Happy S’mores Day: Two-Bite Peanut Butter S’mores

You know how there are those popular foods that everyone loves, like pizza and chocolate, but you’ll find those occasional people who tell you they hate it? It rattles your brain, but eventually, you decide it’s too mind-boggling to think about for too long, so you brush it off. Well, knock on wood, but s’mores is one of the few foods I’ve yet to hear someone detest.

Even people who don’t like chocolate or marshmallows separately still love them when they come together in toasted matrimony. Maybe it’s because it’s a food we all grow up with, attached to warm memories of campfires and friends. Or maybe it’s just because the flavors go together so well.

I wouldn’t pass up a chance to celebrate such an iconic food. Last year, I celebrated with a big and beautiful S’mores Pizza. But this year, I wanted something bite-sized and shareable: Two-Bite Peanut Butter S’mores.

They look fancy, don’t they? But just like classic s’mores, they’re still quite simple. We put together my favorite, easy peanut butter cookie dough, make it up in mini muffin tins, then stuff it with milk chocolate and a marshmallow. The crowning touch is a quick scorch under my kitchen torch to give that marshmallow its toasted flavor.

Whoa, did she say, “kitchen torch?” It’s not as scary as it sounds. You can buy one at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, guys – this is no big deal. If they can let people like me use a kitchen torch, then anybody can. Plus, I’d argue wielding that baby is even more fun than roasting the marshmallows.

It only take two bites to inhale these chewy, salt-sweet s’mores. A typical s’more is melty, messy, and hard to eat in general, but you can pop these bites one after another. That means celebrating S’mores Day just got easier.

How will you celebrate?

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you don’t have to toast the marshmallows.
2. Prefer dark chocolate? Go ahead and use that instead.
3. This happens to be my favorite peanut butter cookie dough recipe, so be sure to safe it for future uses.

Two-Bite Peanut Butter S’mores
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Yield – about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 cup) butter, softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 4.4-oz. milk chocolate bars, broken into perforated squares
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 24 large marshmallows, halved width-wise

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two mini muffin tins with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter, sugar, and peanut butter until fluffy.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture in thirds, mixing well in-between each addition.
4. Drop 2 tsp. of dough into each muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and set and just turning golden around the edges.
5. Immediately use something round, about 2 inches in diameter, to make indentations in each cookie. I used the bottom of the thick handle of an ice cream scoop. You can even use your thumbs.
6. Immediately place a piece of chocolate in each indentation, pressing down gently. Sprinkle each with a scant teaspoon of graham cracker crumbs. Top each with a marshmallow half.
7. Use a kitchen torch to toast each marshmallow. Enjoy or store in an air-tight container.

Happy S’mores Day!