This chocolate chip marshmallow cookies recipe takes all three classic s'mores ingredients you love (even those toasted marshmallows!), and packs them all into one easy to make chocolate chip cookie for the perfect s'mores bite - no campfire required!
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The Classic S'mores Trio
I know it's hard to imagine a chocolate chip cookie can get even better. But...throw some marshmallows and some graham cracker crumbs in there and I have to argue, you've done it!
Now, I think we all know the basic s'mores ingredients - chocolate, graham crackers, and, of course, marshmallows!
But the trick with any s'mores-inspired treat is making sure all those s'mores ingredients in this tasty trio are fully represented in your final product - and that's exactly what this recipe does. So let's see how!
Why This Recipe Leads to Sweet Success
There are a few things I included in this recipe to make sure it will be a deliciously sweet success.
- Marshmallow Prep Perfected: make sure you follow the instructions for the marshmallow prep fully. Even though it's a little more work, it'll give you a much better s'mores flavor with those "toasted" notes and the marshmallows also stay much more intact following this recipe's prep method including a "dry out" of the marshmallows as well.
- The Graham-iest of Cookies: To get that true graham cracker flavor throughout the cookies, I decided instead of just using graham cracker pieces, we'd make our own fresh graham cracker crumbs and substitute them for some of the flour in the starting recipe. Needless to say, the result was delicious!
- Underbaked is Better: for these cookies, I stiffened the dough up enough that is stays together well despite the usual "pancaking "tendencies that marshmallow cookie doughs have. This means you can bake the cookies just enough to set and caramelized the edges while still having a nice chewy center that brings the true campfire s'mores texture to these cookies.
Ingredient Lessons for Better Baking
(Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)
- Mini marshmallows: the marshmallows are obviously a vital ingredient in our chocolate chip marshmallow cookies here, so we want to make sure they really shine. To do this, we need to dry them out (at least overnight) to help them form a skin that prevents excessive melting during toasting. The toasting step not only adds that campfire flavor we definitely want in our cookies, but also prevents them from totally melting in the dough later in the bake.
- Brown + granulated sugar: for this recipe you want to use a brown and white sugar blend. The brown sugar can provide some caramel notes and chewiness, while the white sugar helps to bring a crispy edge to this tasty treats as well.
- Homemade Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crumbs: while you can certainly use store-bought graham cracker crumbs for this recipe in a pinch, I really preferred the extra flavor and freshness of making graham cracker crumbs at home. It's a quick and easy step that is well worth the pay-off, so I highly recommend giving the homemade crumbs a try!
- Milk or dark chocolate? That is the ultimate questions: I prefer dark chocolate chips in this recipe due to the the sweet marshmallow inclusions, and the higher the quality, the better in my book. That said, these are s'mores cookies, and if Nestle’s semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips are what you know and love in your classic s'mores sandwiches, feel free to use those instead!
Special Equipment You'll Need
A food processor can be helpful for making the homemade graham cracker crumbs, but is definitely not required.
How to Make These Marshmallow Cookies
(Pssst…if you're ready to just get baking, get all the details in the recipe card below!)
- Dry out marshmallows the night before you bake (or for longer).
- Toast marshmallows and make graham cracker crumbs. (Don't walk away from the oven here - they go fast and can start smoking a lot if left in too long!)
- Preheat your oven and line two baking sheets.
- Cream the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
- Combine all the dry ingredients.
- Mix the dry mixture and the egg into your butter mixture.
- Stir in chocolate chips and toasted marshmallows.
- Scoop your cookies and tray them up.
- Garnish with a chocolate chip and graham crumbs if you like.
- Bake until brown and toasted.
- Knock the tray of baked cookies on the counter right after removing from the oven. (This helps to give a nice crackly top!)
- Cool for as long as you can resist the scent of freshly baked cookies, then share and enjoy these s'mores-tastic cookies!
Check out the full RECIPE WEB STORY for a click-through tutorial!
Tips + FAQs
How do you store these cookies?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week (not that they ever last anywhere near that long in my household *heheh)
What substitutions can you make?
You can feel free to swap out the dark chocolate chips for a milk or semi-sweet chocolate chip/chunk of your choice. You can also use store-bought graham cracker crumbs for a quicker prep.
Could you use plain or chocolate graham crackers for the homemade crumbs?
You absolutely could, but I loved the extra flavor from the cinnamon graham crackers and the chocolate graham crackers unfortunately don't translate their flavor terribly well.
For a deliciously chewy chocolate cookie base, I highly recommend checking out my Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe which you could even add some toasted marshmallows to if you like!
Other Recipes Fans of These Cookies Will Love
Here are a few of my other favorite soft and chewy cookie recipes:
- Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies (bakery style!)
- Classic Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Double Biscoff Butter Cookies
- Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- Easy Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies (without baking powder!)
⭐ If you gave this recipe a try please give it a ⭐ rating and tag me on Instagram @mint.and.mallow.kitchen so I can see what you're baking up! ⭐
📖 Full Recipe
Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies (aka S'mores Cookies!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup mini marshmallows
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup homemade cinnamon graham cracker crumbs (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips, pistoles, or chopped chocolate bars (see notes)
- 2-3 tablespoons extra graham cracker crumbs for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Dry out marshmallows: *THE NIGHT BEFORE BAKING* spread out marshmallow on a plate and leave on the counter overnight to allow them to dry out (even a few days drying out is fine). This prevents excessive melting during the toasting and baking phases.
- Toast marshmallows: spread mini marshmallows on a clean baking sheet (do not grease or line). Set oven to broil on low, place an oven rack in the top third of the oven, and place marshmallow under the broiler. Watch until well toasted, about 1-2 minutes (DON'T WALK AWAY from the oven as these little guys will go quickly!). As soon as they reach a medium brown toasting on top, remove them from the oven and set aside while you start mixing the dough (they may smoke a little bit too so it's helpful to have your stovetop fan on for this step).
- Prep and line: once marshmallows are done, preheat your oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter, sugars, and extract: cream butter, both sugars, and the vanilla extract using a hand or stand mixer for 2-3 minutes on medium-high until light and fluffy.
- Combine dries: stir together the flour, graham cracker crumbs (see notes for how to make them), baking soda and salt until well combined.
- Add dries and egg to mix: add the egg and your dry ingredient blend to the butter mixture and mix on low just until combined.
- Add chocolate chips and marshmallows: add in the chocolate and toasted marshmallows all at once (it's okay if they're still a little warm), and stir in by hand or on low just until the pieces are evenly distributed throughout the dough (please note, this dough is fairly dry and stiff, so mixing by hand may be the best way to go as mixers can struggle with it).
- Scoop and tray: scoop dough into rounds using a scant ¼ cup of dough per cookie (an ice-cream scoop works well here for easy portioning!), and place on prepared baking sheets at least 2” apart. For an extra hand-made touch, gently press a chocolate chip into the top of each dough ball, then sprinkle with a teaspoon or so of graham crumbs.
- Bake: bake for 8-10 minutes, just until there’s a golden-brown ring around the edges, but the centers are still paler.
- Knock ‘em down: as soon as you take the cookies out of the oven, knock the tray firmly on the counter or hit it a few times from underneath (this helps to settle the molten batter while it’s still all gooey and give you a nice crackly top).
- Cool, share and enjoy: cool cookies as long as you can keep away from them (which isn't long when gooey marshmallows and molten chocolate are involved), then share them with everyone and anyone for a true s'mores experience - no campfire needed!
Test Kitchen Tips
- Homemade Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crumbs: To make homemade cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, simply break up cinnamon and sugar graham crackers into a food processor (8 full crackers is a good amount for this recipe), and pulse until crackers are fully pulverized into crumbs. You can also place cracker pieces into a ziplock bag that you then place in another ziplock (to keep things clean!) and crush the crackers into crumbs using a rolling pin, or even just your hands.
- Store-bought Graham Cracker Crumbs: while you can use store-bought crumbs for this recipe in a pinch, we really preferred the extra flavor and freshness of making graham cracker crumbs at home. It's a quick and easy step that is well worth the pay-off, but you can definitely substitute pre-made graham crumbs if needed!
- Milk or dark chocolate? That is the ultimate questions: I prefer dark chocolate chips in this recipe due to the the sweet marshmallow inclusions, and the higher the quality, the better in my book. That said, these are s'mores cookies and if Nestle’s semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips are what you know and love in your classic s'mores sandwiches, feel free to use those instead!
Sandy says
How do you make home made graham crackers?
Jocelyn at M+M says
Homemade graham crackers are a trick one, Sandy! I've tried a number of times over the years to make them at home and have never loved the results if I'm being honest. You'll want to use whole grain pastry flour (aka graham flour) and if you're looking for a recipe to start, I don't have one myself but, I'd check out this recipe on King Arthur's site. I haven't tried this one myself, but their recipes are usually pretty reliable. Hope that helps and happy baking!