Recipe

Get Your S’mores Fix With These Spiced and Spiked Cupcakes

By Caroline Benson at Texas A&M University

S’mores – an American classic. We long for the addicting trifecta of gooey marshmallows, rich chocolate, and crispy, golden graham crackers that leaves its evidence on our hands.

These cupcakes are guaranteed to up your s’mores game and satisfy your craving with a unique twist. Plus, booze.

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Servings: Yields about 2 cups
  • Medium
Ingredients
  • 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 16 oz heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoon amaretto
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Photo by Caroline Benson

Step 1

Pour the entire bag of chocolate chips into a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Step 2

Add heavy cream into a sauce pan on the stove. Heat heavy cream just until it begins to boil.

Step 3

Add the hot heavy cream straight into the bowl of chocolate chips. Let the cream sit in the bowl for five minutes.

Step 4

Stir and fold the chocolate chips into the heavy cream. Add three tablespoons of amaretto and a teaspoon of cinnamon.

#SpoonTip: Any liquor flavors this frosting well when added to the hot heavy cream. Other liquors that pair well with chocolate are Bailey’s, RumChata, and cognac.

Step 5

Beat the ingredients with a hand mixer until the mixture is frothy.

Step 6

Place the bowl into the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes or until the ganache has thickened. Set aside.

 

Photo by Caroline Benson

Marshmallow Filling

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Servings: Yields about 2 cups
  • Easy
Ingredients
  • 1 jar marshmallow fluff
  • 8 oz mascarpone
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 tablespoon amaretto

Step 1

Add the marshmallow fluff, mascarpone, teaspoon of vanilla, and half a tablespoon of amaretto into a bowl.

#SpoonTip: If you use Mexican vanilla instead of imitation vanilla, the vanilla flavor will remain instead of being baked out.

Step 2

Fold the ingredients together with a spatula.

Step 3

Place in the refrigerator to set.

Photo by Caroline Benson

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Prep Time: 3 minutes
  • Cook Time: 2 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Servings: Yields about 1 cup
  • Easy
Ingredients
  • 16 Biscoff cookies
  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 10 tablespoon butter

Step 1

Put the Biscoff cookies in a gallon Ziploc bag, seal, and crush cookies crumbs with a rolling pin or wine bottle.

Step 2

Add Biscoff crumbs into a bowl with the graham cracker crumbs.

Step 3

Add salt and sugar.

Step 4

Melt all 10 tablespoons of butter on the stove.

Step 5

Pour melted butter into the graham cracker crust mixture. Combine evenly.

Photo by Caroline Benson

Cupcake Batter

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Servings: Yields enough batter for about 24 cupcakes
  • Medium
Ingredients
  • 1 box Devil's Food cake mix
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon amaretto
  • 1/2 cup brewed coffee (room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoon mayonnaise

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Step 2

Combine cake mix and cinnamon in a bowl.

Step 3

Take a fork and smooth out all of the lumps.

Step 4

Add a teaspoon of vanilla, a tablespoon of amaretto, coffee, water, eggs, and mayonnaise. Mix with a hand mixer until desired consistency is reached.

#SpoonTip: For a more rich or creamier batter, add more mayonnaise or substitute the coffee and/or water with whole milk or buttermilk.

Step 5

Set batter aside to begin assembly process.

Assembly Process

  • Prep Time: 20-30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 20-30 minutes
  • Servings: Yields about 24 cupcakes
  • Advanced
Ingredients
  • 2 cup chocolate ganache frosting
  • 2 cup marshmallow filling
  • 1 cup graham cracker crust mixture
  • 1 bag mini marshmallows

Step 1

Add paper or silicone cups to cupcake trays. Add about a tablespoon of cookie crumb mixture to the bottom of each cup.

Step 2

Add as many marshmallows as desired on top of the cookie crumb mixture.

#SpoonTip: For a soft or more gooey cupcake interior, add four or more marshmallows.

Photo by Caroline Benson

Step 3

Add cupcake batter into the cups on top of the marshmallows and graham cracker crust mixture.

#SpoonTip: By using an ice cream scooper to measure your cupcake batter, you will get the perfect amount of batter with less of a mess.

Photo by Caroline Benson

Step 4

Bake cupcakes for 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely.

Photo by Caroline Benson

Step 5

Take the chocolate ganache frosting and marshmallow filling out of the refrigerator until they reach room temperature.

Step 6

Put marshmallow filling into a piping bag or a plastic baggie with one corner cut off.

To fill the cupcake, twist the piping bag at the top mark of the filling. Grab the piping bag at this twist. Push the tip of the piping bag about halfway into the cupcake and squeeze the filling into the cupcake until it reaches the top of the created hole.

Photo by Caroline Benson

Step 7

Frost the cupcakes with a silicone spatula and top with remaining graham cracker crust mixture and a marshmallow

Photo by Caroline Benson

Check out these other s’mores twists: