S'mores Cupcakes - Goodbye to Summer

As much as I love summer, the warm weather and long nights, I love fall even more (mostly because I have a Birthday the end of September).  Last weekend was Labor Day and what many consider the end to summer. Even though it's official end isn't for a few more weeks.  To celebrate, I finally made a cupcake I have been wanting to make since I started to seriously bake cupcakes a year and a half ago...S'mores Cupcakes.  Who can resist the combination of Graham Crackers, Milk Chocolate and Marshmallow?  Not me.  So fire up the oven and enjoy your very own S'mores in cupcake form.

Makes 16-18 regular cupcakes

from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 20 grahams)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup milk

1 cup milk chocolate chips (I pulsed mine in the food processor to make them a lot smaller)

Mix flour, crushed graham crackers, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and milk and beat until batter is almost smooth. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into cupcake papers, filling cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool.

(NOT BUTTERCREAM)

by Cassie Baker of How to Eat a Cupcake

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup regular sugar and 1/2 cup vanilla sugar

4 egg whites

1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract (optional)

To make the frosting:

Combine egg whites and sugar in the top of a double boiler (or a glass bowl over but not touching a pan of simmering water). Whisk constantly over medium-high heat until mixtures reaches 160°F, about 5 minutes.

Pour egg white mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high for 6 minutes or until room temperature. Add optional vanilla extract 1 teaspoon at a time until desired flavor.

Frost cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and top with a piece of Hershey's milk chocolate bar.