No camping trip is complete without s'mores around the campfire. Or at least that's what I might have said prior to this past Memorial Day weekend, the same weekend our family always takes a camping trip across Kachemak Bay. The massive Funny River fire struck the Kenai Peninsula -- the air filled with smoke, the community and state rallied and my perspective on s'mores around the campfire on Memorial Day weekend quickly shifted.
A complete fire ban across our area meant no meals in foil packets cooked over the coals, no hot dogs on the grill and no marshmallows roasting on skewers over open flames. And we were completely OK with that. I welcomed the restrictions of the campfire ban because taking precautions meant that we got to do something to help out, however small of a thing it may have been.
These gooey s'mores cookies are a wonderful substitute for s'mores when there are no campfires in your near future or if you just have a hankering for a downright delicious cookie. The secret is to add graham cracker crumbs to the cookie dough and use milk chocolate morsels to mimic the classic milk chocolate candy bar squares you find in a good old-fashioned s'more. Stud the dough with mini-marshmallows and they will melt and brown in the oven while the cookies bake, making these completely irresistible. Be sure to enjoy them when they are fresh from the oven, all warm and melty, like any good s'more should be. You might want to keep a cold glass of milk nearby. Just saying.
S'mores cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
11/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (7 full-size graham crackers, finely crushed)
pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini-marshmallows
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper (the marshmallows will melt and stick to the pan, so lining the pans with parchment is very important).
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Incorporate the egg, followed by the vanilla. In a bowl, stir together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, pinch of cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Turn the stand mixer on low and gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until it is all combined and forms a dough. Mix in the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
Using a medium cookie scoop (about 1½ tablespoon-sized balls), scoop the dough onto the prepared cookie sheets, 12 per sheet. Flatten the dough slightly with the palm of your hand.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, being careful not to over-bake. Best enjoyed warm.
Notes:
To make graham cracker crumbs, pulse the graham crackers in a food processor. If no food processor is available, put them in a plastic zipper bag and give them a good whack with a rolling pin until finely crushed.
I reserved a small amount of the chocolate chips and marshmallows to stud the tops of each cookie just prior to baking. This step isn't necessary, but makes for prettier cookies.
Recipe adapted from the food blog Kevin and Amanda.
Maya Evoy lives in Kenai and blogs about food at alaskafromscratch.com. Have a food question or recipe request? Email maya@alaskafromscratch.com and your inquiry may appear in a future column.
Maya Evoy
Alaska From Scratch