S’mores Cookies
By Joann MacDonald of Woman in Real Life
Any summer bucketlist worth its salt must include toasting marshmallows over a campfire. Additional points for turning those warm, gooey, slightly blackened marshmallows into classic s’mores - just sandwich them between two graham crackers and tuck in a square of your favorite chocolate bar.
Summer has its fair share of rainy days though. So what can you do if you’re craving s’mores but the weather isn’t cooperating? My vote is for baking up these delicious vegan s’mores cookies. These tasty dessert cookies boast the classic s’mores combo of marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate, with a convenient cookie twist.
This cookie recipe is fast and easy to make too, once you’ve got the ingredients together. To start, source vegan mini marshmallows (or cut up larger marshmallows) and graham crackers that are made without honey. I use a gluten-free graham cracker brand that also happens to be vegan. (Traditional marshmallows contain gelatin, which is made using animal parts.) Many dark chocolates do not contain dairy - just check the ingredients list to be sure.
Once you have assembled the ingredients, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Then cream together margarine and coconut sugar in a large bowl using a fork or a hand mixer. Add vanilla extract and a flax “egg” that you’ve made by combining ground flax and water.
Add dry ingredients to wet, stir or mix together and then fold in the fun ingredients - vegan mini marshmallows, dairy-free dark chocolate chunks and broken graham crackers. For the next part, it’s best to use your hands. Form small balls of cookie dough while pressing in stray bits of marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers. Never fear, the cookies will come together in the oven, trapping those adds-in effectively.
The coconut sugar creates a not-too-sweet cookie base that pairs nicely with the sweeter add-ins. If you like an even more decadent cookie though, opt for brown sugar. These cookies are sure to be consumed quickly, but not to worry, you’ll have leftover graham crackers and chocolate. Pick up some large vegan marshmallows while you’re buying mini marshmallows and you’ll be ready to make classic campfire s’mores when the weather is right.
In the meantime, bring those s’mores indoors!
Vegan S’mores Cookies
● 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
● 1 teaspoon baking powder
● ½ teaspoon baking soda
● ¼ teaspoon salt
● 1 teaspoon cornstarch
● ½ cup vegan margarine
● ¾ cup coconut sugar
● 1 tablespoon ground flax, mixed with 2 tablespoons water (allow to thicken for 5 minutes)
● 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
● 1/2 cup vegan mini marshmallows, cut in half
● ½ of a 90g dairy-free dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped
● 3 vegan graham crackers (about 16g per cracker), broken into bits
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
Cream together (by hand or with a hand mixer) the margarine and coconut sugar in a large bowl. Add the flax “egg” and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
Gradually add dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring by hand or mixing on low speed, until just combined.
Fold in mini marshmallows, chocolate chunks and graham cracker bits.
Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly with your fingers or the back of a spoon.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until cookies are golden on top. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
