A BIG PLATE OF DOUBLE CHOCOLATE S’MORES COOKIES
On the whole I don’t find supermarket baked goods all that enticing. The breads usually seem too airy, the cookies too bland, the cakes too slathered with artificially flavored frosting. However, last week, before the most recent, and hopefully last, snow of the season, I grabbed a cookie from my local market’s bakery section. Rather than satisfy my ever-present craving for sweets, it drove me to dig out my measuring cups, electric mixer, pen and notebook and create my own take on a s’more cookie.
What made this particular cookie so special, so inspiring? Sweet without being cloying, chocolaty without being too rich, it struck the perfect flavor balance. Dotted with chunks of graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow, the cocoa-enriched dough was far more complex and appealing than the usual double chocolate chip cookie. As with its campfire namesake, this cookie was so good that it left me hankering for “some more.” (Yep, that’s how s’mores got their name. You can’t just eat one graham cracker-chocolate bar-toasted marshmallow combo. You always want “s’more.”)
As the first snowflakes began to fall, I darted back out to the grocery store for a bag of mini marshmallows, box of graham crackers and tin of unsweetened cocoa. Back at home, flakes swirling outside the kitchen window, I started working on a recipe for these cookies. With a nod to Westside Market for the inspiration, below is my version of Double Chocolate S’mores Cookies.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE S’MORES COOKIES
Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (3 to 4 sheets) crumbled graham crackers (pieces should be bite-sized)
3/4 cup mini marshmallows
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a double boiler on the stove or in a glass bowl in the microwave, melt the half the chocolate chips and the butter, stirring together periodically until the chocolate has fully melted. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl sift together flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Using either an electric stand or hand mixer, beat together the eggs, sugars and vanilla until light in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add the cooled melted chocolate, beating until well-combined.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl again and add half the flour mixture. Beat until the flour is incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining flour. Beat until a soft dough has formed.
Add the remaining chocolate chips, crumbled graham crackers and mini marshmallows and stir to combine.
UNBAKED COOKIES SPACED OUT ON PARCHMENT PAPER
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place the balls on the parchment paper-lined baking sheets, leaving an inch or so between each cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies are firm. Remove the pans from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before removing them from the pan and cooling them completely on a wire rack. Repeat until all the cookies have been baked.