ThelifeStuffed Puffs has chocolate-filledmarshmallows that seem like the perfect way to makes'mores less messy.- I decided to put them to the test and make s'mores with them to see how these Puffs compare to the classic marshmallow-and-chocolate combination.
- Overall, s'mores made with Stuffed Puffs were just as tasty as and less messy than those made with traditional ingredients.
- I still love s'mores made with
chocolate bars and plain marshmallows because of the variety in texture they provide.
I love s'mores but one of the reasons I so rarely make them (aside from having limited access to fire pits) is because they are so messy and I rarely have all of the necessary ingredients — chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers — on hand.
So when I saw chocolate-filled marshmallows existed, I knew I wanted to try them out.
Stuffed Puffs are marshmallows filled with real chocolate. Because of their design, they seem like they would make s'mores much less messy to make and eat. Per a press release, "the chocolate melts while the marshmallow toasts," meaning all you have to do is slap it between two graham crackers to make a s'more.
Though they sound great, I remained skeptical about if they could replace the
Here's how a Stuffed Puff s'more compared to the classic chocolate-and-marshmallow version.
Surprisingly, the Stuffed Puffs were a bit cheaper than separately buying chocolate and marshmallows, at least at my grocery store
I had gone into this assuming Stuffed Puffs would be pricier than chocolate and marshmallows because consumers oftentimes pay for convenience when it comes to
A 10-ounce bag of Stuffed Puffs sells for around $3.98 at retailers like Walmart. At my local grocery store, I was able to purchase two extra-large chocolate bars for $4.38 (since one wouldn't be enough to utilize the entire bag of marshmallows) and a 10-ounce bag of generic marshmallows for $0.99.
The Puffs were just under $2 cheaper than the classic s'mores-filling ingredients. That said, these prices depend on which sort of chocolate and marshmallows you decide to purchase.
First off, you could definitely feel the difference between Stuffed Puffs and typical marshmallows
Compared to standard marshmallows, the Stuffed Puffs were squishier and not as bright-white colored. They were also a bit heavier than your typical marshmallow, though they were still quite light.
I bit into a Stuffed Puff just to see what the inside looked like and I was pleasantly surprised since these things were filled with even more chocolate than I expected. The chocolate inside was pretty soft and melty — but perhaps it was because they'd been out in the sun for a bit.
The Puffs are made with "real chocolate," per its packaging, but I did feel like the chocolate tasted slightly different from the stuff I grew up making s'mores with. That said, it was still tasty and creamy.
The Puffs and standard marshmallows both were about the same size and they fit nicely on my graham crackers
For size reference, both types of marshmallows fit nicely on the graham crackers, though these crackers in the photo did break a bit unevenly.
Stuffed Puffs were a bit more difficult to skewer than typical marshmallows
It wasn't impossible but it was a tad difficult to get the Stuffed Puffs to stay on the roasting skewer since they were quite soft, a bit heavy, and hollowed out for chocolate.
They kept sliding down the metal stick slightly and it took me a few tries to get the Puffs to stay on the skewers.
On the other hand, the classic marshmallow easily slid on and stayed on the metal skewer. The Puff is on the left and the marshmallow is on the right.
The s'mores-making process was pretty simple for both the classic ingredients and the Stuffed Puffs
I did notice that as I was roasting the Stuffed Puffs, they began to sag a little bit. The chocolate seemed to weigh down the Puffs and it led to a slightly more frantic toasting process.
In many cases, I was worried they'd fall off of the skewer and into the fire so I had to quickly sandwich them between two graham crackers.
Fortunately, there were no Stuffed Puff casualties.
Both types of marshmallows toasted nicely and looked delicious between two graham crackers
The Stuffed Puff s'more (left) was not quite as thick as the classic s'more (right).
Both sandwiches were fairly easy to hold but assembling the Stuffed Puffs s'more took just one step. Making the classic s'more took two.
The Stuffed Puff s'more wasn't too messy and none of the chocolate seeped out as I assembled it
Like a typical marshmallow, the Stuffed Puffs toasted nicely and fairly quickly.
No chocolate oozed out of the Puffs, which surprised me considering I had pierced them with sticks.
I was pretty impressed with how not-messy they were.
My taste testers and I noticed that the Stuffed Puff s'more tasted like a classic s'more but it didn't break as easily
My two taste testers and I unanimously agreed that the treats made with the Stuffed Puffs did taste like a typical s'more.
We also felt they were much less messy than the classic s'more — since the chocolate in the Puffs was melted instead of super firm, the graham crackers didn't break quite as easily.
We all agreed it was easier to take bites of the Stuffed Puff s'more than it was to eat the classic one
The classic s'mores, made with marshmallows and pieces of chocolate, broke as soon as we bit into them.
Aside from the spilling of the graham-cracker crumbs, the classic s'more wasn't much messier than the Stuffed-Puff one.
That being said, both treats were quite sticky, which can't really be avoided when marshmallows are in the mix.
The verdict? Stuffed Puffs are very convenient, but sometimes you can't beat a classic s'more with all of its messy components
One of the biggest differences between the Stuffed Puff s'mores and the classic s'mores? Texture.
As one taste tester pointed out, with a classic s'more, the cold, firm chocolate plays off of the warm, gooey marshmallow. With Stuffed Puff s'mores, the chocolate was melted and creamy.
Both were tasty, but they weren't quite the same.
It really does all comes down to preference. I personally preferred the cold, firm bite of a piece of chocolate paired with an ooey-gooey marshmallow over the melty chocolate that Stuffed Puffs provide. But if you're all about melty chocolate, these are definitely the treat for you.
Ultimately, if I have the time and don't mind a bit of a mess, I will probably continue to opt for classic s'mores made with pieces of chocolate and standard marshmallows.
But if I'm ever hosting a big gathering involving s'mores-making or craving meltier chocolate, I'll probably reach for Stuffed Puffs because they are quite convenient and fairly affordable.
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