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If two of your favorites sweets are cupcakes and s'mores, then the first thing you should be doing is making these s'mores cupcakes!
I mean who didn't grow up liking s'mores! From s'mores ice cream to s'mores crème brûlée. I can't get enough.
When cooking for some friends we asked for their 3 favorite desserts. One was cupcakes... however, they didn't like super rich dark chocolate which is our favorite.
After some time on Pinterest, we came across a recipe for s'mores cupcakes that caught our attention. We could use milk chocolate instead and they liked s'mores and it was a chocolate cupcake base that would please us too. Everyone loves s'mores! I could take extra cupcakes to work or to family, win win! Except... the extra cupcakes didn't make it to work as we ate every last one for the next few nights. Whoops...
The recipe was a huge success. We decided that these were the best cupcakes we had ever had... and I like to think we eat more cupcakes than the average family being that we have two really good cupcake shops really close to us that were winners on Cupcake Wars among other things.
The cake was super moist and the meringue marshmallow frosting is light, fluffy, and not too sweet. AND... it has a graham cracker crust on the bottom, what's not to love about that!?!?! The original recipe can be found at Life, Love and Sugar, which I followed mostly but did change a few things.
Speaking of s'mores, I have been really wanting one. Might have to start up the fire pit!
Jump to:
Recipe Ingredients
- Graham crackers - the base for the cupcake.
- Unsalted butter - mixes with the graham crackers to form a crust.
- Granulated sugar - sweetens the crust and cupcake.
- All-purpose flour – I always go with AP here but you can use whole wheat flour as well.
- Cocoa powder - use natural, not Dutch processed.
- Baking soda - creates the rise out of the cupcakes.
- Salt - enhances the flavor.
- Eggs - creates structure and stability.
- Buttermilk - reacts with leavening agents to create rise.
- Canola oil - any mild oil flavor will work here.
- Coffee - enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Cream of tartar - thickens the frosting.
- Chocolate syrup - drizzled over top.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and place 15-18 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin. Put graham crackers in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin (1 package will be a little more than 1 1/4 cup so you will have a bit extra to sprinkle at the end). In a medium bowl, add graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar and mix well.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of the crust mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down. Bake crusts for 7 min. Remove and set aside to cool while you make the cupcakes.
- For the cupcakes, place flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl and whisk together. (I just put this in the bowl of an electric mixer to save bowls!) Add egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well using a mixer. Add vanilla extract to hot brewed coffee and add to the mixture. Mix well. (Note — the batter will be a little thinner than normal cupcake batter)
- Pour batter into cupcake pan on top of crust mixture, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 300°F for 25-30 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When done, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove them from the cupcake tin and allow to cool completely before icing.
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a metal heat proof bowl (best to use a double boiler here). Place over a saucepan with boiling water (double boiler). Whisk constantly until sugar is melted and mixture is warm to between 120°F and 140°F on a candy thermometer. (About 5 minutes, but best to check the temperature as meringue can be very touchy).
- Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on a low speed gradually increasing to high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. (Note — be careful here because if you overmix, it will break and will not be set enough to use as icing).
- Spoon frosting into piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Drizzle chocolate sauce on top and extra graham cracker crumbs.
Key to Light and Fluffy Cupcakes
The key with baking is DO NOT OVERMIX. It’s the death of any baking recipe and with cupcakes, it can lead to something that is dense and just not very appetizing.
So what does not overmixing mean? Well you mix all of your ingredients right until you see the flour disappear.
The other issue can be baking too long. To combat this, you just insert a toothpick into the center of a cupcake until it comes out clean.
How Long Do Cupcakes Last?
To maximize the shelf life of these cupcakes, place them in a covered airtight container or cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
- Cupcakes at room temperature will last 1-2 days
- Cupcakes in the fridge will last 1 week
- Cupcakes in the freezer will last 4 months
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Do not skip the buttermilk as it helps create the moistness you expect from chocolate cupcakes. If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own. Use whole milk mixed with 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice instead of buttermilk. Fill a measuring cup with the lemon juice/vinegar then the rest with whole milk to reach 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp.
- All refrigerated items should be at room temperature, which helps the batter mix easily and evenly.
- Use natural cocoa powder vs Dutch-processed cocoa powder as natural cocoa powder isn’t as intense of a flavor.
- The coffee helps just intensify the chocolate flavor. But if you don’t believe me or don’t have any, just use hot water.
- When adding the batter to the muffin tin, don’t fill more than 2/3 of the way as they do rise.
- Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will melt.
Other Cupcake Recipes
- Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
- Apple Pie Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Funfetti Cupcakes
If you’ve tried these s'mores cupcakes or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
S'mores Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake
- 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 5 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup hot brewed coffee
Marshmallow Frosting
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Hershey's syrup
- graham cracker crumbs
Instructions
Cupcake
- Preheat oven to 325°F and place 15-18 cupcake liners in a cupcake tin. Put graham crackers in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin (1 package will be a little more than 1 1/4 cup so you will have a bit extra to sprinkle at the end). In a medium bowl, add graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar and mix well.
- Place a heaping tablespoon of the crust mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down. Bake crusts for 7 min. Remove and set aside to cool while you make the cupcakes.
- For the cupcakes, place flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl and whisk together. (I just put this in the bowl of an electric mixer to save bowls!) Add egg, buttermilk, and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix well using a mixer. Add vanilla extract to hot brewed coffee and add to the mixture. Mix well. (Note -- the batter will be a little thinner than normal cupcake batter)
- Pour batter into cupcake pan on top of crust mixture, filling about 3/4 of the way full. Bake at 300°F for 25-30 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. When done, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove them from the cupcake tin and allow to cool completely before icing.
Marshmallow Frosting
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a metal heat proof bowl (best to use a double boiler here). Place over a saucepan with boiling water (double boiler). Whisk constantly until sugar is melted and mixture is warm to between 120°F and 140°F on a candy thermometer. (About 5 minutes, but best to check the temperature as meringue can be very touchy).
- Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on a low speed gradually increasing to high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. (Note -- be careful here because if you overmix, it will break and will not be set enough to use as icing).
- Spoon frosting into piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Drizzle chocolate sauce on top and extra graham cracker crumbs.
Notes
- Do not skip the buttermilk as it helps create the moistness you expect from chocolate cupcakes. If you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own. Use whole milk mixed with 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice instead of buttermilk. Fill a measuring cup with the lemon juice/vinegar then the rest with whole milk to reach 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp.
- All refrigerated items should be at room temperature, which helps the batter mix easily and evenly.
- Use natural cocoa powder vs Dutch-processed cocoa powder as natural cocoa powder isn’t as intense of a flavor.
- The coffee helps just intensify the chocolate flavor. But if you don’t believe me or don’t have any, just use hot water.
- When adding the batter to the muffin tin, don’t fill more than 2/3 of the way as they do rise.
- Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before adding the frosting, otherwise it will melt.
Got to have these and they are outstanding!