S’mores cookies – chewy chocolate chip cookies topped with marshmallows and chocolate.
We recently enrolled our youngest in preschool. My baby, my last child at home is getting ready to start school in a few months. As I look back on these past 4 years I question whether I spent enough time with him. I wonder if I put the household chores off enough for a dinosaur vs. Army men battle. Or if I took enough time to teach him everything I taught his older siblings. I know I’m not alone in these thoughts, and I’m sure thousands of moms feel the same way when their last child enters school. It’s made me realize how much I really want to cherish this summer with him. With all of my children really, but I especially want to take more time with him before that first day of school. He’s my buddy, my blog partner who’s there when I have to photograph a project or work on a recipe. He’s always been around throughout this blogging journey and I can’t imagine not having him home during the day. I’ve always tried to incorporate him in my projects and his favorite thing to do is bake. He loves mixing, pouring, and watching cookies rise through the oven window. One of his favorite treats are s’mores, of course this meant we needed to bake up a batch of s’mores cookies.
This recipe is based on one of our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes with the addition of chocolate candy pieces and miniature marshmallows. I like to place the chocolate and marshmallows in the freezer for about 15 minutes before I get started. This helps them not melt as quickly while the cookie bakes.
S'mores cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 miniature candy bars cut into pieces
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together butter and sugars until smooth.
- Add eggs one at a time; stir in vanilla.
- In a small dish, dissolve baking soda in hot water; add to batter.
- Add salt and flour egg mixture.
- Stir in chocolate chips, candy bars, and marshmallows.
- Use a small cookie scoop to drop dough two inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes; transfer to wire rack.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned after having my youngest is that it’s ok to make a mess. There’s a 6-year difference between my oldest and second child, so keeping things clean around the house was pretty manageable with two kids. It wasn’t until my youngest was born (23 months after my second child) that things got a little crazy. This guy is the tornado of our family. He’s incredibly creative with his imaginative play, but boy does this kid make a mess! When we’re baking together I can pretty much expect ingredients scattered all over the counter and floor. It used to make me antsy and feel overwhelmed to the point that I would question whether I should allow him in the kitchen. It was during a baking day last year when he dropped an entire carton of eggs on the floor that I almost shooed him out of the kitchen. He looked up, looked at the eggs, then back up and said “oopsey, sorry mommy.” He looked so innocent and young and I just started laughing. I think he thought he might be in trouble, but really it just made me realize that this stuff happens and he’s still so little. In the end he won’t remember how many eggs he dropped or the flour all over the counter;, he’ll look back and remember being in the kitchen with me. That’s what I want him to remember!
It’s so important to me for them to have these memories, messes and all. Eventually he’ll get better at handling ingredients and learn how to help clean the kitchen.
As I look back on the past four years I think of all the times we made memories in the kitchen. I realize now that I won’t remember if the house was perfectly cleaned on a Tuesday, but I will remember the times we tried new recipes and his little hands trying to steal chocolate chips from the batter. I can only hope these are the same memories he will have from his childhood. :)
These look delicious! I see graham crackers in the photo of your son but none in the recipe. Is this a graham free recipe?