It's the kind of small upgrade that makes people slow down and ask what's in it, and it costs you nothing but a spoonful of good balsamic and a night in the fridge.
Ingredient Spotlight. Our Dark Chocolate Dark Balsamic Vinegar is deep and cocoa-forward with a bright tang that keeps the sweetness in check, while our Espresso Dark Balsamic Vinegar adds a roasty, grown-up backbone. Use either in the cream cheese — or one in the filling and one for a finishing drizzle.
Ingredients (makes 4)
4 Tbsp cream cheese, softened
1 tsp Dark Chocolate Dark Balsamic Vinegar
8 graham cracker halves
4 marshmallows
4 squares dark chocolate
Espresso Dark Balsamic Vinegar, for drizzling · flaky salt
Instructions
Stir the Dark Chocolate balsamic into the cream cheese until smooth. For the silkiest flavor, cover and chill overnight so it can infuse.
Spread the balsamic cream cheese over four graham halves.
Toast the marshmallows over the fire (or under the broiler) until molten and golden, and set one on each cream-cheese cracker.
Top each with a square of dark chocolate, then a raw drizzle of Espresso balsamic and a tiny pinch of flaky salt. Cap with the remaining crackers, press gently, and eat while warm.
Chef's Notes
The overnight rest is worth it — the balsamic mellows into the cream cheese and tastes like real cheesecake.
A pinch of flaky salt on the chocolate is what makes people ask what you did.
Toast the marshmallow slow and low for that deep amber shell rather than a charred crust.
Make It Yours
Skip the second cracker and serve them open-faced as a spoonable campfire cheesecake dip, drizzled with our Vermont Maple Dark Balsamic Vinegar.
Allergens: contains gluten and dairy.
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