Can I Have S'more?

I am a sucker for anything s'more flavored. When I look through my subscription feed of blogs and I see a variation of a s'more, I almost always bookmark it in my "To Make" folder.

I saw these cupcakes on Annie's Eats awhile back and knew then that I had to make them someday. That day was last week when I was craving something delicious.

These cupcakes were very moist and really did taste like a s'more. It all started with a graham cracker crust that was baked for five minutes in the cupcake liners. This crunchy crust was to die for. It's the classic s'more combination and it made the cupcake awesome. 

Next, I made a simply chocolate cake. I was rather scared when adding the boiling water, as the batter was quite thin, but I continued scooping them into their liners and held my breath the while they baked. 

After the cupcakes had baked and cooled in their pans, it was frosting time. The frosting was a simple meringue and then browned a bit with a Crème brûlée torch. The crispiness of the top of the meringue and the gooeyness of the inside was amazing.

The only things I would have done differently is to have made a thicker graham cracker crust. On some of the cupcakes, it was very thin and you couldn't taste it very well. I also would have added more butter to the crust mix. I think if it was packed better, it would have held up more when the cupcakes were taken out of their wrapper. 

Although there were a couple changes I would have made, the cupcakes were still amazing and I fully recommend making them. Especially if you're a diehard s'more lover like I am. 

Here is the recipe for this delectable treat:

S'more Cupcakes

For the graham cracker crust:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 

For the cake:
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water 

For the frosting:
8 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
½ tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. vanilla extract 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter; mix well with a fork.  Drop about 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down to line the bottom.  (Note: I found the bottom of my squeeze bottle to be the perfect size to do this job neatly and quickly.)  Sprinkle a small amount of the chopped chocolate on top of the graham cracker crusts.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and maintain the oven temperature.

To make the cake batter, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed just to combine.  In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; whisk together.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be thin).

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full.  Return the pans to the oven and bake about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler.  Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160° F with an instant-read thermometer.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.  Mix in the vanilla until combined.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.  Brown with a kitchen torch.