Learn how to assemble a dessert board at home with help from expert charcuterie makers.

How to Make Your Own Awe-Inspiring S’mores Board
Courtesy of Heather Templeton

Looking for a new way to serve up dessert? S’mores charcuterie boards, or s’mores boards, are an innovative (and Instagram-friendly) way to allow guests to DIY their own sweet treats. With artfully arranged ingredients and some creative tricks of the trade, you can impress any crowd at home with your own imaginative (but quick-to-assemble) dessert presentation.

Brianna Arroyo, founder of Cheese and Honey, hopped on the trend early and shared with us her tips and tricks for making the most aesthetically-pleasing and functional s’mores boards. Compared to the traditional meat and cheese appetizer boards that dominate your social media feed, s’mores boards are a riff on dessert boards, meant more for assembling than eating the pieces individually. “Dessert and charcuterie boards are all about presentation and functionality,” Arroyo says. “S’mores boards work so well because s’mores are just three ingredients, but you can play with toppings and fruits.”

The key to making a great s’mores board is using great ingredients. Noelle Ramirez, co-founder of S’moreology in Los Angeles, created high-quality kits perfect for making your own artful s’mores board. S’moreology specializes in gourmet s’mores, like Churros and Chocolate or the Girl Scout-inspired Samoa S’mores Kit. If you’re looking to make a themed s’mores board like cookies and creme or birthday s’mores, try using a S’moreology kit to create a curated board—or combine many to make a diverse array. If you’re in the area, drop by S’moreology to try their gourmet s’mores, brownies, cookies, sundaes, and famous hot chocolate.

Heather Templeton, founder of food blog Heather’s Home Bakery, created her first s’mores board to experiment with dessert experiences for her family. “S’mores boards are a fast way to set up an entire dessert board for your guests,” she says. “You can also use peanut butter cups instead of chocolate bars for a peanut butter kick, or try shortbread cookies instead of graham crackers for a more buttery, cookie bar feel.”

Templeton demonstrates how to creatively arrange a s’mores board in the video below:

To make an indoors s’mores board, Arroyo recommends starting the assembly in the middle with a heat source. “For s’mores boards, you want to start with making the burner the centerpiece so that it helps stand the other ingredients up—and you need it to cook the s’mores,” she explains. Arroyo likes to make the board look as though it’s flowing, with all the ingredients in a diagonal or circular arrangement.

Next, she places the marshmallows and graham crackers on opposite ends of the board. “You want everything to flow directly to the burner, so pile the edges of the boards and have them trickle down as you move to the center.” For the chocolate, Arroyo suggests breaking up the bars to the sizes you would use in one s’more so people don’t need to break up pieces on their own.  

For the final step, Arroyo likes to use fresh fruit and baked goods as fillers. Wherever you see gaps, plop in strawberries, blueberries, mini chocolate chip cookies, or brownie bites. These additions serve as palate refreshers and a break from ooey gooey sweetness.