I swear I wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to stuff something inside of something else. It was too trendy. And then, not trendy at all. (Neither of which I’m actually about, anyway.)
But I succumbed to the pressure of a college kid who just finished finals. A college kid who squeaked with excitement when she exhaled the love she had for these s’mores stuffed chocolate chip cookies in a quick and breathless sentence. I told her that the only conditions I had to making them was that the graham cracker and cookie dough had to be homemade. And frankly, if we had put a little forethought into this, the marshmallows would have been too. She had no issues with my conditions.
S’mores stuffed into thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. A total diet/healthy lifestyle buster. But damn, it’s worth it. I’ve gone on a few times about how magical my favorite cookie dough recipe is and it just stands to reason that I would have chosen it for these giant creations as well. Yesterday I posted about homemade graham crackers and yup, we used that recipe too. The deeply flavored brown sugar graham crackers were an outstanding choice to use here and they certainly didn’t get lost amid the gobs of cookie. Of course, the marshmallows and Hershey’s chocolate bars (is there no better option for s’mores?) melted into everything and admittedly, there were a few nerve wracking minutes of watching the conversion from cookie brick to enormous cookie rounds as all of the components settled into each other in the oven.
But alas, perfection. Gooey s’mores nestled into my favorite chocolate chip cookie. At nearly 6 inches a piece, you’ll probably need a friend to help you finish off these monsters (and at least a couple glasses of milk) but since there is so much cookie to go around, sharing shouldn’t be an issue. Or, I supposed you could just make them smaller for single servings, but where’s the fun in that?
So there. I went there and now I’m sharing it with you. It’s a holiday weekend – go celebrate!
S’mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies source: idea and method inspired by Picky Palate
I made my own graham crackers for these s’mores stuffed cookies, but you can certainly use store-bought crackers if you’re pressed for time or you know, not crazy like me. You’ll need 4 approximately 1 1/2″ by 3″ pieces which for store-bought graham crackers means half of a graham square. If you decide to make your own graham crackers (go for it!), cut them to fit. This recipe yields 4 gigantic cookies. Feel free to double the recipe and/or make smaller cookies by using smaller graham crackers and just half of a marshmallow for each cookie.
Ingredients:
12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
For assembly:
1 cookie dough recipe, at room temperature
8 graham cracker squares, broken into halves (see header note above)
4 marshmallows, snipped in half lengthwise
1 full-size Hershey’s bar, divided between each of the prospective cookies
Instructions:
To make the cookie dough: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined – the batter should look a little lumpy. Stir in chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
To assemble and bake: Lay half of the graham crackers out on the baking sheets – two crackers per sheet. Top each cracker with 3-4 pieces of chocolate then top the chocolate with two marshmallow halves, laying them side-by-side. Lay the remaining graham crackers on top of the assemble s’mores. Sandwich the s’mores between two large spoonfuls of cookie dough and using the remaining dough to wrap around each of the s’mores; the result should resemble a small cookie brick.
Space the cookies at least 4 inches apart on the two baking sheets. Bake for 20-24 minutes or until the tops and edges are lightly browned and the edges just lift off the pan with a spatula. (While baking, the s’mores will press down under the weight of the cookie dough and will sink further while cooling. Don’t worry if the cookies don’t end up completely covering the s’mores – it only adds to the charm here.) Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and cool the cookies on the sheets for at least 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the wire racks and cool for another 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Oh those horrible teenage years with a mouth full of braces. Eating Oreos was devastatingly embarrassing. The time I got hit in the mouth with a softball trying to tag out a stealing runner at 3rd base was a pretty horrific event. And for me, it always seemed like the two days following the orthodontic visits where my braces were tightened were worse than dealing with teenage-PMS. Imagine when they occurred together?!
Yet, I had a solace aside from the inordinate amount of Advil I consumed during those years: mush. Broken up graham crackers soaked in a bowl of ice cold milk. To the unfamiliar “palate” it probably sounds horrible. But when your mouth hurts so much to even close your jaw, you’ll try almost anything. I hated Carnation. Smoothies were almost unheard of in my neck of the woods (bagel- and egg sandwich-centric Long Island) and yogurt wasn’t considered a full breakfast for an active teenager in my house. This mush is actually what my mom ate when she had braces and I fell in love with it.
But I won’t go on and on about the mush. It’s my general love for graham crackers that made me want to try a homemade version for so long. I don’t typically buy them any more unless I need to make a crust for a cheesecake so it’s been a true delight having a stack of fresh graham crackers at home…and that include a list of ingredients that I can pronounce. This version uses all dark brown sugar (that’s why they are so dark in the photos – I didn’t burn them) which really helps to develop a deep caramel-ish flavor in the grahams. After cooling, they crisp up perfectly and can be eaten as they are (I love a schmear of peanut butter on them), ground down into crumbs for crusts, broken up to mix into strawberry cheesecake ice cream, or used for homemade s’mores (more on that soon). I haven’t tried them soaked in milk yet, but maybe that’s in my future this weekend…you know, for old time’s sake.
Brown Sugar Graham Crackers source: adapted from Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones by the owners of the Bi-Rite Creamery, Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker, and Dabney Gough
Feel free to cut the graham cracker dough into any shape you want – this would be a crazy-fun project with kids using a variety of different cookie cutters. If you want to make large rectangular, authentic graham crackers, cut the dough out in your desired size and right before baking, gently score across the center of the dough horizontally with a knife or stainless dough scraper. The graham crackers will break easily and cleanly in half at the scored mark once cooled.
Ingredients:
7 oz all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
6 oz graham flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 cup (16 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions:
To make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and honey on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. At this point, the dough will look crumbly but when squeezed between your fingers, it will form together. Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap, form it into a 7×7-inch square, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours. This can be done up to 5 days in advance. Before proceeding, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before attempting to roll.
To make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick and using a pizza cutter or cookie cutter, cut out the dough into 3×3-inch squares (or your desired shape), re-rolling the scraps and cutting additional cookies. Transfer the cut dough to the baking sheets, spacing each about 3/4-inch apart; keep the dough chilled before baking to prevent them from spreading.
With a lightly floured fork, prick the tops of each piece of dough a few times to prevent them from puffing up, then sprinkle the tops with the sugar-cinnamon mixture. (Leftover mixture can be stored in an airtight container for future use.)
Bake for 15-18 minutes (adjusting the time by 1-2 minutes depending on the size of the cookies you choose to make), rotating the sheets after 10 minutes, until the graham crackers are dark golden brown and are just firm to the touch. Cool on the sheets on wire racks for 2 minutes then transfer them to the racks to cool completely; the graham crackers will crisp as they cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
I love it when an idea comes together. When what I’ve been dreaming up in my head turns out just how I pictured it. That was these lemon cupcakes. I had made this recipe as full-on lemon poppy cake a few years back for a girlfriend’s baby shower and have since wanted to remake the recipe not only to share with all of you (because it’s pretty awesome) but also because I’ve always thought a cupcake version would be perfectly delightful.
And I was right. The lemon cupcakes are soft-crumbed clouds with a dollop of fresh raspberry curd running through the center, topped with a billowy mound of the fluffiest lemon buttercream I’ve ever eaten. The cupcakes themselves are sturdy and soft at the same time, a cupcake trait not always easy to achieve, and they were able to withstand a hollowed-out the center for the curd and the frosting on top without falling into pieces after the first couple of bites. Of course flavor-wise, berries and citrus are a match made in heaven and even though you’d like to think that these cupcakes would be too lemony and tart between the cake and the frosting, the bright raspberry curd keeps perfect balance. Of course, some sugar helps with this balance as well.
You’ll cone-out the center of each cupcake and add some of your very own, homemade raspberry curd (don’t cut corners and buy it!), a treat worth licking the spoon for in and of itself. If you’ve never made curd before, it’s quite a simple process which involves straining out all of the seeds so you’re left with a thick and silky sweet condiment that can be spread onto biscuits or scones, drizzled over ice cream, or used however else you can dream up. It’s a lovely and necessary component to these cupcakes and I wouldn’t skip making it.
The verdict from Kyle, the non-lemon-loving heathen that he is, was clearly indicated by the random wrappers I’ve found around the kitchen. One or two before I get home from work…another one while I’m making dinner…you get the point. We both adore these lemon cupcakes and I know you will too. In fact, I love them so much that I’m contributing them to Celebrations.com Memorial Day Virtual Blogger Potluck Party that I’ve been invited to. Have a look on Celebrations (link below) to see the party as a whole and be sure to stop by the other awesome bloggers’ blogs to see what they brought to the party as well.
To make the raspberry curd: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the raspberries, egg yolks, sugar and salt, and cook, mashing the berries. Stir frequently at first and then constantly at the end, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture through a coarse strainer set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Cool to room temperature; the curd will continue to thicken as it cools. Stir in lemon juice to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The curd can be made 2-3 days in advance.
To make the cupcakes: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 24-cup cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. In the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium-high. Beat just until stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted. Transfer the egg whites to a separate bowl (not plastic), clean and dry the mixer bowl and reattach it with the paddle attachment.
Add the butter to the mixer bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Mix in the lemon zest. Beat the mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the milk until just blended. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture alternately with the remaining milk in three batches, beginning and ending with the flour; scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat until just blended. Using a rubber spatula, fold one quarter of the egg whites into the batter, being careful not to deflate the mixture. Once incorporated, add in the rest of the whites (including any liquid that may have accumulated on the bottom of the bowl) and gently fold in until well combined; no white should remain.
Using a large cookie/ice cream scoop, divide the batter between the cupcake liners, filling each liner about 2/3 full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes, turning the pans around halfway through the baking time. Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes then remove them from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and zest on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add the sugar and beat until smooth. Add the heavy cream and lemon juice and beat for one minute longer; the frosting should be light and fluffy.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, hollow out the center of each cupcake using the cone method and spoon about 1 tsp of raspberry curd in to each hollowed-out cupcake. The filling should be just shy of the top of the cupcake. Frost as desired, taking care not to push the curd out of the cupcake with the weight of the frosting. Garnish with raspberries. Serve and store at room temperature, though the frosting will soften significantly at temperatures above 75 degrees F.
Lately, I feel like my brain has been working in overdrive. Since moving, I’ve been working on changing a few things around here. Where dishes used to sit in the sink for a day (or two…ok, I’m being generous here), a little extra conscientiousness and some rubber gloves go a long way. Laundry gets folded within 2 days of being washed. My commute is an extra 10 minutes in the morning now and I’m busting my butt every morning to get to my new job on time. I’m chronically late for just about everything in my life and frankly, I’m tired of feeling like I’m always stopping to catch my breath, literally and figuratively.
I hate my shortcomings. I know I’m not a fabulous “housewife” but I know I’m able to make lots of other contributions to our little family aside from just my paycheck. Like this pizza. Thinly sliced flank steak, shaved asparagus, crumbled Gorgonzola, and a béchamel sauce base. It’s pretty much the best [non-breakfast] pizza we’ve eaten in ages. And it really came about because in my typical frazzled manner one morning a few weeks ago, I forgot to take the pork chops out of the freezer for dinner. I called Kyle at home to take them out (he was off from work that day) and I came home that afternoon to find thawed flank steak. Silly boy.
So out of my stewing about the flank steak not being pork chops, I wrapped my brain around the idea of this pizza. And since I’m not one to toot my own horn [too often], I’ll just say that you’ll thank me after making this. Set atop your favorite pizza dough (this is ours – I really need to blog this recipe), you’ll love how the ingredients all come together almost as if it’s a dinner at a pricey steakhouse. The flank steak is tender, the fresh asparagus adds a little bitterness, the Gorgonzola (and some mozzarella) melts all over just like a decadent Gorgonzola sauce over filet mignon, and the béchamel sauce base is rich and silky. Basically, it’s perfection.
Steak, Shaved Asparagus, and Gorgonzola Pizza source: Smells Like Home original, sauce adapted from Spinoccoli Pizza
8 – 10 oz flank steak, cooked medium and sliced thin across the grain
6 asparagus stalks, shaved lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
3 oz crumbled Gorgonzola
6 oz mozzarella, shredded
Cornmeal
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F with a clean pizza stone on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
To make the bechamel sauce: Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; stir in flour and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Toss in the garlic and bring the milk to a simmer, stirring frequently until it begins to bubble and coats the back of a spoon, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the garlic and off the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
To assemble the pizza: Once the stone is properly heated, roll the pizza dough out to a 14-inch circle on a well-floured surface. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a pizza peel or wood cutting board and transfer the dough round to the peel or board. Spread the sauce out over the pizza and sprinkle on half of the mozzarella cheese. Lay the steak on the cheese in one layer, spread the shaved asparagus out over the steak, sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella, and add the Gorgonzola. Remove the stone from the oven and sprinkle some cornmeal on the stone; carefully transfer the pizza to the stone. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Allow the pizza to cool on the stone for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
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THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Can you believe that we’re celebrating 5 years of blogging here at Smells Like Home today?! FIVE YEARS. Five years of sharing my favorite recipes, kitchen adventures, and photos (if you want a laugh, check out the archives) with you. Five years of reading your awesome comments and visiting so [...]
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You’ll need 4 approximately 1 1/2″ by 3″ pieces which for store-bought graham crackers means half of a graham square. If you decide to make your own graham crackers (go for it!), cut them to fit. This recipe yields 4 gigantic cookies. Feel free to double the recipe and/or make smaller cookies by using smaller graham crackers and just half of a marshmallow for each cookie.
