S'more Cupcakes - Recipes Inspired by Mom

I’ve been thinking about the flavors of S’mores – marshmallow, chocolate, and graham crackers – and the possibilities for creating a S’more cupcake. Pretty classic really – I mean who hasn’t had a s’more sandwich treat while sitting around a campfire?? It was my years spent in Girl Scouting that introduced me to this simple, but yummy dessert.

I wanted to start with a thin layer of graham cracker, baked into the bottom of a chocolate cupcake. I filled the cupcake with milk chocolate mousse. (You can delete this step if you prefer, but I think it adds a nice, creamy texture).

I couldn’t decide whether to go with a fresh whipped meringue topping, piped into a swirl, then flamed to give it both a charred taste, and a beautiful pattern – OR – a jumbo marshmallow, placed under the broiler, then transferred to the top of my cupcake, onto a nest of chocolate cream cheese buttercream. So I made BOTH!

I also wondered if I could use my all-purpose lighter with a long neck (for about $4.99), rather than a kitchen torch (which runs about $100. for a good one!). As you can see on the cupcake on the left – my lighter did a pretty good job!

I started with my favorite chocolate cupcake recipe below, adding about 1 Tbsp. of a graham cracker mixture. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients for graham cracker mixture:

3/4 c graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp melted butter

Combine all ingredients, and mix well in a med bowl.

Place 1 Tbsp of the crumb mixture into each cupcake liner. Press down firmly using a small glass. Set aside (no need to pre-bake).

Chocolate cupcake recipe: One recipe will make about 15 regular size cupcakes.

Ingredients:

3 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped.
1/3 c Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 c hot coffee

Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, and coffee in a small bowl, and let sit for about 5 min – to melt the chocolate. Then stir gently using a whisk, til blended and smooth. Set aside to cool.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, add:

2 large eggs
1/3 c vegetable oil
2 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix til blended. SLOWLY pour chocolate mixture into mixing bowl, while mixer set on LOW speed.

Combine dry ingredients into a separate bowl, and sift together, or blend using a whisk.

1 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Add dry ingredients SLOWLY into mixing bowl with wet ingredients. Keep mixer on LOW speed until all dry ingredients added, then increase speed to med. Blend until very smooth.

Using a large ice cream scoop – add batter to each cup til 3/4 filled.

Bake at 350 for 16 – 18 min., until tops are rounded, and no longer “wet” looking. Test for doneness using a toothpick – should come out clean when inserted into the center. Cool completely.

If using the chocolate mousse filling, prepare mousse using a package mix, according to directions. Set aside.

Core out a small hole in each cupcake, reserving a slice of the cake to cover the hole. Pipe the chocolate mousse into the hole, cover with the cake top. Refrigerate cupcakes while you make the marshmallow toppings.

For the fresh whipped meringue topping, you will need the following ingredients:

4 large egg whites, room temp.
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp clear vanilla extract

Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar into a stand mixing bowl. Place bowl over a small saucepan filled with 1″ of water – the bowl should not touch the water. Heat to a simmer, and whisk frequently to combine. Bring mixture to 160 degrees on a candy or instant read thermometer. (this takes about 5 min).

Transfer bowl back to your stand mixer, with a whisk attachment. Whisk on low, then med, then high – til stiff, shiny peaks form. (2-3 min.) Add vanilla extract, and blend til incorporated.

Place mixture into a piping bag, with your desired tip. Pipe onto each cupcake.

“Char” the edges of the topping by moving the flame around the cupcake – til you create the look you like. I found you can twist and turn the cupcake to help get the flame all over the surface.

For the marshmallow/broiler method – top each cupcake with a swirl of chocolate buttercream. I had some leftover from another cupcake – but to make your own, use the following recipe:

1 stick room temp unsalted butter
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c cocoa powder
3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Combine butter, cream cheese, and vanilla, mixing til smooth. Add vanilla. Add powdered sugar 1 c at a time, until well incorporated and smooth. Add 1 Tbsp heavy cream or milk if mixture is too thick. Whip til smooth.

Pipe onto the top of each cupcake using a 1M tip.

Place jumbo marshmallows on a silpat, or parchment lined sheet pan. Broil on top oven rack, for just a few minutes, watching closely. Cool slightly, and lift marshmallows to place on top of frosting.