Snickerdoodle S’mores Cookies
These snickerdoodle s’mores cookies combine two of the best flavors – a soft and tender snickerdoodle cookie with a gooey and messy s’more. The base is a delicious snickerdoodle cookie dough which is then mixed with marshmallows and chocolate. Once scooped, each cookie is rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked to gooey perfection. The edges turn crispy and chewy and the center remains soft and melty. They have all the messy qualities of a s’more, wrapped up in a cinnamon sugar snickerdoodle!
Browning butter for snickerdoodle cookies
The recipe starts off with a delicious snickerdoodle cookie dough. To give it an extra layer of flavor, the butter is browned before it’s mixed into the dough. It helps add richness, depth, and is the perfect pairing to the sweet marshmallows and dark chocolate.
Usually when browning butter for cookies, you brown all of the butter at once and then wait around for it to cool. To speed up this process, we’re only browning HALF of the butter in this recipe. The hot butter is then poured over the remaining regular butter. Once the hot butter hits the cold butter, two things happen:
- The hot butter slowly melts the solid butter.
- The solid butter rapidly cools down the brown butter.
Because of this, we still get that rich brown butter flavor without having to wait 30 minutes to an hour for it to cool. And the cooling portion is crucial because if you mix sugar into hot butter, it will dissolve the sugar too rapidly and disrupt the texture of the cookie.
To learn more about brown butter and the browning process, see my post all about how to brown butter.
Tips for making snickerdoodle s’mores cookie dough
- Properly measure the flour – I say this in every post, and for good reason. It’s the number one reason why most recipes fail, especially for cookies. If there’s too much flour, the cookies will turn out dry and they will not spread. If you can, measure the flour with a food scale. Otherwise, to ensure you use the exact amount needed, gently spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level if off with a flat edge. If you scoop directly into the flour container, it packs it down into the cup which could leave you with 1/4 cup or more of added flour.
- Use room temperature eggs – This is very important, although it’s a step that often goes overlooked. If you mix cold eggs into the melted butter and sugar, it will rapidly chill the butter and create a thick dough. This consistency will prevent the cookies from spreading as they should. To quickly bring your eggs up to the right temperature, place the whole egg (in the shell) into a dish and fill it with hot water (not boiling hot, but hot from the tap). Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then your eggs should be ready to crack in to the dough.
- Don’t over mix – It’s very easy to over mix this dough as there is a ton of chocolate and marshmallows to distribute throughout it. To prevent this from happening, add in the chocolate and marshmallows just before the flour is fully combined. Then, fold in the mix ins just until they’re well distributed. Over mixing can lead to a tough cookie, so be careful during the last few steps in making this dough.
- Resist the urge to make smaller cookies – These cookies are scooped to 1/2 cup each, and this is purposeful. as it has to do with the balance of temperature and dough. With a larger cookie, it’s more difficult for the oven to heat the center. Because of this, the edges begin to golden and crisp up while the center remains soft and doughy. With smaller cookies, this balance is disrupted and it’s much more difficult to achieve that same texture.
- Shaping your cookies – The shape of the cookie dough also plays a big role in how the cookies spread. These s’mores cookies are shaped into a tall cookie dough ball. Since the cookies are riddled with marshmallows, these will melt and force the cookies to spread rapidly. To fight against this spread, the cookies are baked big and tall which allows the heat of the oven to slowly hit the center of the cookie, slowing down that baking and spreading process.
Baking snickerdoodle s’mores cookies
You’ll notice that the dough chills for 1 hour before baking, and then chills again once scooped. Because the dough is made with melted butter, it’s important to allow the dough to chill so that the butter can solidify again. This allows the cookies to slowly spread in the oven, giving you a thick center and chewy edges.
When baking, only place about 5 cookies on a large baking sheet. Make sure they’re well spaced out as they spread quite a bit.
The key to achieving that perfectly melty center is by slightly under baking the cookie. You know they’re ready when the edges look wrinkled and golden and the center looks pale, puffed, and slightly underdone. As the cookies cool, the center will slowly settle and flatten.
Right when you pull the cookies from the oven, assess the edges. The marshmallows may misshape some of the cookies, so use a fork to nudge in any melted sides. Then let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. During this time, the cookies settle and become much easier to move. Because they’re loaded with marshmallows, some cookies may stick to the paper. By allowing the cookies to rest, you’re able to wiggle to cookies loose without breaking them apart.
When to serve s’mores cookies
This all depends on your preference. If you like a really melty cookie, eat these while they’re still warm. If you like a more firm but doughy center, eat at room temperature.
Can I chill the dough overnight?
Yes, but you will still need to chill the dough in the bowl for 1 hour. Then, scoop and coat the dough balls and chill overnight. If you chill the bowl of dough overnight, it will be difficult to scoop it out the next day. When baking the overnight dough, the cookies may not spread as much. To help, wack the baking pan against your counter right when you take the cookies out of the oven. This will compress the cookies to flatten out the tops.
How to store s’mores cookies
These cookies hold up well when stored, so keep them in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The snickerdoodle cookie is soft and tender, so these will not dry up as fast as other cookies.
For more s’mores dessert recipes, check out my:
- No Bake S’mores Cheesecake
- Toasted S’mores Cupcakes
- Snickerdoodle S’mores Puff Pastry Pop Tarts
- Golden Grahams S’mores Bars
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram and leave a review below if you make these Snickerdoodle S’mores Cookies. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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Snickerdoodle S’mores Cookies
- Total Time: 35 minutes + 1 hour chilling
- Yield: 11 large cookies
Description
Soft and tender snickerdoodle cookies are baked with chocolate and marshmallows.
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle S’mores Cookies
- 1 cup (220g) unsalted butter, half browned
- 1 cup (210g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups (380g) all purpose flour *see notes for GF option
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 1/4 cup (200g) dark chocolate chips
Coating
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Slice 1/2 cup of butter and place it into your mixing bowl (either using a regular bowl or stand mixer). Add the other 1/2 cup of butter to a saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to melt down and bubble. After a few minutes, the noisy bubbling will turn to a quiet foam. Once this happens, continue stirring until the butter turns a rich amber color and gives off a nutty aroma.
- Pour the hot browned butter over the regular butter in the mixing bowl. Make sure to scrape in the brown bits at the bottom of the pot. Stir to help coat the regular butter in the brown butter.
- As that’s melting, combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Once the butter has cooled and completely melted, add the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk either by hand, or use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. Mix for 2-3 minutes.
- Once combined, mix in the maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture turns pale.
- Scrape down the bowl and mix again.
- Now pour in the dry ingredients and mix to combine. If mixing by hand, fold in the dry ingredients using a rubber spatula.
- Add the marshmallows and chocolate and fold to distribute. If you’re using a stand mixer, remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in by hand using a rubber spatula.
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator uncovered and allow it to chill for 1 hour.
- After the hour, scoop out the cookie dough using a 1/2 measuring cup (making large cookies). Roll each cookie in the cinnamon sugar coating and form into a tall cookie dough ball (see pictures in post for reference). Place the cookie dough balls on a tray lined with wax or parchment paper.
- Place the cookies into the refrigerator while you preheat the oven to 350F.
- Once preheated, place 5 cookies on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden and the center is pale and puffed.
- Some of the cookies may lose their shape due to the marshmallows melting. If this happens, nudge the sides back into place using a fork. Do so right when you pull the cookies from the oven.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. The marshmallows may make a couple of the cookies stick to the paper. If that’s the case, just slowly and carefully run your spatula all around and underneath the cookie until it pops loose.
- If you like a really gooey and melty center, eat when warm. If you like a more firm and doughy center, eat at room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
GLUTEN FREE – I have not personally tested it, but I’ve had readers make this gluten free and it worked out great! I suggest swapping the flour with a good quality gluten free baking flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour. I also suggest weighing the flour instead of measuring by cups, to ensure accuracy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 1 hour chilling
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Meet Jenna
I’m the creator, baker, and photographer behind Butternut Bakery. Here I share desserts for every diet because I believe everyone should have a chance to indulge!
I doubled this recipe to take to a party and none were left at the end of the night! Many people came up and told me they were the best cookies they have ever had. Any time I want to bake something new I find myself coming to your recipes. I have never made a recipe that I didn’t love!
Gooey is right! Holy, these are so good. I’m not normally a s’mores person but this recipe kept grabbing my attention so I tried it and they were a hittttt.
Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Let me just say I made these cookies and girl I love you , I’ve made many things but this is my first cookie, and everyone loves them, thank you so very much , I tag you on Instagram love. OMG!!
I LOVE these cookie, but they came out pretty dense and never flattened out. Not sure what I did differently. They’re still delicious and a huge hit but I wish they looked more like the photos
Can you freeze the dough?
Made these this evening and I’m lost for words!! Soft, chewy, sweet, these were stunning!! Also used vegan marshmallows instead!! Thanks, Jenna.
My cousins requested that I make something either s’mores related or snickerdoodles for a family party tomorrow. I was so excited when this recipe came up because it combines both requests! Now the issue is that there are a lot of different allergies in my family and I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy them. So I used a vegan butter, applesauce replaced the eggs, my favorite gluten free baking flour, and Dairy free chocolate chips to account for allergies to milk, eggs, and gluten. I just pulled them out of the oven and I’m honestly not sure that these cookies are going to make it to the party. My husband and I might just eat them all before we get there. They are so good!
i made these and they are very nice and soft!!
Delicious!! Followed the recipe exactly. Definitely going to make again and again. Thank you!
These are excellent. They may be my go-to chocolate chip cookies from now on. During baking, the marshmallows on the edge of the cookies melted and caramelised, giving them a little caramel crust. The touch of cinnamon adds an extra warmth and the interior remains melty and gooey long after the cookies have cooled.
Changes I made – I topped the cookies with some sea salt and I used chocolate chunks instead of chips. Based on the photos, it looks like Jenna used chocolate wafers, which I think would elevate them even further.
I will definitely be making these all the time. Thank you!