S’mores Cupcakes in Vermont

 

10.18.18

This might be the first time I’ve made an improved version of something already on the blog!  I present to you, the new S’mores Cupcakes! I can’t believe this hasn’t happened yet, but in the grand scheme of things, I haven’t been doing this very long, so it makes sense.  Looking back in the archives, it’s exciting to see how things have changed since this cupcakes first iteration, and how my imagination continues to grow, and how I’ve learned so many techniques since then.

Recently, these cupcakes have been my birthday celebration go-to.  Once I had the concept in my head, I couldn’t wait for the chance to make them. They’re perfectly moist, with some graham cracker thrown into the cupcake itself, topped with torched marshmallow frosting, chocolate and a sprinkle of graham cracker to top it off. A campfire treat in your mouth, except without actual fire in your mouth because that would be terrifying.

I was so excited to bring these up to Vermont to celebrate my friend, Ashley’s, birthday.  Her and her fiance (and former amazing roommate of mine) recently moved up to The Green Mountain State and now operate a stunning B&B, Kesin Gardens.  Over the weekend we enjoyed a fire pit and a breathtaking hike up Mount Philo to look out at the patchwork of autumn trees below. We really lived our bougey lives with a cheese plate and a little wine once we reached the lookout point, it was magical.  It was a great opportunity to get out of the city and see SO MANY STARS and mountains. It was also wonderful to be around good friends, friends who love to just enjoy each others company, talk until the wee hours, and make an epic home-cooked meal together full of grilled steaks and roasted veggies (and plenty of wine of course). It really was perfect. And don’t get me started on the leaves.  It looked like a movie, it was peak leaf turning time and we were not disappointed.  I was very grateful and full of love as we left all too soon.

If you need a get away and you live in the Northeast, I cannot recommend heading to stay at Kesin Gardens enough. It was truly a rural paradise full of land, good food and the quiet you need to hit your restart button. Not to mention Ashley and Jeff are outrageously generous hosts.  If you’re feeling inspired, you can even make these cupcakes in their giant kitchen that overlooks more land than your brain can even comprehend. 

(I threw in a couple pictures from our hike up Mount Philo in Vermont for good measure)

S’Mores Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup graham crackers + 2 tbsp, pulverized into crumbs
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk

For the Frosting*

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• pinch of cream of tartar
• pinch of salt

For the Chocolate Dip

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips, or chunks roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp canola oil

Instructions

For the Cupcakes

• Line muffin tin with cupcake liners and preheat oven to 350
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cornstarch and cinnamon, set aside
• In a small bowl whisk together sour cream and milk, set aside
• Beat eggs in stand up mixer with paddle attachment for 1-2 minutes, until eggs begin to get foamy
• Slowly pour in sugar and allow to combine, mixture will begin to thicken
• One by one add in vanilla, oil and milk mixture, it will be very soupy
• On low speed, add in dry mixture about 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down sides as needed, allow to just combine
• Pour batter 3/4 full into each liner and bake for 17-20 minutes, until slightly golden and springy when lightly touched
• Allow to cool completely before frosting

For the Frosting

• Whisk together all ingredients until combined in the bowl of a stand up mixer
• Bring 1″ of water in medium saucepan to a simmer, place bowl over water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water
• Continue to whisk until mixtures reaches 120 degrees (this should take about 3 minutes)
• Take bowl off of saucepan and beat with whisk attachment of stand mixer until stiff peaks form. It will be glossy and hold it’s shape
• Transfer frosting to piping back and pipe onto tops of cupcakes
• Take a small torch and scorch half of each topping of frosting
• Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes

For the Chocolate Dip

• In a heat proof bowl, stir together chocolate and oil, microwaving in short bursts about 20 seconds at a time, stirring in between until fully melted
• Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, remove cupcakes from freezer and dip the half that isn’t torched into the chocolate
• Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker crumbs into chocolate and allow chocolate to set, in fridge if it’s warm in your kitchen, or just on a wire rack if it’s cold-room temp in your kitchen

P.S.

*The picture shown: The first time I made these I made a double batch of frosting and piped some extra into the center of the cupcakes by cutting out the middle and replacing the tops before frosting. The second time I made these I cut the frosting recipe in half (the version written above), leaving me just enough to frost the cupcakes, with no extra for the cupcake filling