These toasted s’mores cupcakes are a dream pairing of fluffy, toasted meringue, soft chocolate cupcake and perfectly baked graham crust!
S’mores are one of those special desserts that hold a special place in many peoples’ hearts. I do not think that I have ever met a person who did not like s’mores, like ever! When it comes to making s’mores at home, I like to get creative and dream up fun new ways to enjoy this classic treat. Since I was in the mood for cupcakes, I decided to go with making s’mores in cupcake form. Consisting of fluffy, toasted meringue topping, soft chocolate cupcake centers, and perfectly baked graham cracker crust base, these toasted s’mores cupcakes are legit good. All three components of these cupcakes pair so nicely together making for a fun and tasty treat!!
(NOTE: The full recipe with exact measurements is down at the bottom of this post in the recipe card!)
How to Make Toasted S’mores Cupcakes
Graham Cracker Crust
Key Ingredients
- Graham Cracker Crumbs
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsalted Butter – melted, cooled to room temperature
To Make Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat – oven to 350F (175C). Fill two cupcake baking pans with 14 cupcake liners.
- Mix – in a medium mixing bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Mix ingredients to combine.
- Pour – melted butter into bowl with graham cracker mixture and mix ingredients together with a fork until mixture resembles wet sand in appearance.
- Add – 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner. Use the back of a spoon or fingertips to flatten graham cracker mixture into cupcake liners.
- Bake – graham cracker crust for 6-8 minutes. Graham cracker crust are ready when it takes on a light golden brown color.
- Cool – graham cracker crust as the chocolate cupcake batter is prepared.
Chocolate Cupcakes
Key Ingredients
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg
- Sour Cream
- Strong Brewed Coffee
- Neutral Flavored Oil – i.e. avocado/vegetable oil
- Vanilla Extract
To Make Chocolate Cupcakes
- Whisk – in a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk ingredients together to combine.
- Mix – in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer and large bowl, add the oil and sugar. Mix ingredients together at medium high speed. Next, mix in the sour cream to combine.
- Beat – the egg into wet batter at medium high speed until fully incorporated, about 30-60 seconds.
- Mix – reduce mixer speed to low. In an alternating fashion, starting and ending with the dry ingredient, mix half of the dry ingredients into wet batter followed by the coffee and vanilla extract and ending with the remaining dry ingredients.
- Scrape – stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of the bowl to catch any unmixed ingredients. Resume mixing chocolate cupcake batter at medium speed for an additional 30-60 seconds. The resulting batter should be slightly thick and smooth.
- Scoop – chocolate cupcake batter onto cooled graham cracker crust.
- Bake – chocolate cupcake batter for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Cool – allow s’mores cupcakes to cool in pan for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling track to cool completely to room temperature.
Swiss Meringue
Key Ingredients
- Egg Whites
- Granulated Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
To Make Swiss Meringue
- Clean – thoroughly clean all kitchen tools (mixing bowl, whisk attachment of stand mixer and digital kitchen thermometer) that will be used for making the meringue ensuring there is no presence of residual grease.
- Whisk – in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Cook – egg white mixture over a double boiler/pot of simmering water while whisking consistently for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture registers 160 F (71C) on a digital kitchen thermometer and there is no presence of sugar granules in mixture. In the absence of a digital kitchen thermometer, you can tell when egg whites have been properly cooked by rubbing some of the mixture between your finger tips. If mixture is free of sugar granules, egg whites are ready to be whisked.
- Whisk – warm egg white mixture at high speed until the base of mixing bowl is cool to touch and meringue has reached stiff peak stage, 8-10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low and whisk in the vanilla extract into meringue. Stop mixer once vanilla extract has been fully incorporated into meringue.
Bring It All Together – Toasted S’mores Cupcakes
- Spoon – swiss meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with your preferred pastry tip. I used a Wilton 1M pastry tip.
- Pipe – swiss meringue over cooled cupcakes in a swirl pattern.
- Toast – using a kitchen torch, toast the entire surface of swiss meringue piping until it takes on a rich golden brown color.
- Sprinkle – the tops of cupcakes with graham cracker crumbs (optional) and serve.
How to Store Toasted S’mores Cupcakes
- Refrigeration – s’mores cupcakes stored in an airtight container will last/stay fresh upto 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
- Freezer – s’mores cupcakes stored in an airtight freezer safe container will last up to 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture.
Can Toasted S’mores Cupcakes be Made in Advance?
Yes, chocolate cupcakes with graham cracker crust may be baked in advance and will last/stay fresh upto 3-4 days in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container and 1-3 months in the freezer stored in an airtight, freezer safe container. For added assurance, I recommend individually wrapping each cupcake with plastic wrap before storing in an airtight container.
Swiss meringue topping should be made the day cupcakes are to be served. I do not recommend making swiss meringue in advance.
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If you make this recipe, please make sure to let me know by tagging me @nourishedendeavors on Instagram or by leaving a comment in the comment section down below so I can find out how this recipe turned out for you! If you have any questions, ask away! I would love to answer your questions! Happy baking!
PrintToasted S’mores Cupcakes
These toasted s’mores cupcakes are a dream pairing of fluffy, toasted meringue, soft chocolate cupcake and perfectly baked graham crust!
- Prep Time: 60 Minutes
- Cook Time: 26 Minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 26 minutes
- Yield: 14 Cupcakes 1x
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 3/4 Cups (252 g) Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 7 Tablespoons (98 g) Unsalted Butter, Melted, Cooled to Room Temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (25 g) Granulated Sugar
Chocolate Cupcake
- 1 Cup (125 g) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour, Spooned and Leveled
- 1/4 Cup (26 g) Unsweetened Dutch-Proceesed Cocoa Powder, Spooned and Leveled
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Large Egg, Room Temperature
- 2/3 Cup (134 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Cup (112 g) Sour Cream, Room Temperature
- 1/2 Cup (120 ml) Strong Brewed Coffee, Room Temperature
- 1/3 Cup (79 ml) Neutral Flavored Oil i.e. Avocado/Vegetable Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Swiss Meringue
- 4 Large Egg Whites
- 1 Cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
Assembly
- Graham Cracker Crumbs, Optional
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Fill two cupcake baking pans with 14 cupcake liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Mix ingredients to combine.
- Pour melted butter into bowl with graham cracker mixture and mix ingredients together with a fork until mixture resembles wet sand.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner. Use the back of a spoon or fingertips to flatten graham cracker mixture into cupcake liners.
- Bake graham cracker crust for 6-8 minutes. Graham cracker crust is ready when it takes on a light golden brown color.
- Cool graham cracker crust as the chocolate cupcake batter is prepared.
Chocolate Cupcake
- In medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk ingredients together to combine.
- In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-held electric mixer and a large mixing bowl, add the oil and sugar. Mix ingredients together at medium high speed. Next, mix in the sour cream to combine.
- Beat the egg into wet batter at medium high speed until fully incorporated, about 30-60 seconds.
- Reduce mixer speed to low. In an alternating fashion, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, mix half of the dry ingredients into wet batter followed by the coffee and vanilla extract and ending with the remaining dry ingredients.
- Stop mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and base of the bowl to catch any unmixed ingredients. Resume mixing chocolate cupcake batter at medium speed for an additional 30-60 seconds. The resulting batter should be slightly thick and smooth.
- Equally scoop chocolate cupcake batter onto cooled graham cracker crust.
- Bake chocolate cupcake batter for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
- Cool s’mores cupcakes in pan for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling track to cool completely to room temperature.
Swiss Meringue
- Thoroughly clean all kitchen tools (mixing bowl, whisk attachment of stand mixer and digital kitchen thermometer) that will be used for making the meringue ensuring there is no presence of residual grease.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, sugar and salt. Whisk ingredients together to combine.
- Cook egg white mixture over a double boiler/pot of simmering water while whisking consistently for 8-10 minutes or until the mixture registers 160 F (71C) on a digital kitchen thermometer and there is no presence of sugar granules in mixture. (In the absence of a digital kitchen thermometer, you can tell when egg whites are properly cooked by rubbing some of the mixture between your finger tips. If mixture is free of sugar granules, egg whites are ready to be whisked.)
- Whisk warm egg white mixture at high speed until the base of mixing bowl is cool to touch and meringue has reached stiff peak stage, 8-10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium low and whisk in the vanilla extract into meringue. Stop mixer once vanilla extract has been fully incorporated into meringue.
Assembly
- Spoon swiss meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with your preferred pastry tip. I used a Wilton 1M pastry tip.
- Pipe swiss meringue over cooled cupcakes in a swirl pattern.
- Using a kitchen torch, toast the entire surface of swiss meringue piping on each cupcake until it takes on a rich golden brown color.
- Sprinkle the tops of cupcakes with graham cracker crumbs (optional) and serve.
Notes
- Toasted s’mores cupcakes stored in an airtight container will last/stay fresh upto 3-4 days in the refrigerator and 1-3 months in the freezer. When ready to eat frozen s’mores cupcakes, thaw in the fridge overnight to restore soft texture.
- To help evenly divide chocolate cupcake batter into baking pan, use a large cookie/ice cream scoop.
- For swiss meringue, if you do not have a digital kitchen thermometer, you can tell when egg whites are properly cooked by rubbing some of the mixture between your finger tips. If mixture is free of sugar granules, egg whites are ready to be whisked.
- In place of sour cream, plain yogurt may be used in chocolate cupcakes.
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Susanne
The cupcakes came out beautifully and are delicious!. Stuck them under the broiler because I don’t have a kitchen torch.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! Great instructions and your website design is gorgeous.
nourished endeavors
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!