S’mores have exploded in popularity and now appear in everything from brownies and pies to cakes and muffins. Not wanting to miss the trend, I experimented with s’mores cookies and gave them a boost by adding one of my favorites: peanut butter.
I hadn’t thought to combine peanut butter with s’mores until a visit to a fondue restaurant where the server suggested adding peanut butter to the s’mores fondue. It was so good that when I found a basic s’mores cookie recipe, adding peanut butter felt like an obvious and delicious upgrade.
These cookies are delicious for many reasons beyond the peanut butter. The dough includes hints of honey and cinnamon, hearty old-fashioned oats, and a little crunch from finely crushed graham crackers. Each cookie is filled with marshmallow creme and topped with a Hershey’s Kiss placed point-side down, giving you the classic s’mores flavor in a portable cookie. One bite will have you reaching for s’more.
Notes: Do not stack these cookies while storing — the marshmallow creme will stick. Wax paper did not prevent sticking in my tests. Instead, spread cookies across several plates or a large baking sheet. Also plan ahead: the dough needs to chill 2–3 hours before baking.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups regular rolled oats (old fashioned)
- 1 1/2 cups all‑purpose flour
- 1 cup finely crushed graham crackers
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme
- 36 Hershey’s Kisses (milk chocolate), unwrapped
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, crushed graham crackers, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a mixer, beat the softened butter briefly. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat about one minute until combined.
- Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Mix in the peanut butter until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2–3 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly grease baking sheets or line them with parchment.
- Drop heaping rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 minutes, then remove the baking sheet from the oven.
- Use a small rounded utensil (a teaspoon works well) to create a shallow indentation in the center of each cookie.
- Spoon the marshmallow creme into a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner snipped off and pipe about 1 teaspoon into each indentation. Avoid overfilling so the marshmallow doesn’t overflow.
- Press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie, point-side down.
- Return the cookies to the oven and bake an additional 3–5 minutes, until the edges begin to brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- This recipe yields about 3 dozen cookies.
Recipe adapted from
Midwest Living, May 2012