Soft S’mores Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Graham Cracker Base

This recipe took a few tries to get the sweetness just right since s’mores ingredients are already pretty sweet, but I think I got it.

This recipes yield 12 large, soft, bakery-style cookies.

You might want to double the recipe to make a few holiday cookie boxes to hand out as tasty gifts. Or just make extras for yourself because you deserve it!

What You Will Need

To make these decadent chewy s’mores cookies, gather the following ingredients:

• Flour: Use all-purpose wheat flour, bread flour, or a combination of both.
• Baking soda: Helps the cookies spread and rise. Do not substitute with baking powder.
• Salt: Just a pinch to being out the other flavors and balance the sweetness.
• Unsalted butter: Softened at room temperature for easy mixing. If using salted butter, omit the added salt.
• Dark brown sugar and granulated sugar: The classic cookie sweeteners that create crisp edges and soft centers.
• Egg: Binds everything together.
• Vanilla extract: Adds that classic baked aroma.
• Espresso powder: Any kind works. You can substitute with cocoa powder. It deepens the chocolate flavor and darkens the dough.
• Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips: I looove Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips. They add the perfect bitter undertone to the cookies. Even those who love milk chocolate, end up loving the dark chocolate chip combination.
• Honey graham crackers and mini marshmallows: for classic s’mores flavor. For more ooey-gooey, marshmallow-stuffed cookies, you can use jumbo marshmallows and wrap the cookie dough around them. I use mini marshmallows here to keep the sweetness in check.

How to Make S’mores Cookies

Step 1: Mix dry ingredients

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and espresso powder until fully combined. Set aside.

Step 2: Mix wet ingredients

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric hand mixer, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Add the egg and vanilla extract, then continue mixing until fully combined.

Step 3: Combine the two mixtures and toppings

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated.

Add the chocolate chips and marshmallows, then mix slowly until just combined.

Step 4: Preheat and assemble

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Break each graham cracker sheet in half to make two squares. Make 12 squares and arrange them on a half sheet baking pan.

Divide the dough evenly into 12 portions and place one portion on top of each graham cracker.

For a beautiful presentation, top each cookie with a small rectangle of Hershey’s chocolate and one or two extra mini marshmallows.

Lightly press the marshmallows onto the dough so they stay in place. Make sure the marshmallows sit on top, not on the side. Otherwise they can fall and melt quickly when they touch the hot pan.

Step 5: Bake and broil

Bake for about 10 minutes on the top rack, until the cookie edges are set. Switch the oven to broil (500°F). Broil just until the marshmallows are toasted, about 2 minutes, watching closely to avoid burning.

Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the tray and enjoy!

A word about marshmallows

Marshmallows melt quickly in the oven and can burn if left under high heat too long. When marshmallow sugar burns, it can create craters or sticky spots in the dough.

Storage

You can store s’mores cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for several days. These cookies surprisingly stay quite soft and moist.

If they do dry out, a quick warm-up in the microwave for a few seconds will soften them again.

You can also prepare the dough in advance. Raw dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen for up to a couple of months.