Brown butter s'mores cookies

A couple of years ago, I was unsure if I wanted to bake anything for the 4th of July holiday and had been toying with the idea of a s'mores cookie but couldn't narrow down quite how I wanted the cookie to taste. And then it hit me - brown butter would be the perfect partner! I based this recipe off of my graham chocolate chip cookie recipe, and was so excited to bring a twist to it for the summer.

When you make these cookies, you'll have two options for chill time - you'll get different results depending on what you pick, and both are delicious. The photo of the two cookies is the result baked after freezing the scooped dough for just a couple of hours and then baking (the lighter cookie on the left) and then an overnight freeze before baking (the more golden cookie on the right). The version that was chilled longer is my preference, with a crisp edge and soft, chewy center. The version that was chilled for a shorter time though was also delicious, and led to a softer less golden cookie that was still a crowd pleaser. I'll provide instructions for both options in the full recipe - but just know that you can't go wrong either way!

Similar to my graham chocolate chip cookies, I incorporated crushed graham crackers into the dry ingredients in this recipe. I also added in brown butter which adds such a nice nutty flavor to the end product and folded into the dough are mini marshmallows and chopped semisweet chocolate. I am not typically a big marshmallow fan, but when I took my recipe development course led by Christina Tosi, we made her famous cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookies, and I loved the texture and interest that the mini marshmallows added! The marshmallows can lead to some oddly shaped cookies, so I do like to have a round object on hand (a small bowl or a biscuit cutter) to circle around my cookies when they come out of the oven to help with their shape.

I am typically a milk chocolate gal, but I found semisweet Guittard chocolate bars at our grocery store (we had just moved when I first baked these, so I was having a lot of fun exploring the store nearby) and I had a feeling that they would be the perfect addition to a s'mores cookie to counterbalance the sweetness of the marshmallows. That said, milk chocolate or really any chopped chocolate would work great in this recipe, but if you find the Guittard semisweet chocolate bars, or any other semisweet chocolate of your choice, it's the perfect fit in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (half cup) unsalted butter 113g

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 96g

• 1/4 cup brown sugar 48g

• 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup all purpose flour 120g

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 4 sheets crushed graham cracker (about 2/3 cup) 62g

• 4 oz chopped semisweet chocolate (I used this chocolate)

• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows 23g

Prep time: About 30 minutes

Chill time: 3 hours (or overnight freeze is recommended)

Bake time: 14-17 minutes

Cooking instructions:

Brown your butter. Place your butter in a pot or pan (I recommend using a nonstick heavy bottomed pot) on the stovetop on a low to medium heat. After it melts, you'll hear it begin to crackle. Stir the melted butter and watch it carefully as it can burn easily. You'll start to smell a nutty aroma (you'll know it when it happens). Once you see the color turn to a light brown or amber, remove your pan from the heat and transfer your butter and all of the brown bits at the bottom into a small, heat proof bowl. Place in the fridge to cool. You don't need it to solidify, but you'll want it to cool off a bit.

Next, prep your graham cracker. You can place all four sheets into a plastic bag and use the flat side of a meat tenderizer to crush your graham - you can also use the back of a flat pan, or a food processor if you'd like. For your semisweet chocolate bar, use a sharp knife to chop your chocolate down so that it's to your desired size. Set both ingredients aside.

In a large bowl, place your slightly cooled off butter, oil, and both sugars. Use a spatula or large spoon to fully combine. Next, add in your egg, additional yolk, and vanilla extract into the bowl and stir to combine completely.

Measure out and add your dry ingredients - flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and crushed graham cracker. Add your dry ingredients into your wet mixture, and use a spatula or small spoon to fold your dry ingredients in. You don't want to over mix so be sure to move slow and steady at this stage.

If you'd like to, at this point you can reserve a small amount of your chocolate to top your dough with. Then, add in your chopped semisweet chocolate and a half cup of mini marshmallows to your batter. Continue to mix with your spatula or large spoon until your chocolate and marshmallows are evenly distributed.

Onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, use a large cookie scoop (or large spoon) to portion out your dough. This should make 12 cookies, each about 3 tablespoons big. If you reserved some chocolate, place it on top of your scooped dough and then gently press down to slightly flatten your dough balls using the palm of your hand. Place your cookie dough into your freezer. Note: I highly recommend freezing your dough for at least 3 hours before baking, but overnight is even better. If you chill for just a few hours, the result will be a softer cookie with less golden coloring. If you chill for at least 6 hours or overnight, it will result in a more golden cookie with a slight crisp around the edges and a soft, chewy center - both are delicious!

Whenever you're ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. If you want to bake all of your cookies, grab another cookie sheet and ensure your cookies are spaced out enough. If you've chilled for just a few hours, bake the dough for 14-16 minutes. If you've chilled for a minimum of 6 hours in the freezer, I recommend adding a minute and baking for 15-17 minutes.

Note: Right when you remove them from the oven, I recommend gently shaping (or "scooting") your cookies using a round cookie cutter or bowl slightly larger than the size of your cookie - these cookies sometimes lose their shape because of the marshmallows, so if you want a perfectly round cookie this is the way to go.

Allow the cookies to cool, and then enjoy!

If you saved some of your dough for later, allow it to freeze for a total of 12-24 hours on your baking sheet, then transfer your dough to a plastic bag or airtight container and store in the freezer. Bake at 325 for 15-17 minutes and enjoy!

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 12 cookies

Carbs per serving: 31

Carbs in full recipe: 372

Carbs in full recipe from chocolate: 56

Carbs in full recipe from marshmallows: 18

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.