Ultimate S’mores Cookies: Your Campfire Favorite in Cookie Form

Imagine the warmth and nostalgia of a crackling campfire, the sweet scent of toasted marshmallows, and the comforting taste of melted chocolate and crunchy graham crackers—all perfectly encapsulated in a single, irresistible cookie. Our **Ultimate S’mores Cookies** deliver this magical experience, transforming your favorite campfire treat into a soft, chewy, and utterly delicious baked delight. Each bite promises sweet graham crumbs, impossibly soft marshmallows, and luxurious pools of melty chocolate, creating a symphony of textures and flavors that will transport you straight to the great outdoors.

From the Kitchen of Chelsea Lords

S’mores Lovers, Prepare for Your New Obsession!

As a passionate baker, I’ve always been captivated by the classic s’mores trifecta: graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. My mission was to recreate that iconic flavor profile in the most delightful cookie form imaginable. After countless batches and meticulous adjustments, I’m thrilled to share a recipe that truly delivers. These cookies are generously thick, incredibly chewy, and absolutely bursting with that unmistakable s’mores magic.

Every single bite is an adventure, offering rich, shimmering pools of melted chocolate, sweet, impossibly gooey marshmallows, and the comforting crunch of toasted graham cracker crumbs. The edges bake to a beautiful, slight crispness, while the centers remain wonderfully soft, thick, and perfectly underbaked—just how a truly sensational cookie should be! This isn’t just another cookie recipe; it’s the culmination of a quest for perfection. Trust me, once you try these, you’ll understand why this is the S’mores cookie recipe I’ll cherish and make forever. I believe you’ll feel the same profound joy with every delicious mouthful!

Why These S’mores Cookies Stand Out

What makes this S’mores cookie recipe truly special? It’s a carefully crafted balance of ingredients and techniques designed to elevate the classic campfire experience. We don’t just throw S’mores components into a cookie; we integrate them thoughtfully to ensure every bite is an authentic delight. The key lies in the perfect blend of sweetness and texture, from the finely crushed graham crackers that become an integral part of the dough, adding a unique depth of flavor, to the strategic placement of chocolate and marshmallows that guarantee gooey perfection.

Unlike many recipes that might leave you with hard marshmallows or sparse chocolate, our method ensures consistent distribution and optimal melt. The result is a cookie that boasts a soft, thick center, slightly crisp edges, and that signature S’mores pull. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or just starting out, this recipe is designed for success, promising a batch of cookies so good, they’ll become a staple in your repertoire.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect S’mores Cookies

The magic of these S’mores cookies begins with a selection of quality ingredients, each playing a crucial role in achieving that perfect texture and flavor. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is important:

• Unsalted Butter: The foundation of any great cookie. Melting the butter first and allowing it to cool slightly before mixing helps create a chewier texture by promoting sugar dissolution without leading to greasy cookies.
• Brown Sugar (lightly packed): Essential for that signature chewy texture and rich, caramel-like flavor. Make sure your brown sugar is soft and fresh, free of hard clumps, to ensure proper moisture and sweetness in the dough. It adds depth that granulated sugar alone cannot provide.
• Granulated Sugar: Provides the crispness around the edges and balances the richness of the brown sugar, contributing to the overall sweet profile.
• Egg & Extra Yolk: The whole egg adds structure and moisture, while the extra egg yolk is a secret weapon for richness. It enhances the fudginess of the cookie centers, ensuring they remain incredibly soft and tender.
• Vanilla Extract: A crucial flavor enhancer that complements the chocolate and graham crackers, adding warmth and complexity to the overall taste.
• Graham Cracker Crumbs: Finely crushed graham crackers are incorporated directly into the dough, infusing every bite with that authentic, sweet, and slightly spiced flavor. This is a game-changer for true S’mores taste.
• All-Purpose Flour: The primary structural component, providing body to the cookies.
• Baking Soda: Our leavening agent, ensuring the cookies rise beautifully and achieve that desirable soft, airy interior. Always use fresh baking soda for best results.
• Salt: A pinch of salt is vital for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors, making the chocolate taste richer and the graham cracker more pronounced.
• Milk & Mini Chocolate Chips: Using a combination of both regular and mini chocolate chips ensures that you get a perfect burst of chocolate in every single bite. The mini chips distribute more evenly throughout the dough, while the regular chips provide larger pockets of melted goodness.
• Chocolate Bars (like Hershey’s): Chopped and pressed onto the tops of the cookies midway through baking, these pieces create those iconic pools of melty chocolate that mimic real S’mores, adding a rich, decadent finish.
• Miniature Marshmallows: The star of the S’mores! Using fresh mini marshmallows is key here. Added towards the end of baking, they become wonderfully soft, gooey, and slightly toasted, just like they’ve been kissed by a campfire flame.

How To Make S’mores Cookies: Pro Tips for Perfection

Crafting the perfect S’mores cookie is an art, but with these expert tips, you’ll achieve delicious results every time.

• Crush Grahams Finely: For the best texture and flavor distribution, it’s crucial to blend your graham crackers into a fine, flour-like consistency. Large chunks can disrupt the dough’s texture and lead to uneven baking. A blender or food processor works wonders for this task, ensuring smooth and uniform crumbs.
• Measure Grahams Precisely: When measuring graham cracker crumbs, always spoon them into your measuring cup and then level off the top. Do not pack the crumbs in, as this can result in using too much, leading to a dry or dense cookie. Accuracy in measuring ensures the correct balance of dry ingredients.
• Ensure Fresh Ingredients: The freshness of your leavening agents significantly impacts the cookie’s rise and texture. Always double-check that your baking soda is active. An easy test: mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a tablespoon of vinegar; if it fizzes, it’s good to go! Stale baking soda can lead to flat, hard cookies.
• Cool the Melted Butter: This step is non-negotiable. After melting your butter, allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes before adding your sugars. Hot butter can melt the sugar prematurely, which leads to a thin, greasy cookie texture instead of the desired thick and chewy crumb.
• Use a Baking Liner: For uniformly baked cookies with soft bottoms and easy removal, always line your baking sheet with a Silpat® mat or parchment paper. This prevents sticking, promotes even heat distribution, and makes cleanup a breeze.
• Don’t Overmix the Dough: Once you add the flour, mix just until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour, which can result in tough, dense cookies rather than soft and chewy ones.
• Chill the Dough (If Needed): If your dough feels overly warm or greasy after mixing and doesn’t hold its shape easily when rolled, a quick chill in the refrigerator (30-60 minutes) can make a world of difference. Chilling helps solidify the butter, preventing excessive spreading and ensuring thicker, chewier cookies.
• Optimal Marshmallow and Chocolate Placement: Adding the marshmallows and chopped chocolate bars partway through baking (around 8 minutes in) is key. This allows the cookie to set slightly before the toppings are introduced, preventing them from sinking to the bottom and ensuring they get perfectly melted and gooey on top.

S’mores Cookie Storage and Freezing Tips

To enjoy your S’mores cookies at their absolute best, proper storage is essential. While they are undeniably most delicious fresh from the oven, there are ways to keep them tasty or prepare ahead.

• Short-Term Storage: Store baked S’mores Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They are truly at their peak the day you bake them. Over time, the marshmallows will inevitably get harder and lose some of their gooey charm. For this reason, try to enjoy them within 1-2 days for the best experience.
• Freezing Dough for Future Enjoyment: Instead of freezing baked cookies (which can lead to tougher marshmallows), we highly recommend freezing the unbaked dough. To do this, scoop the dough into individual 2-tablespoon balls, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and freeze until they are completely solid. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to a freezer-safe sealed container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. They can be stored this way for up to 3 months.
• Baking from Frozen: When you’re ready to bake your frozen dough, there’s no need to thaw! Simply preheat your oven as directed and place the frozen dough balls on your prepared baking sheet. Add a few extra minutes to the initial baking time (typically 2-4 minutes more than the recipe states) before you remove them to press in the marshmallows and chocolate. This method ensures you have warm, fresh S’mores cookies whenever the craving strikes, without the hassle of making a batch from scratch.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Got questions about baking the perfect S’mores cookies? We’ve got answers!

• Can I use different types of chocolate? Absolutely! While milk chocolate is traditional for S’mores, feel free to experiment. Dark chocolate chips or chopped semi-sweet chocolate bars can add a deeper, richer flavor. White chocolate chips could also be a fun, sweeter alternative.
• What if I don’t have mini marshmallows? While mini marshmallows are ideal for their size and quick melt, you can roughly chop larger marshmallows into smaller pieces. Just ensure they are not too big, as they might spread too much or burn before the cookie is done.
• Why is chilling the dough important? Chilling the dough solidifies the butter, which prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. This results in thicker, chewier cookies. It also allows the flavors to meld and the gluten to relax, improving texture. If your kitchen is warm or the dough feels sticky, chilling is highly recommended.
• How do I prevent the marshmallows from burning? Adding the marshmallows and chocolate towards the end of the baking cycle (after about 8 minutes) is crucial. This allows them to melt and toast without burning. Keep a close eye on them during the final 2 minutes; they should be golden and gooey, not charred.
• Can I make these gluten-free? You can experiment with a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Ensure your graham crackers are also gluten-free. Results may vary slightly in texture, but the flavor should still be fantastic.

Delicious S’mores Cookie Variations

Once you’ve mastered the classic S’mores cookie, feel free to get creative with these delightful variations:

• Peanut Butter S’mores: Add a swirl of peanut butter to the dough or toss in some peanut butter chips for a nutty twist.
• Spiced S’mores: Incorporate a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg into the dough for a warm, autumnal flavor profile.
• Caramel S’mores: Drizzle some caramel sauce over the cookies immediately after baking for an extra layer of decadence.
• Different Chocolate: As mentioned, try swapping milk chocolate for dark chocolate, white chocolate, or even flavored chocolate bars.

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S’mores Cookies

By

Chelsea Lords

These S’mores Cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with all the essentials: gooey marshmallows, melted chocolate, and crushed graham crackers.

Prep Time:

25
minutes

Cook Time:

11
minutes

Chilling Time:

1
hour

Total Time:

1
hour
36
minutes

Yields:

23
cookies

Video

Watch how to make the perfect S’mores Cookies!

Equipment

• Blender
  or food processor
• Parchment paper
• Sheet pan (15″ x 10″)
• Cooling rack

Ingredients

• 12
  tablespoons
  unsalted butter
  (3/4 cup)
• 1/2
  cup
  granulated sugar
• 3/4
  cup
  light brown sugar
  (lightly packed, ensure it’s fresh/soft)
• 1
  large
  egg
• 1
  large
  egg yolk
• 1/2
  tablespoon
  
  vanilla extract
  
• 1-3/4
  cups
  all-purpose flour
• 3/4
  cup
  graham cracker crumbs
  (7 to 9 sheets, finely crushed)
• 1
  teaspoon
  baking soda
• 1/2
  teaspoon
  
  salt
  
• 1/2
  cup
  milk chocolate chips
• 1/2
  cup
  mini chocolate chips
• 2
  full
  chocolate bars
  (like Hershey’s, regular-sized, chopped)
• 1/2
  cup
  miniature marshmallows

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C). Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a nonstick Silpat® liner. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the unsalted butter. Crucially, let the melted butter cool for at least 5 minutes. This cooling step prevents the butter from melting the sugar too quickly, which can lead to greasy, thin cookies.
2. Once the butter has cooled slightly, whisk in both the granulated sugar and light brown sugar until the mixture is smooth and well combined, which typically takes about 1-2 minutes. Next, add the large egg, followed by the extra egg yolk and vanilla extract. Continue whisking thoroughly until the mixture is light in color, smooth, and fully emulsified.
3. Using a blender or food processor, finely crush the graham crackers until they achieve a flour-like texture. Ensure there are no large chunks, as these can negatively impact the cookie’s final consistency (refer to Note 1 below for more details). Carefully spoon the fine crumbs into a measuring cup and level off the top to ensure an accurate measurement.
4. To the wet mixture, add the finely crushed graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients together with the wet ingredients until just combined. Then, gradually add the all-purpose flour, milk chocolate chips, and mini chocolate chips. Mix with a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer on low speed until a thick dough forms and no dry streaks of flour are visible. Be careful not to overmix.
5. Scoop the dough into approximately 2-tablespoon (40g) portions and roll them into smooth, uniform balls. If your dough feels warm, greasy, or struggles to hold its shape, it’s beneficial to chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Otherwise, you can proceed directly to baking.
6. Place about 6 dough balls on your prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are spaced apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven. Quickly and gently press 2-3 mini marshmallows and 3-4 pieces of chopped chocolate bar onto the top of each partially baked cookie. Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake for an additional 2 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and the tops are just set. Be careful not to overbake, as the cookies will continue to set as they cool.
7. Allow the freshly baked S’mores cookies to cool on the sheet pan for about 5 minutes. This crucial resting period helps them firm up before you move them. After 5 minutes, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the baking process with the remaining dough, or freeze any extra dough for later enjoyment (see storage tips below).

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Fine Graham Cracker Crumbs
To achieve the ideal texture, it’s imperative to use a blender or food processor to process your graham crackers into very fine, even crumbs. Any larger chunks will create an inconsistent texture in your cookies, potentially making them less tender and chewy. Aim for a consistency similar to fine flour or sand.



Storage Recommendations:
For optimal freshness, store baked S’mores cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They are truly best enjoyed on the same day they are baked. The marshmallows, while wonderfully gooey initially, will tend to harden and become chewy over time, diminishing the overall S’mores experience.

If you wish to prepare ahead, we strongly recommend freezing the cookie dough rather than the baked cookies. To do this, simply roll the dough into individual balls as per the recipe, place them on a tray lined with parchment paper, and freeze until they are completely solid. Once frozen, transfer the dough balls to a sealed freezer bag or an airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to bake from frozen, there’s no need to thaw the dough. Place the frozen dough balls directly on a prepared baking sheet. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the baking time compared to fresh dough. Midway through baking (after about 8-10 minutes), gently press them down slightly with the back of a spatula to ensure even thickness, then add the marshmallows and chocolate for the final bake.

Nutrition

Serving:
1
cookie

|

Calories:
183
kcal

|

Carbohydrates:
28.7
g

|

Protein:
2.2
g

|

Fat:
6.9
g

|

Cholesterol:
27.2
mg

|

Sodium:
132.2
mg

|

Fiber:
0.9
g

|

Sugar:
18.3
g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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