There’s only one real late-night snack for anyone who enjoys a late-night fire.

Of course, I’m talking about s’mores.

The first time I went camping with my parents and brother, I was around 6 years old.

When it came time to cook hot dogs, it was done over the fire with long sticks my dad cut down from the trees that kept us cool during the day.

We used the sticks again later to cook s’mores, which was my first time ever hearing about them, let alone assembling and eating them.

I was hooked that first time, biting into the gooey marshmallow (slightly toasted a nice, golden brown), crunchy graham cracker and slightly melted chocolate bar.

S’mores were my favorite part of camping that year. However, my love for the dessert, like camping, was short-lived.

The following year, Mom changed the recipe. Instead of using a chocolate candy bar, she substituted chocolate frosting.

As great as s’mores are, they can get kind of messy. When frosting is added, it gets overwhelming. So for a while, I didn’t eat s’mores. It just wasn’t right.

I dove back in a few years ago when my oldest and dear friend invited me to spend a crisp fall weekend at their house just outside of Kent.

Being “fun Aunt Ashley,” I couldn’t go empty-handed. I decided to pull something off the old digital Pinterest board and see if it was a “Pin win.”

It’s a different spin on s’mores — taking a waffle cone and stuffing it with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, candies and whatever else sounds good.

The waffle cone is then wrapped in aluminum foil and set near a fire to cook and get melty.

Five adults and three kids managed to epically burn these things. We still don’t know how we royally messed them up. We followed directions. We altered the steps.

Luckily, I took enough ingredients to feed a neighborhood of kids.

My friend’s daughter, then about 8 years old, is an absolute maniac when it comes to Reese’s peanut butter cups. She heard somewhere to add them when making the famous camping treat.

I have to say, with the other substitutions, they left us wanting “s’more” of the dessert snack.

Esme’s

s’mores

Jumbo marshmallows

Reese’s peanut butter cups

Chocolate graham crackers

Take a sheet of graham crackers, breaking it in half.

Put a peanut butter cup on one of the graham crackers. Set aside.

Toast a jumbo marshmallow.

While still hot, transfer the marshmallow onto the peanut butter cup.

Top with the other graham cracker.

Share your favorite recipes and memories with Features Editor Ashley Fox at afox@tribtoday.com.