Smores Cupcakes With Graham Cracker Crust Food

S'MORES CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and a line muffin tin with liners.
• Whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat together 1/4 cup of vegetable oil with the sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl about halfway through.
• Add about a third of the dry ingredients into the sugar and oil mixture and stir gently until almost combined. Add in half of the buttermilk and continue to stir just until combined. Stir in another third of the dry ingredients followed by the remaining buttermilk and finally the remaining dry ingredients. Stir in the boiling water.
• Whisk together the cocoa powder with the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium bowl. Scoop about 1 cup of the graham cracker cake batter into the cocoa mixture. Whisk to combine and set aside.
• Pour about 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker cake batter into each cupcake liner followed by 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter. Using a butter knife or skewer, swirl the batters together to achieve a marbled effect. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.
• For the marshmallow topping: Whisk together the egg whites, sugar and salt in a large metal or glass bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and place it over a saucepan containing about 2 centimeters (1 inch) of simmering water. Cook the egg whites, whisking frequently, until they reach 160 degrees F (72 degrees C), or until the mixture thins and you can no longer feel any sugar granules when you rub some between your fingers, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and whip the cooked meringue using a whisk attachment or hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 to 5 minutes. Whip in the vanilla extract then transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip or a large resealable bag with the corner cut off. Pipe large dollops of the topping onto each cupcake.
• Using a kitchen torch, toast the marshmallow meringue until golden brown. If you do not have a torch, you can place the cupcakes under the broiler for a minute or two until toasty. If desired, garnish with a piece of milk chocolate. Store the cupcakes in the fridge for up to 3 days, letting them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to soften up before eating.

SUPER S'MORES CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the graham cracker crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
• In a small bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar until well combined. Press a heaping tablespoon of the crust mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and bake until golden and just set, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• For the cupcakes: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the buttermilk, water and oil and whisk to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Let cool in the tins on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the tins and allow to cool completely.
• For the marshmallow frosting: Combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are warm and smooth to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on low speed, gradually increasing to medium and then finally up to high. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 7 to 10 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and whisk in the vanilla.
• Spread the frosting on the cupcakes. With a handheld pastry torch, lightly brown the frosting. Decorate each cupcake with a graham cracker piece and a shard of chocolate.

S'MORES CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter; mix well with a fork. Drop about 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down to line the bottom. (Note: I found the bottom of my squeeze bottle to be the perfect size to do this job neatly and quickly.) Sprinkle a small amount of the chopped chocolate on top of the graham cracker crusts. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and maintain the oven temperature.
• To make the cake batter, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed just to combine. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; whisk together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be thin).
• Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full. Return the pans to the oven and bake about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler. (Note: I just set my clean, dry mixer bowl over simmering water, to avoid dirtying two bowls.) Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in the vanilla until combined. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Brown with a kitchen torch and garnish with chocolate and graham cracker segments (optional).