that combines Cuban favorites like Maria Crackers and dulce de leche. I love the idea of s’mores and the flavor combination of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker. What’s not to love about that? But whenever I bite into a homemade s’more, the end result is too messy, with the melting chocolate and the thickness of the graham cracker. Plus the chocolate bar overpowers the marshmallow flavor.

I knew I loved the marshmallow sandwich but wanted to find a combination that let the marshmallow flavor come through and was a little less messy to eat. So I turned to two Cuban treats I grew up eating… Maria Crackers and dulce de leche.

I love this s’mores recipe because the dulce de leche complements the marshmallow. The flavors blend so well together, it’s like a symphony in your mouth! So, so good!!

And it’s not messy, so I can eat one without getting it all over my face and clothes. So I can be a kid at heart and still act (somewhat) like a grownup 😉

Maria Crackers, My Childhood Favorite

These sweet crackers are a staple in most Cuban kitchens. It’s similar to a graham cracker, but it’s round, thinner, and a little prettier. So they make these homemade s’mores look a little dressed up! Growing up, I used to eat these crackers dipped in sweetened condensed milk, smeared with dulce de leche, or layered with guava and cream cheese. It’s perfect for s’mores! You can find these in the cracker aisle of your local supermarket. Or you can order them online (affiliate link).

What Is Dulce de Leche

This is a popular spread that’s eaten all over Latin America and the Spanish Caribbean islands. It’s made by cooking sweetened condensed milk until it turns brown and thickens to a spread. Oh, it’s so, so good! You can use it on cookies, cakes, crepes, ice cream, your fingers, you name it!

You can find dulce de leche in a can, right next to the sweetened condensed milk. The brand I use is Nestle La Lechera. You can also make your own, but that’s a bit time-consuming. You can make it by baking sweetened condensed milk in a water bath (bain-marie method) or by simmering a submerged, unopened can on the stovetop (you need to make sure the can remains submerged in water). Either way, it takes hours. But you don’t need to go through all that trouble. You can use a can of Nestle dulce de leche for these s’mores.

Origin of S’mores

The first s’mores recipe showed up in the Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts cookbook first published in 1927. But before that, marshmallow roasts had become a popular campfire treat. Also, two other marshmallow treats became popular just before the publishing of this cookbook.

Mallomars, a graham cookie topped with a mound of marshmallow goodness and dipped in chocolate was introduced in 1913. I loved these growing up (still do today, actually). Another childhood favorite, introduced in 1917, was the MoonPie. I loved this marshmallow cookie sandwich covered in chocolate. Both of these have all the flavors you find in a s’mores but the ratios are a little nicer and it’s less messy to eat.

Although s’mores, Mallomars, and MoonPies are similar, the thing that makes s’mores so unique is that they are most often made over a campfire by kids, with adult supervision, of course. There’s just something so fun about roasting the marshmallows and making your own ooey-gooey treat!

You can learn more about the history of this treat from this very interesting Nation Geo article.

From the Campfire to the Barbecue

This s’mores recipe can certainly be made by the campfire, but it’s also easy to make on the barbecue. It’s the perfect treat to share after a backyard barbecue! Just have the marshmallows and skewers handy and everyone can hang around the grill and make their own, or you can play grillmaster and make them yourself and pass them out.

You can also make this s’mores recipe in advance and enjoy them after your backyard barbecue. If you let these s’mores sit for a while, the Maria Cracker softens and it becomes more like a MoonPie. That’s my favorite way to eat it!

How To Make Homemade S’mores

To make these homemade s’mores, you’ll need Maria Crackers, dulce de leche, and marshmallows.

Spread about a teaspoon of dulce de leche on each Maria Cracker. Make sure to spread the dulce de leche on the “bottom” side, so the pretty embossed side is visible in the finished s’mores. They look prettier that way.

Then roast your marshmallow over the grill, turning it as you go so that all sides get browned. Once the marshmallow is soft and browned on all sides, press between the Maria Crackers.

Try these for your next backyard barbecue and let me know how they turn out!

If you like this homemade s’mores recipe, you may also like my Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches with dulce de leche.

Best S’mores Recipe with Maria Crackers and Dulce de Leche

Author: Sandi Abbott
Prep Time: 1
Cook Time: 2
Total Time: 3 minutes
Yield: 8 1x
Category: desserts
Method: roasting
Cuisine: cuban

Print Recipe

Description

This s’mores recipe combines Cuban favorites like dulce de leche and Maria Crackers for a uniquely Cuban treat!

Ingredients

Scale

16 teaspoons dulce de leche

16 Maria Crackers

8 large marshmallows

Instructions

Spread one teaspoon of dulce de leche on the “bottom” side of a Maria Cracker (you want the pretty embossed side to show). Roast marshmallow on a long skewer over a grill fire for about two minutes (times will vary). Slowly turn the skewer so the marshmallow roasts evenly on all sides. Place the marshmallow on a prepared cracker (dulce de leche side up). Place a second cracker (dulce de leche side down) on top and gently press down. Enjoy!

Notes

You can also make these on the stovetop over a burner set on high, using a long skewer. Slowly turn the skewer so it cooks evenly on all sides. Be careful not to spill the marshmallow on the burner.

If you let these s’mores sit for a while, the cookie will soften and it will be more like a MoonPie!

Time shown is per s’more.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 8

Keywords: S’mores recipe, homemade s’mores, dulce de leche, maria crackers, easy s’mores, how to make s’mores

Easy Backyard Barbecue Menu with Skirt Steak Chimichurri

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I love backyard barbecues that are easy, tasty, and filled with my favorite Latin flavors! This menu featuring skirt steak chimichurri is one of my go-to summer grilling favorites, and it was my Thanksgiving menu for many years. We live in Miami so backyard barbecues are great in November.

Sometimes I spend more time putting a menu together than I do cooking it. So I wanted to provide you with an easy backyard barbecue menu so you can spend more time chilling this summer. You’ll find that skirt steak is an easy and flavorful steak perfect for the grill and this Cilantro Chimichurri sauce is great on steaks, veggies, bread, plantain chips (mariquitas), just about everything!

Easy Backyard Barbecue Menu

You can pair this skirt steak chimichurri with a grilled vegetable salad and crusty bread for an all-grill meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes. Or you can enjoy the grilled skirt steak with congri rice and maduros, this is how I prepared it for Thanksgiving. (My family is not big turkey, so we went non-traditional most years.)

The first time I ate skirt steak chimichurri it was at a Nicaraguan restaurant and they paired it with congri rice and fried sweet plantains (maduros). The limey chimichurri and the sweet fried plantains were such a good combo!! You can make the rice ahead of time and just reheat and the maduros take no time to fry. If you have an outdoor grill with a side burner, it’s even easier because you can fry the maduros as the steak is grilling.

For starters, I like to have grilled sausage and peppers montaditos. These are appetizer-sized choripan, a popular Argentine street food made with chorizo and chimichurri sauce. You’ll find the chimichurri sauce will be doing double and triple duty in this meal.

To finish this crazy good backyard barbecue menu, we have caramel flan, a very traditional Cuban dessert that is easy and so very velvety sweet you’ll fall in love with it.

So here are the two menu options:

Backyard Barbecue Menu Option 1:
Grilled Sausage and Peppers Montaditos
Skirt Steak Chimichurri
Grilled Vegetable Salad
Crusty bread
Caramel Flan
 
Backyard Barbecue Menu Option 2:
Grilled Sausage and Peppers Montaditos
Skirt Steak Chimichurri
Congri Rice
Maduros
Caramel Flan

Grilled Sausage and Peppers Montaditos

These little Grilled Sausage and Peppers Montaditos made with Argentinian sausage are perfect for summer grilling! Slices of crusty bread are piled high with grilled sausages and peppers and onions and drizzled with chimichurri sauce. Montadito is a Spanish tapas that consists of little breads or slices filled with savory toppings.

You can pace your grilling so it’s laidback by starting with these chorizos on the grill as a first course. This way you don’t have a huge amount to grill all at once. While folks are enjoying their montaditos you can add the other items to the grill. The skirt steak and veggies cook quickly, in about ten minutes so you may want to wait a bit before you throw them on the grill.

This recipe serves eight people.

Cilantro Chimichurri

Chimichurri is originally from Argentina and Uruguay, but it’s popular all over Latin America. The traditional sauce has a lot of fresh chopped parsley and olive oil and smaller amounts of garlic, oregano, and vinegar. I opted for lemon juice in my recipe. You’ll need to double this recipe so you can have plenty for dipping, topping drizzling and slurping (I know, I’m over the top about this sauce!).

Cilantro chimichurri is the star of this backyard barbecue menu. Because you’ll use it as a skirt steak marinade and steak finishing sauce, it’s drizzled on the montaditos, and can also be used as a dipping sauce for the crusty bread. I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a staple in your barbecues.

Grilled Skirt Steak Chimichurri

Another name for skirt steak is churrasco, which is very popular in Argentine cooking. Argentines are famous for their epic backyard barbecues that include skirt steak churrasco among other cuts of beef, chorizo, and blood sausage.

Skirt steak is perfect for grilling and can really absorb the flavors of the marinade. You can find inside and outside skirt steak at your local supermarket. The best cut to use in inside steak because it’s more tender. But I’ve used outside skirt to make my Grilled Steak Chimichurri with great results too (it helps that my son is great at grilling meats!).

This recipe serves four so you’ll need to double it if you have more guests.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

If you love the smokey flavor of char-grilled veggies, you’ll love this Grilled Vegetable Salad that’s a perfect complement for the skirt steak chimichurri. This recipe makes four servings, so you’ll need to double it if you have more peeps coming.

I like that all the elements of your meal can be cooked on the grill so you don’t have to keep running into the kitchen to finish some things. You can enjoy your backyard barbecue to the fullest, with a glass of wine or an ice-cold beer and great convo from your favorite guests.

Cuban Congrí Rice

Congri Rice is a traditional Spanish black beans rice side dish served with just about anything Cuban, especially meats and pork. It’s great with the skirt steak chimichurri. This is an authentic Cuban recipe and it’s one of my mom’s best recipes (aka Bean Train).

You can make the beans in the Instant Pot and then finish the rice on the stovetop. If you want to keep your summer grilling simple, I suggest you make the congri rice the day before and then reheat it. It’s great the next day. In fact, this is a recipe that you can freeze for later if you have any leftovers.

This recipe serves eight people, maybe more.

Fried Sweet Plantains (Maduros)

Fried Sweet Plantains, known as plátanos maduros, are a very common side dish in Cuban cooking. It’s usually served with savory meat dishes like this one. The trick to making these is to choose very ripe plantains. They are best when they are almost black. Each plantain will yield about 6-8 slices, so you may need to fry up a few of these sweeties.

Maduros cook quickly and can be done on the side burner while the steak is grilling. If you can’t find plantains in your supermarket produce section, try the frozen foods. You may find some Latin brands that are already sliced and just need to be fried for a few minutes.

End With a Traditional Cuban Dessert – Caramel Flan

Caramel flan is the most popular Cuban dessert served for any special occasion. It’s luscious, creamy, and ridiculously easy to make. You do need to make this flan recipe the day before, so it has time to chill.

What makes this dessert so amazing is the caramel sauce which is nothing more than melted sugar but tastes like so much more than that!

You can make the individual portions in ramekins which are so pretty or make the flan in cake pan or pie plate for easy serving. A cake also gives you more flexibility with the portions. This recipe can be made in the Instant Pot or oven. If you’re going to use the Instant Pot, you’ll need to by a flan mold insert.

I do hope you enjoy making this backyard barbecue menu as much as you’ll enjoy eating it! ¡Buen provecho!

Grilled Sausage and Peppers Montaditos For Easy BBQ Tapas

Leave a Comment / APPETIZERS, BBQ, ENTERTAINING / Recipes, Tapas

These little grilled sausage and peppers open sandwiches made with Argentinian sausage are perfect for summer grilling! They are super easy appetizers to make while you enjoy a glass of sangria as you’re grilling this summer. They can be a starter for an epic summer barbecue or part of a no-fuss tapas party. They are so satisfyingly delicious and fun to make!

What is a Montadito

If you’re not familiar with montaditos, it’s time you guys met. I know you’ll hit it off ?

Montaditos are a type of Spanish tapas that are mini sandwiches. They are similar to sliders and canapes. Basically, you pile on your favorite meat and toppings onto little bread sandwiches or bread slices. Once you get the hang of making them, you’ll discover all sorts of toppings to try. Consider this post your license to get creative on your own little bread canvases!

Grilled Chorizo Toppings

This little grilled sausage and peppers montadito is my take on choripan, a popular Argentinian street food made with grilled chorizo topped with chimichurri. My version is bite-sized, and also includes grilled peppers and onions with cilantro chimichurri sauce.

Chorizo is an Argentinian sausage you should be able to find at your local grocery store. But if you can’t, substitute Italian sausage.

Summer Chill Grill

I love how chill this grill recipe is! It takes very little prep and everything cooks together on the grill at about the same time. You just need to make the chimichurri sauce ahead of time. So once your guests arrive you can hand them a glass of wine or an ice-cold beer and drink and chill with them by the grill.

Throw the sausage, peppers, and onions on the BBQ while you hang out in the backyard with your guests. The sausages and veggies cook in about 10 minutes, and you can add the bread slices on the top rack as the other items are finishing up.

Then, remove everything from the grill and slice up the sausages into thick diagonal slices and the peppers into ribbons. Place a slice of sausage on the toasted bread and pile on the peppers and onions and top with a drizzle of chimichurri sauce.

Summer Grilling Menu Idea

Once you’ve done a little noshing on these little choripan slices with your friends, you can start grilling your main dish. May I suggest churrasco steak with chimichurri sauce to keep the Argentine theme going? Keep it simple with a Grilled Veggie Salad so you don’t have to keep going in and out of the kitchen. Finish off with a little ice cream for dessert. It’s so easy, breezy!

Give these montaditos with grilled sausage and peppers a try and let me know how you like them. ¡Buen provecho!