Double Chocolate Spicy S'mores Cookies

These decadent s'mores cookies have all the traditional campfire elements, plus a smoky kick of El Yucateco Hot Sauce that tastes just like your favorite summer evenings outdoors.

Happy S'mores Day!

Toasted marshmallows and gooey s'mores eaten beside a campfire are some of my very favorite desserts. They're not only surrounded by happy childhood memories, but they also taste delightful and really hit the spot on a warm summer evening.

These s'mores cookies take the usual confection to the next level with double chocolate and two types of marshmallows. Since they don't involve actual flame (or guests handling molten sugar), they're a great treat for a cookout or backyard party. They're safer, easier, and less messy than traditional s'mores, with all that delicious campfire flavor.

Since fire isn't involved, this recipe uses two methods to re-create that rich outdoor smokiness. The first key ingredient is the marshmallows.

Marshmallows are at their best when they're golden and toasted, or melted and gooey. These cookies do both. Any marshmallows on the inside of the cookies melt into soft puddles during baking, while any marshmallows on the top get brown and toasty. You can see in the photos how the tops get golden and crispy, just as they would over a campfire. This isn't quite enough fire for me, however.

The secret ingredient for rich smokiness is El Yucateco Black Label Reserve Hot Sauce. Adding two teaspoons of this dark, spicy sauce to the batter adds a hint of smoke and heat to your cookies. It's not enough heat to create any burn in your mouth. A slight warmth on the back of your tongue is probably the most you will feel (unless you gobble the whole batch in one sitting), but the subtle hint of smokiness from the blackened peppers pulls everything together into that familiar campfire flavor.

Once I included the delicious habanero hot sauce, I couldn't resist adding a bit of cinnamon as well. The cookies still taste delicious without it, but the blend of cinnamon and chilis adds complexity to the chocolate that really lifts these cookies to another level. They're inspired by Mexican chocolate, one of my favorite flavor combinations. In short, these cookies won't only satisfy the kids at your party. Their blend of intriguing flavors with childhood memories is sure to make the adults smile as well.

Both milk chocolate and dark chocolate work well in these cookies. I love using actual Hershy bars on the top because that's what my family used in s'mores growing up. Seeing the little letters (even slightly melted) adds one more bit of happy nostalgia.

You can experiment with the baking time to dial in your favorite texture. I bake them for 10 minutes. This gives a cookie that holds its shape and is crispy around the edges. They're sturdy enough to throw in a box and take to a party without crumbling all over the floor.

If you prefer something a bit softer, test your oven with 8-9 minute baking. This gives a gooier center and softer edges, more similar to a brownie texture. This version feels delightfully decadent, but it's also a bit messier to eat.

Both make me smile. Pick your favorite!

Double Chocolate Spicy S'mores Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups (sifted) all-purpose flour (200 grams)

• 3/4 cups cocoa powder (55 grams)

• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons corn starch

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened

• 3/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed

• 3/4 cups white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons El Yucateco Black Label Reserve Hot Sauce

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 rounded cup crushed graham crackers (about 7 rectangular crackers)

• 1 cup chocolate chips

• + milk or dark chocolate pieces for the top

• 2 cups mini marshmallows

• + marshmallow bits for top

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a cookie sheet with baking parchment or a baking mat.

2. Sift and combine the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa, cinnamon, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir and set aside.

3. Cream softened butter and sugar together until combined. Keep mixing until light and fluffy to incorporate tiny air bubbles into the mixture.

4. Add eggs, one at a time. Add El Yucateco Black Label Reserve Sauce and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth.

5. Gradually add dry ingredients into the wet blend and continue to mix. The batter should end up fairly stiff and fluffy.

6. Fold in crushed graham crackers, chocolate chips, and mini-marshmallows until evenly distributed.

7. Scoop rounded tablespoons of batter onto prepared parchment paper, leaving two inches between each cookie. Shape gently into circles with your fingertips, and flatten slightly. Press extra chocolate pieces and dried marshmallow bits into the top if you want.

8. Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes for a cookie with crunchy edges. Bake for 8-9 minutes for a softer center and slight gooiness, more like a brownie.

9. Let the hot cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to finish cooling.

10. Store in an air-tight container.

Notes: This recipe makes around 50 cookies.

The marshmallow bits don't add a lot of flavor, so they can be easily left out of the recipe and replaced with more miniature marshmallows. They mostly add a lovely toasted marshmallow color to the top of the cookies.

These cookies are inspired by our Spicy Skeleton Cookies. Keep an eye out for that recipe this fall, just in time for Dia de Muertos and Halloween!

Give this decadent s'mores cookie recipe a try for National S'mores Day, and let us know what you think! Does it feed your campfire craving?

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For more grill tips and delicious summer recipes, check out these other posts:

Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate

Spicy 4th of July Recipes for Hot Sauce Lovers

Take Your Hot Sauce Camping

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