Dairy Free Gluten Free S’mores Cookies- perfectly chewy and gooey, loaded with mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
Dairy Free Gluten Free S’mores Cookies
A few month ago my niece discovered that she was having some problems with dairy (the very same week that I conceded that my toddler couldn’t digest dairy either.) My sister-in-law reached out to me to see if I could help her get started and we set up a time to go grocery shopping together so we could read ALL THE LABELS! I think I should start listing “label-reading” under my hobbies 😉
In the afternoon, before going shopping, I made these dairy free gluten free s’mores cookies with my girls and gave the entire batch (minus the few 5 we taste-tested ate) in a cardboard cake box tied with ribbon. I told her: “These are for you. Do not share! Put them in the freezer after you eat as many as you mom says is ok. Then when you miss out on a treat at school it will be a little easier because you can come home and heat one up in the microwave so it is all gooey and perfect.”
How did these dairy free gluten free s’mores cookies come to be?
I worked many hours creating the recipe for what I feel like are the ultimate gluten free chocolate chip cookies. Of course, I made them giant too.
I have since put many spins on that cookie recipe (many of which are in my cookbook, The Essential Gluten-Free Cookie Guide.) One of the recipes in my cookie guide is a super gooey gluten free s’mores cookie.
The s’mores cookie was born during the summer that I ran my gluten-free baking company. On a whim I threw some marshmallows into my giant gluten free chocolate chip cookies before baking them. The results were super gooey chocolate cookies with melted marshmallow seeping out of the edges and caramelizing.
They tasted amazing, but they looked super gross.
My hubby said the marshmallow looked like boogers.
I still tried to sell them at the Farmer’s market. The plain chocolate chip cookies were more popular, but everyone who tried the s’mores version loved them.
There was a grower a few booths over whose teenaged daughter stopped by and traded me some very hot and spicy green chile (I made a lot of good trades for cookies that summer. Kale, grass-fed ground beef, eggs, pecans…) for a s’mores cookie. She didn’t care that the melted marshmallow looked…questionable. She devoured it and then came back every other week that I was at the market and bought a giant chocolate chip cookie. She’d ask if I had made any s’mores cookies and was always disappointed when the answer was no.
When I first started brainstorming gluten free cookie recipes for The Essential Gluten-Free Cookie Guide I knew that I had to make a gluten free s’mores cookie that didn’t look like it had boogers seeping out of it. I discovered that I could carefully place marshmallows on the top of the cookies half way through cooking and they would be perfectly toasted on the top, instead of melting into funky puddles of goo.
I was quite satisfied with the results, and that is the recipe in my cookbook.
But since then I discovered that Kraft makes and sells separately the mini freeze-dried marshmallows (Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits) like what you find in instant hot chocolate mix. To the best of my label-reading-skills they are gluten and dairy free (be sure to always double check the labels though, ingredients seem to change on a whim! Kraft has a great allergen labeling policy and will tell you the source of modified food starch while many other companies won’t.) I tried mixing them into my gluten free chocolate chip cookies and the result was the perfect gluten free
I tried mixing the freeze-dried mini marshmallows into my gluten free chocolate chip cookies and the result was the perfect gluten free s’mores cookies, with no melted marshmallow goo! The marshmallows retain their shape but absorb a little moisture from the cookie dough so you still get a little marshmallow “goo,” just not the boogery kind.
When I baked these cookies (and made them dairy free) I used some buttery sticks (Earth Balance) and dairy free mini chocolate chips (Enjoy Life) to make them. I am still working on an egg-sub to make them vegan. It is trickier since this recipe uses just the egg yolks. Let me know if you have any success with egg subs!
Watch me bake gluten free s’mores cookies with my kids on Facebook Live!
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted (I have used Earth Balance sticks, or ¼ cup palm shortening + ¼ cup Earth Balance Spread)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoonsgluten free flour mix
- ¾ cup dairy free mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life Foods since they are dairy free)
- ¼ -1/2 cup Jet-Puffed Mallow Bits or other mini freeze-dried marshmallows (double check they are gluten and dairy free) (the original post used ¼ cup, when I made them on Facebook Live we up-ed the mallow content and used ½ cup.)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Cream together the melted buttery spread and brown sugar on medium-low speed.
- Add the egg yolks and mix until combined.
- Add the baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the gluten free flour, and mix until incorporated. Then mix in the chocolate chips and freeze-dried marshmallows.
- Scoop using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop (or a heaping tablespoon) and place cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. (8-10 on a sheet)
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- The cookies should spread and will lose their doughy shine, but will still be very soft.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
These look really good! However, the Earth Balance sticks contain soy, which I am allergic to. Do you think the Earth Balance spread in the tub might work or Spectrum butter flavored shortening?
Hi Linda! Earth Balance actually makes soy-free sticks, which I LOVE and use often. Not every store stocks the soy-free sticks, so I use the locator on Earth Balance’s website whenever I need to make something soy-free. You could also substitute Soy-Free Earth Balance from a tub, it is just easier to measure with the sticks. I haven’t worked with Spectrum butter-flavored shortening, so I can’t tell you how that would work.
Hope that helps! Be sure to comment back and let me know how they turn out. 🙂
There say put in salt and in recipe there no sign salt in it??
My apologies, I usually just add a pinch of salt. I have updated the recipe.
Thank you!
Ummm… can you send some to me 😉 These looks so amazing and perfect, and just… yummm!
These cookies do like flippin delicious! And less messy then having kids make s’mores themselves!
Thanks Cricket! Yes, definitely less messy, but just and delish!
Those are some beautiful looking cookies! Such a fun summertime treat!
Thanks Emily!
Omgosh yes! This looks so good!
Thanks Keeley!
Uh-mazing! And I love the camp-fire-free-ness of them. 😉 Can’t wait to give them a try, Brianna!
Thanks Raia! I hope you and your kiddos enjoy them!
I’m getting a shipment of marshmallows in to sample, this seems PERFECT!
S’mores are always perfect! (as is sampling marshmallows)
I love s’mores. Gluten free options are hard to find. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Amanda!
Skip the fumes of the campfire and eat these beauties–sign me up!
Thanks Kristen!
So festive and fun! Kids of all ages love these.
Thanks Megan!
the gooey marshmallow sounds so good! great recipe!
Thank you Samantha!
These would be so perfect to share at a summer cookout. Thanks for the terrific recipe!
You are very welcome Johnna!
These look Ah-mazing! And the booger goo…story of my life with 2 kids!
Haha. I am glad that you can relate. I figured if nothing else, the booger goo story would give another mom a chuckle.
These are the softest, most delicious looking cookies EVER!!!
Thank you Cathy!
THIS. <3 Running to the kitchen to whip up a batch now. XO
🙂 Thanks Lauren! I hope you enjoyed them.