All hail the most epic bake for the summer (so far): these gluten free s’mores cookies!! S’mores aren’t big in the UK, but they’re a huge nostalgic treat for those of us from the States, so baking anything s’mores related is always fun. For those of you new to s’mores, they’re essentially a sticky, sweet, super indulgent summer dessert composed of a sort of sandwich of graham crackers (sort of similar to digestive biscuits in the UK but better), filled with a piece of milk chocolate and a toasted marshmallow! The classic s’mores are made around a campfire while camping during the summer, and a s’mores session always ends with impossibly sticky fingers. If you’ve never had s’mores, I highly recommend trying the original and then making a batch of these gluten free s’mores cookies that are suuuuuper rich, fudgy, and packed with pieces of graham crackers, mini marshmallows, a crazy big marshmallow center, and chunks of milk chocolate!
Tips for the richest gluten free s’mores cookies!
- Cream the butter + sugars for at LEAST a few minutes. It’s wild how important this step is and how much your butter and sugar will transform after beating it with an electric mixer for minutes and minutes. It’ll change color (become much lighter), look actually creamy (hence the term), and be a bit fluffy. That’s what you’re going for!
- Use DUTCHED cocoa powder in addition to regular unsweetened cocoa powder! This means that the unsweetened cocoa has been processed with an alkalizing agent that results in a mellower, earthier (I think chocolatier) flavor, and it’s generally the cocoa I like using when baking. This will get you closer to that velvety, rich dark chocolate mouthfeel! My favorite brand is Droste dutched cocoa powder – it’s a bit tricky to find and I end up usually ordering it online, but it’s soooooo worth it!
- Chill that dough! I recommend at least 1. If you end up chilling it longer though, be sure to let it rest at room temp for about 45 minutes to an hour because it will be too cold/hard at that point and the cookie dough won’t spread as much.
- Don’t overbake those cookies! This is basically the biggest key to getting that chewy center: if you overbake, the center will be just like the edges, crispy and crunchy with no chew. You want the cookie dough to be still soft/look a bit underbaked (they’re safely baked, don’t worry) in the center and as the cookies cool, the center will settle into that glorious chewy bit.
- Let those cookies cool!! Because the key is to not bake them to a crisp/cakey disc, the center of your cookies will be very very soft until they cool and set, so let them hang out on the counter (I know, the temptation is real), for at least 15 minutes.
- Heighten the chocolate flavor with coffee! This is such a great tip for anything chocolatey that you’re baking. Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor (I don’t know the food science behind but it’s a thing lol) and adds an overall richness. It’s optional but highly highly recommended! You can add more instant coffee granules too if you want a bit more of a mocha taste!
- For perfectly round cookies, use a large round cookie cutter to carefully push the edges of the cookies into a circle RIGHT after they come out of the oven!
If you’re into chocolate like I am, here are some other epic treats! Dark chocolate raspberry cake, triple chocolate cake, chocolate pear muffins, chocolate peanut butter cookies, chocolate earl grey cake, chocolate raspberry cupcakes, double chocolate muffins, chocolate shortbread, black forest cake, or brownie + s’mores cupcakes!
Gluten Free S’mores Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie sheets
- Parchment paper
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
- 1 Cup softened salted butter 227g
- ½ Cup packed light brown sugar 112g
- 1 ⅓ Cup white sugar 310g
- 1 large eggs plus one egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 15ml
- 2 tsp instant coffee granules 10ml
- 1 ½ Cup gluten free 1-1 flour mix that contains xanthan gum 240g (if your mix does not contain xanthan gum, add 1/2 tsp now (1g))
- ½ Cup unsweetened dutched cocoa powder 58g
- ¼ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder 32g
- 1 tsp baking soda 8g
- ¾ tsp. Salt 4g
- 1 Cup milk chocolate chopped into ½ inch pieces, plus a few extra for the tops of the cookies 160-200g
- 1 ¼ Cup gluten free graham crackers chopped into ½ inch pieces 125g
- 10 large marshmallows each one cut in half
- 1 ½ cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the room temp butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until lighter and fluffy (3-5 minutes – don't skimp on this step!). Add in the egg plus egg yolk and beat until smooth. Then, in a small bowl, stir together the vanilla extract and the instant coffee granules until dissolved, then pour into the cookie dough and beat until combined. Add in the flour (and xanthan gum if needed), unsweetened dutched cocoa powder, regular unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and mix by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula until fully combined (it will be stiff). Finally, mix in 1 cup (160g) of the chopped milk chocolate, 1 cup (100g) of the chopped gluten free graham crackers, and 1 cup of mini marshmallows until they're fully distributed. Scoop dough into a smaller bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Once the cookie dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (180° C, no fan) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then start scooping out the cookie dough and rolling it into 2 inch round balls. Once rolled, flatten and place 1/2 of a large marshmallow in the center, then wrap the cookie dough around the marshmallow and roll back into a ball. Carefully press a few pieces of the extra chopped chocolate, graham cracker pieces, and mini marshmallows onto the top of the cookie dough ball, then place 2-3 balls on the cookie sheet (~4 inches apart) and bake for 10-12 minutes (I do exactly 11 – they should be slightly underdone!). Let cookies cool COMPLETELY before removing from the cookie sheet (15-20 minutes) – they will be chewy in the center and crispy on the edges! I use a large round cookie cutter to push the edges into a circle right after they come out of the oven as the cookies will spread in sometimes bizarre shapes!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cookies!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
