When I think of my favorite memories, they almost all have two things in common: Most of my happiest memories have taken place outdoors and almost always involve food. I laugh a little as I write this sentence, but it’s true.
One of my favorite moments of the last couple of years was a regular Tuesday night in the middle of summer (it could have been a Wednesday or Thursday, but I know for sure it was a weeknight). A group of us decided to take a night cruise on Rimrock Lake. It was a hot day in town, and when the group started texting each other, it was clear that we were all going a little crazy.
We met after work, caravanning down Highway 12. Once we arrived, the half-hour of chaos that followed, as the boats were loaded with kids, dogs, coolers, life jackets, boogie boards, and beach towels, was downright comical. But eventually, we were out on the lake, happy as can be, cruising slowly, eating snacks, playing music.
The kids took turns tubing behind the boats as we circled the lake, stopping here and there to jump in or pull the kids out of the tubes. The cold mountain water refreshed us and by the end of the night we had happy, tired kids and our usual boring night was a memory to remember.
We got out of the water as the sun was starting to set and headed to day camp to build a small fire and roast marshmallows before heading home. We gathered up our camp chairs and laid out damp beach towels on the ground to sit on. We pulled bags of marshmallows and chocolate bars out of our coolers while a few parents helped the kids find roasting sticks.
With a small fire crackling in the twilight, happy children screaming over melting marshmallows and the laughter of good friends as all the stars began to shine above our heads, it all created a memory that will last a lifetime. Nothing fancy, or even planned, and yet downright magical when I think back on that night.
This summer, I hope to spend many more evenings with family and friends around a small campfire, laughing and chatting, eating good food, and making memories. If s’mores are on the menu, I think I’ll be making a batch of these decadent s’mores cookies. Loaded with graham cracker crumbs, mini marshmallows, and peanut butter cups, these cookies are the most delicious s’mores you’ll ever have. If s’mores aren’t your favorite food or it’s too hot (or dangerous) for a campfire, they also make a great ice cream sandwich. Just swap out a toasted marshmallow for a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
The secret to truly delicious cookies is two things: room temperature ingredients and accurate measurements. Make sure your butter and eggs aren’t too cold. Set the butter and egg out on the counter for a few hours before you make your batch of cookies. The other secret to perfect cookies is to measure your dry ingredients very carefully. If you have a kitchen scale, use it to measure out the flour and cocoa powder. If you don’t, that’s okay—just lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cup, being careful not to overfill or pack the ingredients.
Chocolate Peanut Butter S’mores Cookies
• 1 cup softened salted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 10 squares of graham crackers, crumbled
• 1 cup full of mini marshmallows
• 1 cup plus 4 cups peanut butter, chopped
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again.
In a separate bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix gently until dough forms. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in chocolate chips, peanut butter pieces, graham crackers, and mini marshmallows using a wooden spoon or spatula.
Use a medium cookie scoop or any spoon to scoop the cookie dough into balls, about two tablespoons each. Line the dough balls up on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly about 2 inches apart. Place a remaining peanut butter cup or marshmallow spread on top of each cookie, then place the baking sheet in the oven to bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will spread slightly and will have started to crackle. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat the process until all the dough is baked. Recipe makes 24 to 28 cookies.
For the s’mores: Toast the marshmallows over an open fire until toasted and golden brown. Make a sandwich with two chocolate peanut butter s’mores cookies and the toasted marshmallow.
For the ice cream sandwiches: Let your ice cream of choice soften slightly on the counter until it is easy to scoop. Spoon the softened ice cream onto one side of the cookie and top with a second cookie, pressing the cookies together to evenly distribute the ice cream among the cookies. Working quickly, repeat until you have made as many ice cream sandwiches as you want, lining up the ice cream sandwiches on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill in the freezer for 1 hour. If you don’t plan on serving the ice cream sandwiches right away, place the treats in a Ziploc bag or Tupperware container with a lid and store in the freezer until ready to serve.
