Studded with gooey marshmallows, buttery graham crackers, and finished with a silky chocolate drizzle, these peanut butter s’mores cookies are classic peanut butter cookies with the volume turned WAY up!
I grew up going camping with my family every late summer. So for me, no season was complete without roasting at least one fully stacked s’more over a starlit campfire, a soundtrack of frogs peeping and crickets chirping in the background as a scarcely crisp edge permeated the night air, teasing the autumn to come.
While we still go camping every year as a family (for the record, I’m now 35!) the actual s’mores don’t always happen. But s’mores inspired recipes have a place in my heart and kitchen all year round.
These peanut butter s’mores cookies are like a mashup of two dessert favorites, a wonderfully messy collision of the classic s’more sandwich and peanut butter thumbprint cookies.
Think Peanut Butter S’mores Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, but since I’m not much of a chocolate girl myself, I forgo the big chunks of peanut butter cups. Instead I go heavy on the drippy marshmallows and shards of crunchy graham cracker, while bringing the (necessary, of course!) chocolate in as a silky drizzle at the end.
ingredients for peanut butter s’mores cookies
ingredient notes & swaps
- Using unsalted butter is generally best when baking, that way you can be in full control of the salt content yourself. It’s even more important in this recipe since you may be using salted peanut butter (which, I don’t know about you, but for me unsalted PB is just soulless!). Make sure to leave the butter at room temperature for a few hours before you’re ready to bake, or just take it out of the fridge the night before!
- I use mashed banana mainly to cut down on some of the fat content of these cookies, but ALSO because bananas + peanut butter = hella yum! Pro tip: use a very ripe banana as it will mash up more easily or use thawed frozen banana (which I usually have on hand for smoothies), as it has an excellent soft texture that is easy to mash.
- If you’re a crunchy peanut butter person, that is a-ok here! I prefer creamy so it’s what I usually have. Also, if using natural peanut butter (i.e. no other ingredients besides peanuts, salt, or oil) you will want to make sure to stir it well before measuring out your ½ cup for these cookies. The oil in natural PB is notorious for separating from the solids so you want to make sure it is nice and cohesive before portioning it.
- I like the rustic look and feel of large marshmallows that are torn into hunks, but use mini marshmallows if you prefer.
- You can use any type of chocolate that floats your boat. The chocolate you see here is literally a chopped up chocolate Easter bunny 🤷♀️. Use any chocolate bar you like, or a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, or heck, just use store bought chocolate sauce for an easy shortcut!
- Smoked salt might sound like a visit to the specialty food store, but I do see it in most regular grocery stores these days! It’s my go-to seasoning anytime I want a hint of smoke in my recipes (I’m lookin’ at you, Rhubarb BBQ Sauce). It adds a great smoky flavor to these peanut butter s’mores cookies, giving them an echo of the just-roasted-over-campfire taste. If you can’t find any, you can certainly skip it though! Your cookies will still taste awesome.
loaded peanut butter s’mores cookies recipe
Studded with gooey marshmallows, buttery graham crackers, and finished with a silky chocolate drizzle, these peanut butter s’mores cookies are classic peanut butter cookies with the volume turned WAY up!
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 dozen cookies
Ingredients
for the cookies:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ½ medium banana (enough to yield ¼ cup mashed)
- ¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
for the mix-ins (use more or less depending on your preference!):
- 3 large graham crackers
- 10–12 large marshmallows
- ½ cup chopped chocolate, for the chocolate drizzle
- Smoked salt, a few pinches
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Combine the softened butter, mashed banana, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to cream the mixture until light and fluffy.
- Lightly beat the eggs, then add them to the butter mixture along with the peanut butter and vanilla extract. Continue blending with the electric mixer until well combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Stir the mixture by hand, just until a dough comes together.
- Scoop out the cookie dough, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, roll them into balls, and arrange them on parchment paper (or silpat) lined baking sheets. These cookies don’t spread much on their own, so use the back of a spatula to flatten the dough balls now. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- While the cookies complete their first bake, prep the mix-ins! Crumble the graham crackers into chunks, tear the marshmallows into large bits, and melt the chocolate. My favorite method is to heat the chopped chocolate in the microwave for 10-20 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted.
- Remove the partially baked cookies from the oven and top each cookie with a few marshmallow bits and graham cracker chunks. Really press them into the dough so they stick! Don’t worry if they get a bit malformed, the mess is half the fun of s’mores 🙃 Sprinkle the tops of the marshmallows with a pinch of smoked salt.
- Return your cookies to the oven and continue baking for about 8 more minutes, until the dough is set and the marshmallows are nicely melted. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes.
- Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Once completely cooled, go ahead and drizzle your cookies with melted chocolate. You may need to pop your bowl of chocolate drizzle in and out of the microwave to keep it nice and melty as you work with it.
Notes
- When arranging these cookies, I find that you can fit about 1 dozen on a standard size baking sheet. Make sure to stagger them so they each have 1-2 inches of space in between.
- When melting your chocolate, take extra care to make sure the bowl and spoon you use are very dry, and that you don’t accidentally drip any water into the chocolate itself. Moisture can cause the chocolate to seize–meaning it will harden up and become very difficult to melt into that smooth and silky chocolate drizzle of your dreams!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: desserts
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: american
FAQs
Do you need to chill the cookie dough before baking?
Nope! This dough rolls out and bakes perfectly fine without needing to chill first. Other peanut butter cookie recipes that call for a high butter content usually benefit from refrigeration before baking, but the addition of mashed banana in my peanut butter s’mores cookie recipe helps to give these cookies a sturdy structure, no chilling required 😎
Should you freeze marshmallows before baking?
You don’t need to, but you certainly can if you want them to stay more chunky as opposed to melty and gooey. For me, I like the gooey texture but if you prefer, freezing the marshmallows first will help them to retain their shape during baking.
Can you freeze these peanut butter s’more cookies?
Absolutely! Just pack them into a freezer-safe airtight container (I recommend placing sheets of parchment or wax paper in between layers because these cookies are stiiiiicky) and freeze for up to 3 months.
Want some other summertime dessert ideas? Try spooning this juicy Summer Cherry Compote over a scoop of ice cream or dig into a slice of refreshing No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake!
dig in!
Enjoy & let me know what you think 🌙 💛
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