Gimme S’mores Cupcakes

For the cupcakes –
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until uniform.

Mix in eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir for approximately 2 minutes, or until all ingredients are sufficient distributed.

In a small saucepan, boil 3/4 cup water. When boiling, slowly pour the water into your large bowl of cupcake mix and stir again until completely combined. This will be a thin batter, but don’t worry.

Line you standard cupcake tin with aluminum cupcake/muffin liners. Paper ones tend to get soft, but aluminum liners support these soft cupcakes very nicely.

Fill the cupcake liners approximately 3/4 full. Bake in your preheated oven for 12-16 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Set them aside on a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the marshmallow icing –

In a small saucepan heated at medium high heat, add the sugar, corn syrup and water. Stir together until they are dissolved. Bring these to a rolling boil.

With a candy thermometer, cook until the mixture reaches between 235-240 degrees F. It will take approximately 5 minutes. Turn up the heat if necessary to high. Just begin with it at medium high heat and turn it up if needed.

As you are doing this, whip the two egg whites with a stand mixer and the whisk attachment, or a hand mixer if you have one.

Beat on high until the eggs can stand with a soft peak.

When the syrup reaches proper temperature, turn the mixer on low again, and slowly pour the syrup into the egg whites. When you are finished pouring the syrup in, turn the mixer on medium high to high. The bowl will be very hot.

Mix the syrup and egg whites together until the bowl is completely cool. The mixture is semi-firm and no long of pourable consistency. Just before completing the whipping of the marshmallow, add in the vanilla extract. Whip for an additional 30 seconds to ensure it is incorporated properly.

It will be a marshmallow consistency.

For the final assembly –

When you have cooled your cupcakes, and your marshmallow icing is made, prepare a piping bag with a large round tip. If a piping bag is not available, use a Ziploc bag with a corner cut off.

Spoon icing into bag and squeeze on top of cupcake in desired design, or dollop onto cupcake with a spoon.

Crumble one sleeve of graham crackers, and sprinkle onto freshly iced cupcakes.

Promptly devour.

*NOTE 1* – If not serving cupcakes immediately, wait to top the cupcakes and marshmallow with the graham cracker until time to serve. If the graham crumbs sit on top for an extended period of time they will not retain their crunch.

*NOTE 2* – If you do not use a whisk attachment on a stand mixer, your marshmallow will not likely come out as fluffy. It will be more of a runny consistency. The icing will still taste wonderful, but just be like a cooked and runny marshmallow. The whisk incorporates the necessary air, so that they stay fluffy and firm. Don’t fret if it doesn’t turn out. It’s still delicious.