Irresistible Chocolate Marshmallow S’mores Cookies: Your Ultimate Campfire-Inspired Treat

You might notice a bit of a Fluffernutter enthusiasm around here, but trust me, these Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies are utterly irresistible and perfectly align with that passion! I affectionately call them my ‘Campfire Fluffernutter Cookies’ because they capture the essence of a classic s’more, but with an exciting twist: a creamy peanut butter cup experience instead of a traditional chocolate bar. Imagine the gooey marshmallow, rich chocolate, and a delightful peanut butter undertone all wrapped up in one magnificent cookie – that’s exactly what these offer.

At their heart, these are rich peanut butter cookies, but they’ve been thoughtfully enhanced with a few special ingredients and techniques to infuse them with that distinct “campfire” flavor profile. My journey into creating these began with a truly inspiring moment: after baking for Joanna Gaines at the Silos Baking Competition, her whisper that my original cookie was “her favorite” that day continues to fuel my creative energy, encouraging me to keep spinning off new, exciting variations like these Fluffernutter-style s’mores cookies.

Why These Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies Are a Must-Try

These aren’t just any cookies; they are an experience. Each bite transports you to a cozy campfire, complete with roasted marshmallows and melted chocolate, but without the hassle of pitching a tent or battling bugs. They are:

• Perfectly Balanced: The rich chocolate peanut butter cookie base provides a sturdy yet tender foundation for the sweet, gooey marshmallow filling.
• S’mores Reimagined: They take the beloved s’mores combination and elevate it with the added depth of peanut butter and the convenience of a handheld cookie.
• Easy to Make: Despite their impressive appearance and complex flavor, the recipe is straightforward, guiding you through each step to ensure baking success.
• Crowd-Pleasers: Ideal for parties, potlucks, or simply a cozy night in, these cookies are guaranteed to be a hit with everyone, from kids to adults.
• Customizable: Whether you prefer a lightly golden marshmallow or a deeply toasted one, you have full control over the final touch.

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Essential Ingredients for Your Campfire Fluffernutter Cookies

Crafting these extraordinary cookies begins with a careful selection of ingredients, blending classic peanut butter cookie staples with exciting s’mores components. The base of this recipe calls for the usual suspects found in a classic peanut butter cookie: creamy butter, your choice of peanut butter (we’ll dive into why crunchy is king here!), granulated sugar and rich brown sugar for depth, a touch of vanilla for aroma, milk for moisture, an egg for binding, all-purpose flour for structure, a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness, and baking powder for that perfect rise. But where the magic truly starts is with the addition of cocoa powder, transforming the ordinary peanut butter cookie into a decadent chocolate peanut butter masterpiece.

To further amplify the distinct peanut butter flavor and crunchy texture, we incorporate a generous helping of peanut butter chips, which melt beautifully into pockets of nutty goodness. Alongside these, we add a finely chopped chocolate bar, chosen specifically for its superior melting qualities compared to standard chocolate chips, ensuring luscious puddles of chocolate throughout the cookie. Rounding out the authentic s’mores experience are crushed graham cracker cereal, which provides that signature subtle crunch and honeyed note, and, of course, the star of our “Fluffernutter” style creation: marshmallow fluff. It simply wouldn’t be a true Fluffernutter-inspired treat without that iconic, sweet, and sticky marshmallow cream.

For precise measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions, use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or conveniently scroll to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the complete recipe card.

Crafting Your Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies: A Step-by-Step Guide

The journey to these incredible Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies is a delightful one, starting with the foundational steps of creaming and mixing, then moving to the exciting stage of assembly and baking. Each step is designed to ensure maximum flavor and the perfect texture.

Step 1: Creaming the Wet Ingredients

Begin by combining the softened butter and both sugars (granulated and brown) in a large mixing bowl, preferably with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat these ingredients together on medium speed until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and noticeably paler in color. This creaming process, typically lasting 3-4 minutes, is crucial as it incorporates air, which contributes to the cookies’ tender texture. Next, beat in the egg and vanilla extract until they are fully incorporated, ensuring a smooth and consistent base for your dough.

Step 2: Incorporating Dry Ingredients

Once your wet ingredients are beautifully combined, it’s time to add the dry components. Gently mix in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder, alternating with the milk, mixing just until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tough cookies. A final quick burst on high speed for just a second or two can ensure everything is uniformly blended without developing too much gluten.

Step 3: Folding in the S’mores Goodies

Now for the fun part! Into the perfectly mixed dough, add the chopped chocolate bar and peanut butter chips. For the graham cracker cereal, lightly crush it in your hands as you add it to the bowl. This ensures varied textures and an even distribution. Using a spatula, gently fold these additions into the dough until they are just combined. This careful folding technique prevents crushing the cereal too much and keeps the chocolate chunks intact.

Step 4: Assembling and Filling Your Cookies

Portion out the cookie dough into uniform balls using a cookie scoop for consistency. Gently flatten each portion with your fingers to create a shallow well in the center. Next, pipe about two tablespoons of marshmallow fluff into the center of each flattened cookie. The easiest way to do this is by placing the marshmallow fluff in a piping bag with the tip snipped off – it makes the process much cleaner and more efficient. Carefully fold the cookie dough up around the marshmallow fluff, encasing it almost completely. It’s perfectly fine if a little bit of the fluff peeks out; that’s part of its charm when baked!

Step 5: The Final Touches Before Baking

Before placing them in the oven, press a few more chopped chocolate chunks and some extra pieces of graham cracker cereal onto the top of each cookie. This not only enhances their visual appeal but also adds texture and flavor to the surface. Gently flatten the filled cookies once more, ensuring they are not too tall, which helps them bake evenly. Your cookies are now ready for the oven! As they bake, any exposed marshmallow will beautifully ooze out, caramelizing and creating tempting pockets of gooey sweetness.

Step 6: Baking and Toasting

Bake the cookies in a preheated oven until the edges are set and the tops are slightly firm. Once baked, remove them from the oven. To truly achieve that “campfire” flavor and aesthetic, use a kitchen torch to lightly toast any visible marshmallow peaks. You have complete control here – go for a light golden hue or a deeper, more caramelized brown, mimicking your favorite campfire marshmallow. Just be careful and ensure the torch is used safely. This extra step adds an incredible depth of flavor and a beautiful visual touch that makes these cookies truly special.

These magnificent Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies effortlessly conjure all the delightful nostalgia of indulging in s’mores, minus the dirt, smoke, and insects you might encounter by a real campfire! While I certainly appreciate a good outdoor adventure, I find I can experience that same warm, fuzzy feeling with just one bite of these heavenly treats. Whether you prefer to call them S’more cookies or Campfire Fluffernutter delights, one thing remains certain: they are undeniably delicious!

Did you try this amazing recipe? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a review or comment below. And for more delicious recipes and baking inspiration, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 12 – 4-inch cookies

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Prep Time:
10 minutes

Cook Time:
15 minutes

Total Time:
25 minutes

You might think I am getting a little Fluffernutter obsessed over here, but these Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies are so good and fit right in!

Ingredients

• ¾ cup Crunchy Peanut Butter, not natural
• ½ cup Unsalted Butter, soft
• ½ cup Brown Sugar
• ½ cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Egg, room temp
• 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
• ½ cup Cocoa Powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 tablespoon Whole Milk
• ½ cup Golden Grahams Cereal, lightly crushed
• ½ cup Peanut Butter Chips
• 1, 3-ounce Chocolate Bar, rough chopped
• 1 cup Marshmallow Fluff/Cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350˚F and prepare 3 half baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Cream together, scraping down at least twice, until everything is evenly combined. 4 minutes

Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well combined. 45-60 seconds longer.

Add salt, flour, baking soda, and milk, and mix at low speed until flour is completely worked in. Whack the mixer up to full speed and then off, quickly, for a final mix. 2 seconds. 

Fold in the Golden Grahams and peanut butter chips, and half the chopped chocolate bar, reserving the larger pieces for pressing into the top of the cookies before baking.

Use a 2-ounce scoop to scoop cookies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. I use a small ice cream scoop for equal-sized cookies. You should get 12 extra large (2-ounce) cookies.

Flatten the cookies with your hands, add about 2 tablespoons of fluff, and fold the cookie up around the fluff, encasing it in the cookie dough. Flatten them just a little, again, once filled, and place them 3-4 inches apart on your parchment-lined trays.

Press the remaining large chocolate pieces into the tops of the cookies, along with a couple of pieces of cereal too.

With only 4 cookies per sheet, they get BIG! 6 fit on a ¾ sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, just until the top and edges begin to set and feel slightly firm when pressed, the cookies will also have split and the marshmallow will begin to show.

Remove from the oven and tap gently on the stove or counter 2-3 times.

Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 5 minutes so the fluff can set. Then transfer them to a cooling rack until completely cool.

Notes

Notes & Tips

If you would like to seek out making homemade fluff, go for it! But for me, the flavor is just different, and the storebought just has a different texture. While you will see me make my own on the show, at home I suggest storebought, plus it’s easier! I know I often preach homemade, but I forgo it for nostalgia in this one.

Be sure to cream the butters and sugars together for 3-4 minutes, you will see the mixture change to a lighter color. When it gets pale you have beat in enough air.

After you have made your cookie dough, portion it out and flatten each of the 12 portions using your 3 center fingers. Place the marshmallow cream in a piping bag, then cut off the tip and pipe about 2 tablespoons into the center of each cookie. Wrap the cream in the dough, then flatten again before baking. This gives a very consistent and not too flat, not too tall cookie.

The big takeaway from that tip is to place the fluff in a piping bag, it is so much easier to use that way. When I baked on the show I use a scoop, but I quickly learned that the piping bag was much easier.

When the cookies are done baking, you can use a torch to brown some of the exposed marshmallows. Go easy because it can catch on fire, just like a real marshmallow over the campfire. But brown them a little or a lot, just how you like your marshmallow for s’mores.

Baked Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies will keep in an air-tight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. And while mine would never make it there, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze them flat on a tray, then transfer them to a zip-top freezer bag.

Substitutions

My favorite peanut butter is crunchy! But you can use smooth in a pinch if you need to.

If you have to use salted butter because that is all you have on hand, remove the addition of salt later in the recipe.

Light brown sugar is preferred for this recipe, however, you can use dark brown sugar if that is all you have on hand. The cookies will just have a little deeper molasses flavor to them. Which isn’t bad, just a little richer.

These cookies bake up beautifully and can be made gluten-free when you use THIS cup-for-cup baking flour swap. You’d also need to find a gluten-free graham cracker cereal or use crunched-up actual gluten-free graham crackers.

This is my favorite cocoa powder to use, but you can use regular cocoa powder too. Black cocoa powder can also be used for a really deep dark cocoa flavor. If you do use black cocoa you may need an extra tablespoon of milk.

There is nothing like these peanut butter chips, I would absolutely be sure to get some. They amp up the peanut butter flavor…no swap for those!

This is no place for chocolate chips, you want to use a chopped-up chocolate bar because it melts into the cookie and makes little puddles on top after baking too. This is my favorite bar, but only use chocolate chips in a pinch.

While I prefer the original marshmallow fluff, you may also find other brands out there calling it marshmallow cream, they are essentially the same and you can use either for this cookie. You may also encounter it called marshmallow paste or spread.

While you might be tempted to use mini marshmallows in place of the “fluff” and it does work, the texture and end result just isn’t the same. You CAN do it, but I’d heavily suggest using the cream.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• SMARTAKE 200 Pcs Parchment Paper Baking Sheets, 12×16 Inches Non-Stick Precut Baking Parchment, Perfect for Baking Grilling Air Fryer Steaming Bread Cup Cake Cookie and More (Unbleached)
• KitchenAid KSM150PSCE Artisan Stand Mixers, 5 quart, Copper Pearl (Renewed)
• Marshmallow Fluff Traditional Baking Spread and Crème, Gluten Free, No Fat or Cholesterol (Regular, 7.5 Ounce (Pack of 1))
• Vollrath 2 oz Stainless Steel Disher – Size 16,Dark Blue
• Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker’s Half Sheet (3 Pack)
• Ateco Disposable Decorating Bags, 18-Inch, Pack of 100
• REESE’S Peanut Butter Baking Chips Bag, 10 oz

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 418Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 304mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 3gSugar: 29gProtein: 9g

This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.

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