Craving something sweet but mindful of your WeightWatchers goals? These PBJ S’mores offer a delightful way to enjoy a classic treat with a healthier twist. Combining the nostalgic flavors of peanut butter and jelly with the gooey goodness of s’mores, this sweet treat is a delightful way to indulge without overindulging.
Whether you’re looking for a fun dessert or a quick snack, these PBJ S’mores are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without derailing your progress. Enjoy all the flavor you love, perfectly portioned and WW-friendly!
How Many Calories & WeightWatchers Points in Peanut Butter and Jelly Open-Faced S’mores?
According to my calculations, the entire recipe has just 144 calories and 5 WW Points. To see your WW Points for this recipe, click here to track it in the WW App! (You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
Recipe Ingredients
- Powdered peanut butter – Made from roasted peanuts that have had most of their oil removed, then ground into a fine powder. It has the same peanut flavor but with a fraction of the fat and calories of traditional peanut butter. When mixed with water, it creates a spreadable consistency perfect for layering on the graham cracker. You’ll find it next to the peanut butter in your supermarket.
- Graham cracker – A critical component of classic s’mores, serves as the sturdy, crunchy base of this sweet treat.
- Mini marshmallows – Provide the gooey, puffy, stretchy texture that is iconic in s’mores. They add sweetness and a fun, playful element to this treat.
- Mini chocolate chips – Bring a rich, chocolatey flavor to the s’mores, creating a delicious contrast with the peanut butter and marshmallows. They melt slightly under heat, giving that classic s’mores gooey chocolate experience.
- Freeze dried strawberries – Strawberries that have had their water content removed through freeze-drying, resulting in a crunchy, intensely flavored fruit. The freeze-dried strawberries add a burst of fruity flavor and a slight crunch to the s’mores, enhancing the PBJ experience. They also add a pop of color and a slight tartness to balance the sweetness of the marshmallows and chocolate.
How to make Open-Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly S’mores, Step-by-Step
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Step 2: Preheat broiler or toaster oven.
Step 3: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the peanut butter powder with 1 tablespoon warm water until thoroughly mixed.
Step 4: Spread peanut butter mixture evenly over graham cracker.
Step 5: Top with mini marshmallows. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top.
Step 6: Sprinkle with the freeze dried strawberries.
Step 7: Place loaded s’mores graham cracker under the broiler until the marshmallows are golden brown and puffed, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can heat in a microwave for 15 to 30 seconds, or until marshmallows are puffy and slightly melted – this method is faster but they won’t turn golden like traditional s’mores.
Can I Make This Without Freeze-Dried Strawberries?
If you can’t find freeze-fried fruit, or don’t like the taste or texture, you can still make this delicious snack. Here are some tasty alternatives to freeze-dried strawberries for your PBJ S’mores:
- Fresh Strawberries: Thinly slice fresh strawberries and place them on top of the peanut butter before adding the other toppings. They add a juicy, fresh flavor but will be less crunchy.
- Dried Cranberries: These offer a chewy texture and a tart, fruity flavor that pairs well with the peanut butter and chocolate.
- Raspberry Jam: Spread a thin layer of low sugar raspberry jam or fruit spread over the peanut butter for a more traditional PB&J flavor. This adds sweetness and fruitiness without the crunch. I happened to have a jar of Trader Joe’s Organic Raspberry Fruit Spread (naturally sweetened with juice), so that’s what I used. 1 tablespoon of this raspberry fruit spread has 2 Points, so this peanut butter and jelly s’mores bar has 6 WW Points instead of the 5 WW
- Dried Blueberries: These small, sweet berries bring a different fruity note and a chewy texture, similar to dried cranberries.
- Banana Chips: Crushed banana chips provide a sweet, crunchy alternative that pairs nicely with the peanut butter and chocolate.
- Chopped Dried Apricots: These add a unique, slightly tart flavor and chewy texture, offering a different fruity element to the s’mores.
If you are making any ingredient substitutions, be sure to adjust your Points accordingly in WW Recipe Builder.
Recipe Tips
Look for freeze-dried fruit near the dried fruit snacks and nuts in your grocery store. Freeze-dried apples, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries are most common.
Powdered peanut butter is usually near the nut butters and simple fruit spreads with the jams and jellies.
If using fruit spread, you can spread it on top of the peanut butter layer. Or do what I did and gently heat in the microwave for 5-10 seconds and then drizzle over the top before broiling.
Keep a stash of mini marshmallows in the freezer. They thaw very quickly for various recipes and handle the high broiler temperatures quite well when making these simple s’mores.
Open-Faced PB and J S’mores
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- 1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter (affiliate link)
- 1 whole graham cracker (4 rectangles/squares)
- 12 mini marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons chopped freeze dried strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat broiler or toaster oven.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the powdered peanut butter (affiliate link) with 1 tablespoon warm water until thoroughly mixed.
- Spread peanut butter mixture evenly over graham cracker. Top with mini marshmallows. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top. Sprinkle with the freeze dried strawberries.
- Place loaded s’mores graham cracker under the broiler until the marshmallows are golden brown and puffed, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can heat in a microwave (affiliate link) for 15 to 30 seconds, or until marshmallows are puffy and slightly melted – this method is faster but they won’t turn golden like traditional s’mores.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) PointsPlus: 4 (old plan) If you can’t find freeze-fried fruit, or don’t like the taste or texture, you can still make this delicious snack. Here are some tasty alternatives to freeze-dried strawberries for your PBJ S’mores:
- Fresh Strawberries: Thinly slice fresh strawberries and place them on top of the peanut butter before adding the other toppings. They add a juicy, fresh flavor but will be less crunchy.
- Dried Cranberries: These offer a chewy texture and a tart, fruity flavor that pairs well with the peanut butter and chocolate.
- Raspberry Jam: Spread a thin layer of low sugar raspberry jam or fruit spread over the peanut butter for a more traditional PB&J flavor. This adds sweetness and fruitiness without the crunch. I happened to have a jar of Trader Joe’s Organic Raspberry Fruit Spread (naturally sweetened with juice), so that’s what I used. 1 tablespoon of this raspberry fruit spread has 2 Points, so this peanut butter and jelly s’mores bar has 6 WW Points instead of the 5 WW
- Dried Blueberries: These small, sweet berries bring a different fruity note and a chewy texture, similar to dried cranberries.
- Banana Chips: Crushed banana chips provide a sweet, crunchy alternative that pairs nicely with the peanut butter and chocolate.
- Chopped Dried Apricots: These add a unique, slightly tart flavor and chewy texture, offering a different fruity element to the s’mores.
Nutrition
Recipe Source: Hungry Girl Magazine New Year New Recipes (2022)
More S’mores Recipes Made Lighter
- Skinny Baked S’mores – Skinny open-faced s’mores you can make anytime – no campfire required!
- Apple S’mores Nachos – The summer campfire classic treat meets autumn in this deliciously decadent simple dessert for two. With 5 common ingredients, this hassle-free apple s’mores dessert is ready in minutes.
- Pocky S’mores Pops – Two ingredients (marshmallows and chocolate Pocky sticks) come together to make these easy S’mores Sticks/Pops with less than 50 calories each. These yummy anytime treats are ready in minutes—the simple assembly of a couple of ingredients and light toasting of the marshmallow are the only work needed.
- Skinny S’mores Popcorn – Warm popcorn is tossed with a combination of powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and then combined with mini marshmallows and chocolate graham cracker pieces. Yum! Chocolate graham crackers kick the flavors up a notch, but you could use regular grahams if that’s what you have on hand.
The post Peanut Butter and Jelly Open-Faced S’mores appeared first on Simple Nourished Living.
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