Come summer, our family is all about kicking back and relaxing. After long weeks of sitting inside hot stuffy classrooms, our children are always excited to say goodbye to school and hello to vacation.

Most days, the kids and I are barefoot and when we do need to put shoes on, we only wear flip flops. Our attire moves on to bathing suits and cover ups and when we need to go out, it’s tank dresses or lacrosse shorts. Our food also changes and moves on to simple summer fare that can be eaten outdoors and if must eat inside, it’s the most basic of meals.

Why the huge shift? Well because I feel that kids are overly stressed in our schools right now and that summer is meant for idle time, letting imaginations run wild, and spending quality time together as a family.

It’s a cherished time for our children and I want them to enjoy it as long as they’re school-aged. I want them to embrace being bored and I want them to understand that boredom is a gift, and with this gift comes great opportunities for exploration, discovery and mindfulness.

So when it comes to simple summer desserts, I am all about making S’mores. Friday and Saturday nights are meant for sitting by the fire pit, roasting marshmallows and watching the bats swoop down from the trees at dusk. Plus, they’re incredibly easy to make and with a little thought, you can make your S’mores recipes as fancy or as low-key as you want them to be.

To keep our favorite summer dessert interesting, we like to mix things up and try all sorts of different s’mores recipes. One night, we’ll enjoy a traditional S’mores with graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows. But then the next night, we’ll add in some fresh fruit like smashed bananas or pineapple pieces (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it). But our favorite recipe by far is any kind of s’mores with peanut butter!

Regardless of what we decide to squash between layers of melted chocolate and gooey marshmallows, we always keep it under 10 minutes — because anything longer than that is completely unnecessary when you have loads of fireflies to catch!

CRUNCHY PEANUT BUTTER S’MORES RECIPE

Ingredients:

Chocolate bars
Graham cracker squares
Marshmallows
Peanut Butter
Peanuts
Tinfoil

Directions:

Step 1: Light the fire pit. Gather some chairs. Get your roasting sticks (or some really long twigs). Skewer your marshmallows and carefully put them into the fire. Roast away. (Whether or not they need to go completely on fire and blacken up is totally up to you!)

Step 2: Layer some tinfoil over the grill and set on low heat. Break graham crackers in half and place two pieces of chocolate on the bottom half. Carefully arrange a bunch of chocolate-covered-halves on the tinfoil on the grill.

Step 3: While the chocolate sides are melting, cover the other half with a layer of peanut butter and sprinkle with peanuts.

Step 4: As the chocolate starts to soften (you do not want it completely melted), remove those halves from the grill and arrange on a serving platter. Remove the marshmallows from the fire, allow to cool slightly, and smush onto peanut butter halves. Squash both pieces together and enjoy!

Note: We like to get everyone involved in S’mores making. An adult supervises the children by the fire, while another adult preps the graham cracker sides. This way, everyone gets to participate in dessert and have fun. If you’re flying solo, feel free to make the S’mores ahead of time – they taste just as delicious. Just layer all of the ingredients in between two graham crackers and wrap up into a neat little tinfoil packet. Then cook on the grill for 5-10 minutes. Remove from grill and cool completely. You don’t always need to be outdoors to make S’mores either. If you find yourself without a campfire and have a hankering for an ooey-gooey treat, simply put your S’mores together and place inside the microwave for 10 seconds!

What’s your favorite summer dessert? Do you catch fireflies or have bats in your yard? Let us know in the comments below!

Enjoy summer,

Denine

This post originally appeared on We Know Stuff here.

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