On Friday we had a playdate scheduled. My friend e-mailed with specifics and said, “If you want to try a new recipe on us – you know, for your blog – you sure can!”

Well, what was I supposed to do after she said THAT?!

I’d been planning to make s’mores cupcakes that I saw on Hoosier Homemade anyway, and this was the perfect excuse. I mean, reason. Little did I know how many (MANY!) steps were involved in this brilliant idea – and little did I realize how many (Ohhhh, so many!) dishes I would have to hand wash afterward.

The things I do for my friends. And s’mores cupcakes.

Before I forget, I have to tell you the funniest thing about making these cupcakes. As usual, Annalyn was my little helper, and at one point, we were having some trouble. Even more melodramatic than usual these days, Annalyn started shouting, “Oh no! Help! Who will help us?” (We’re kind of on a superhero kick, if you weren’t picking up on that.)

Since I’d noticed that Hoosier Homemade had adapted the recipe from Bakerella, I said, “Maybe Bakerella will help us!” So, of course, Annalyn proceeded to shout, “Help, Bakerella! Help us fix our cupcakes!”

As my friend Ruthanne says, ::snort::

Anyway, back to the cupcakes . . .

S’mores Cupcakes

Cupcake Ingredients
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup cocoa
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk, divided
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
½ cup oil, divided
12 large marshmallows, cut in half

Crust Ingredients
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup butter, melted

Frosting Ingredients
1 jar marshmallow fluff
1-8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
1 ½ sticks butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
splash of vanilla

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large measuring cup (or bowl, if you must), combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Divide the mixture evenly into two separate bowls.

Now, here’s where it gets tricky.

Add graham cracker crumbs to one bowl and cocoa to the other one. Then add to each bowl ½ cup milk, ¼ cup oil, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix each bowl of batter well.

Next, mix up the graham cracker crust. Put paper liners in two muffin tins (you’ll make 24 cupcakes). And get ready for a multi-step process of making deliciousness.

Put a tablespoon of the graham cracker batter into each cupcake liner. Sprinkle with graham cracker crust, and top with a marshmallow half. Spoon chocolate batter to cover up the marshmallow (but pace yourself or you might run out of batter on Cupcake #22, causing your three-year-old daughter to shout for help from Bakerella). Sprinkle with graham cracker crust again.

Bake for 15 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking, mix together the frosting ingredients. The original recipe didn’t include the powdered sugar, but when I tasted the frosting it had an overpowering cream cheese flavor that I didn’t like. I wonder if I should have used the large jar of marshmallow fluff instead of the small one. (If you try it, let me know how it works!)

We all agreed: These cupcakes were delicious! Now, if I use my friend Josh’s five-point critiquing system (see: s’mores bar showdown), I have to admit that they don’t really taste like s’mores. But ooooh, they’re still good!

Oh, one more thing. Don’t be alarmed when you pull them out of the oven. The large marshmallow will melt during baking and the center of the cupcake will sink. Don’t panic! Just fill it up with frosting!

Have you made anything delicious or complicated (or both) lately?

This post will be linked to Mouthwatering Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, 33 Shades of Green, Sweet Tooth Friday and Foodie Friday. It will also be linked to Ingredient Spotlight at Eat at Home.