Shall we begin Monday with s’mores cupcakes? I think so.
How was your weekend? Mine was SO PRODUCTIVE with bits of fun thrown in! I’m bulking up on blog recipes for when I’m out of town like all of July so I will still have things to post about. I made and photographed six recipes for the blog this weekend (and posted a few sneak peaks on Instagram). I also deep cleaned our house (at like 10pm on Saturday because I’m loser and crazy person), did laundry, fixed some back end blog stuff, ran outside, hiked with Montana, attended a friend’s wedding shower, visited the peony garden at The Arb plus went to Taste of Ann Arbor with friends! Fabulous weekend if I do say so myself!
I’ve been slightly s’mores obsessed lately… have you noticed?? I think it’s because I can feeeeeeeeeeel summer. It’s almost here and I’m SO READY FOR IT.
In my opinion, s’mores are the quintessential summer dessert. Well, s’mores and fruit pie, ice cream, and popsicles… Ice cream and popsicles are on the horizon. And I’m sure I’ll make a pie for here sooner or later but for now we have s’mores cupcakes with toasted meringue frosting. OMG.
These s’mores cupcakes start with a moist vanilla graham cracker cupcake that’s injected with dark chocolate ganache then topped with meringue which we toast using a kitchen torch to look pretty and smell like a campfire… without a real campfire 😉 Sounds amazing right?! It is. Trust me.
So how’s your spring going?! Our has been bonkers but I’m super happy it’s June. April and May were crazy for us with work travels and our July and August are nuts with vacations, weddings, and work trips but June… June is less busy (still busy, just less busy lol) which will give us a chance to finish some landscaping, build Tom’s hops garden, and hopefully relax some?! Though, I swear I’m going to blink and it’s going to be September… I need to remember to savor sweet Spring and Summer. Being so busy is stressful but it’s full of fun so I need to enjoy the moment!
Speaking of savoring the moment… I recommend eating these cupcakes slowly, to savor their toasted-summery-gooey-goodness! Ready for the recipe? I figured. LET’S GO:
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 oz dark chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 large egg whites
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place cupcake liners in a standard 12-cup tin.
- Make the cupcakes: In a medium bowl, combine flour, graham crumbs, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt, and ground cinnamon then mix until well combined. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes on medium). Next, add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each egg. Add in the dry ingredients and buttermilk then mix until well combined. Divide batter between lined cups (filling each about 3/4ths full). Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let cool completely!
- Once cupcakes are completely cool, use a melon baller or paring knife to remove a small chunk of cupcake from the center of each cupcake, making a small hole for the chocolate filling to fill.
- Make the chocolate filling: Place dark chocolate chips and sea salt in small bowl. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, heat heavy cream until simmering. Remove from heat then pour the simmering cream over chocolate chips and let stand for five minutes then stir until smooth using a rubber spatula. Cool this chocolate ganache in the freezer for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure it doesn't harden too much. Once cool, transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a 1/4-1/2 inch tip (or a plastic bag with the corner snipped off). Pipe a small amount of dark chocolate ganache into the hole of each cupcake.
- Make the meringue frosting: Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl and place this over a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves and egg whites are slightly warm (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl from simmering water and transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add vanilla then beat the mixture on low, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form (about 4 to 7 minutes). Transfer meringue frosting to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-1/2 inch tip then pipe frosting on to each cupcake (making sure to cover the hole filled with chocolate). Use a kitchen torch to lightly toast the frosting!
- EAT EAT EAT.
Notes
Total time includes 30 minutes of cooling time for the cupcakes.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag a photo #appetitesanonymous on instagram!! I’d love to see your s’mores cupcakes in action. Peace, friends!
– a
Karly
How PERFECT are these!? Two of my favorite treats combined. Definitely need to try these soon!
Adrienne
AHH thanks!! Soooo perfect and delicious!! Let me know what you think when you make them 🙂
Whoa! These are so gorgeous! I love that you use graham crackers on the cupcakes – brilliant idea! Yay! I am so excited to make these! Thanks for sharing!
Love,
Jhuls
https://thenotsocreativecook.wordpress.com/
OMG thanks so much for your kind words!! So happy you’re going to make them! I hope you love them just as much as I do 🙂
Is there anything better than s’more? Well yes, s’mores cupcakes! These look delish. I just made a s’mores inspired dish recently myself.
S’mores are THE BEST. And thank you!!! What was your s’mores inspired dish?? 🙂