Some More S'mores Please!

Hello All!

This past weekend I thought I’d do a little twist on a childhood favorite, the good old campfire classic: the infamous s’more. The delectable dessert was created right around the turn of the 20^th century when the commercial marshmallow fad first began. In attempt to create a new innovative way to enjoy this fabulous treat the s’more was born! The name s’more was coined up because everyone always wanted “some more” and through American colloquialism the name was quickly simplified to s’mores.

Although it is completely un-American to not know the “complex” construction of a s’more, I will quickly describe it to those of you who living under a rock. First and foremost, you have to toast the marshmallow. Despite the deceivingly simple perception, this component might be the most important and also the most subjective. The length of toasting is completely determined by personal preference but the art of toasting, on the other hand, is all about technique. One must be very careful as to where they place their marshmallow in relation to the flames; amateurs are easily apparent. A perfectly toasted marshmallow, in my opinion, has a slightly crunchy, golden exterior with a smooth, gooey center. The smokiness of the toasting under cuts the extreme sweetness of the marshmallow to absolute flawlessness. Pairing this delectable marshmallow with the most luscious piece of chocolate, all smooshed between two mildly sweetened graham crackers.

To properly do this traditional dessert justice, I attempted to mimic those same classic flavors but in a completely different style dessert: a cupcake. S’mores cupcakes are headline news right now in the baking world, so I thought this was a perfect interpretation.

These s'more cupcakes are delightful, irresistible, and impossible to ignore. They have a buttery, crunchy graham cracker base, topped with a rich chocolate cupcake, filled with a smooth chocolate ganache, and topped with a toasted marshmallow meringue. The party of flavors in your mouth conveys that of a campfire s’more. My hope is that when you close your eyes and take a generous bite of this beautiful cupcake, it will immediately transport you to that summer night as a young child when you tried your very first s’more.

The cupcake as a whole isn’t attributed to a single pastry chef, as I adapted different aspects of this dessert from different sources. The cupcake is Joanne Chang’s famous chocolate cupcakes paired with a classic marshmallow meringue and graham cracker “crust” adapted from a fellow blogger, writer of The Pastry Affair. The chocolate ganache was my little twist to mimic the smooth, melted chocolate aspect of the original s’more.

Note: the cupcake batter needs to sit out for at least an hour before baking so that all the ingredients can properly incorporate please make sure you leave yourself enough time to adequately follow the steps. Baking is a science, everything is done for a reason!

Chocolate Cupcakes

(Adapted from Joanne Chang)

Yields 12 cupcakes

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

¼ cup of Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 cup of granulated sugar

1 stick of unsalted butter

½ cup of water

½ cup of milk

1 egg

1 egg yolk

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of kosher salt

In a large heatproof bowl, mix the chocolate and cocoa powder. In a small saucepan, heat the granulated sugar, butter and water over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved, pour the mixture over the chocolate-cocoa mixture and whisk until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Whisk the milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla into the chocolate mixture until homogeneous.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and whisk until all the ingredients are totally incorporated. Let the batter sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking.

Graham Cracker Base

(Adapted from The Pastry Affair)

Yields 12 Cupcakes

½ cup of graham cracker crumbs, very finely ground

1/8 cup granulated sugar 


5 tablespoons butter, melted

Heat the over to 350 degrees, position a rack in the center of the oven and line 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.

In a large bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until evenly coated. Place just over a tablespoon of the mixture in the bottom of each liner. Using a glass or bottle the size of the base of the cupcake tin, press down the graham cracker crumbs until they form a solid crust.

Bake for 5 minutes to allow the base to harden. Cool for 5-10 minutes before filling with cupcake batter. Scoop the batter into the muffin tins, dividing it evenly until the batter just reaches the rim. Place the cupcakes on the center rack and bake for about 30 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back to the touch. Cool completely in the pan or on a wire rack.

While the cupcakes are cooling, this is a good time to make both the ganache and marshmallow meringue. A word for the wise, try to avoid making meringue on a rainy day. The moisture makes it difficult for the meringue to properly come together, especially to the point of stiff peaks.

Chocolate Ganache

(Yields more than enough for 12 cupcakes, depending upon how generous you fill each cupcake)

4 oz of good milk chocolate (or any kind; its your preference)

1/3 cup of heavy cream

Place milk chocolate in a medium-sized heat proof bowl; set aside.

In a small saucepan, whisk the heavy cream over low heat. Bring it to simmer (small bubbles will form on the edges of the pan). Remove from the heat and quickly pour the cream over the chocolate. Let it sit for and after about 2 minutes begin slowly incorporating the ingredients by whisking from the center out until completely smooth. Let the ganache sit at room temperature until you are ready to assemble the cupcakes, stirring occasionally.

Marshmallow Meringue

(Adapted from The Pastry Affair)

Yields enough for 12 cupcakes

4 egg whites 


1 cup granulated sugar

In a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved and the egg whites are warm to the touch, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff, shiny peaks, about 5-8 minutes.

Using a knife cut a small hole in the center of the cupcake, coring the middle of the cupcake. Place a generous glob of ganache in the hole and reclose the cupcake with the cut off piece.

Fill a pastry bag with the marshmallow meringue and pipe the meringue on top of the cupcake (If you don’t have a pastry bag, you may fill a large sealable plastic bag with the meringue, snip off the corner, and pipe it on top of the cupcakes, it works just the same.)

Using a kitchen torch, lightly toast the marshmallow meringue to resemble a toasted marshmallow (If you don’t have a kitchen torch, simply turn the oven onto broil and place the cupcakes on a cookie sheet in the top shelf of the oven. It will take about a minute or two to get a nice toasty marshmallow look. Make sure you watch them closely.)

I hope you enjoy this sweet, sticky childhood favorite!