Mississippi Mud Cookies

I've been on a major s'mores kick the past few years, having made a few types of cheesecake, several bar recipes, and even ice cream. I think the biggest winner of all though is still these s'mores cookies. I'm not a cookie person, but I ate more than my fair share, and Shane - well, he couldn't get enough. I did manage to sneak away a few to share with our neighbors, and their sweet little boy, Jack, who was 3 at the time, absolutely loved the cookies. For months afterward, every time he would see me, he would tell me he wanted me to make him more of the "cookies with the marshmallows on them." I never got around to it unfortunately, but today I'm hoping to make it up to him with these Mississippi Mud Cookies.



Shane's also been asking me to bake chocolate cookies for a few weeks now, and when I came across this recipe, I was pretty sure I'd found one that would please both my husband and now 4-year old Jack. The recipe starts off like most cookies - creaming butter and sugar and adding eggs, but then before stirring in the dry ingredients, lots of melted bittersweet chocolate is added to the dough. The insides of the cookies are packed with chocolate chips and pecans (though I made some without nuts too and it worked out fine), and finally, right before the cookies go in the oven, a few mini marshmallows are pressed into the dough balls.

When they emerge from the oven, the cookies are fudgy and chewy - almost brownie-like in appearance and texture, and the marshmallows on top are lightly browned and gooey. I don't think I've ever made Mississippi Mud Cake, and honestly, I'm not even sure what's in it, so I have no idea how close these come, but they're great in their own right. I can totally see swapping the pecans for graham crackers, or maybe even some of the regular flour for graham flour, to create something s'mores-inspired too. Either way, the cookies are just the way to usher in the weekend. Happy Friday guys :)

Mississippi Mud Cookies
adapted from Southern Living, August 2007

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I used minis)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second bursts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and the cooled melted chocolate. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients, beating just until everything comes together. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.

Portion the dough into balls, each about 1 heaping tablespoon, and spacing them about 2 inches apart. Press 3 marshmallows into the top of each ball of dough. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are set. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them to the rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen