Weather: 50 degrees, overcast
What I’m listening to: Raging Fire, Phillip Phillips
No camping trip is complete without s’mores around the campfire. Or at least that’s what I might have said prior to this last 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 about s’mores around the campfire on Memorial Day Weekend quickly shifted, and then altogether disappeared. A complete fire ban across our area meant no hobo meals in foil packets cooked over the coals, no hot dogs on the grill, and no marshmallows roasting on skewers over open flame. 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.
This article was originally featured in the Anchorage Daily News.
S’mores Cookies
Chewy, gooey milk chocolate chip cookies with graham cracker crumbs and mini marshmallows. Adapted from [Kevin & Amanda|http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/gooey-smores-cookies.html].
Yields: About 2 dozen cookies.
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/3 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
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 1 ½ 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.
