High altitude s’mores cupcakes featuring moist chocolate cupcakes on a buttery graham cracker crust, topped with swirled vanilla and chocolate buttercream, and topped with graham crackers and milk chocolate. These cupcakes are perfect for summer BBQs and 4th of July parties!
You might also love these s’mores cookies, s’mores chocolate chip cookie bars, and no churn smores ice cream.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Moist for Days. The chocolate cupcakes are super moist and tender, even several days after baking.
Versatile Filling and Frosting Options. Don’t come for me, but I didn’t actually include any marshmallows in my s’mores cupcakes. The main reason I chose American buttercream instead of marshmallow frosting is that the buttercream is far more stable in warm weather. But if you want to get some marshmallows into your cupcakes, see the recipe variations section below for marshmallow filling, ganache filling, meringue topping or marshmallow frosting options.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
A simple mixture of crushed graham crackers, sugar and salt, with melted butter to bind it all together makes the perfect base for these s’mores cupcakes.
Chocolate Cupcakes
My recipe for High Altitude Chocolate Cupcakes is the best you’ll ever make! These are always moist, soft and fluffy, and the perfect base cupcake.
Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream
I’ve simplified the buttercream recipe, so that you can just make a batch of vanilla buttercream, and then add cocoa powder and milk to half of it to make the chocolate buttercream. You’ll be needing butter, powdered sugar, meringue powder (optional, but adds stability), salt, vanilla, cocoa powder and milk.
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Line a standard sized muffin pan with 24 paper liners, and lightly spray the papers with non-stick baking spray.
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers with the sugar and salt. Add the melted butter, and stir until moist and crumbly.
- Set aside 2 tbsp of the crumbs for decorating, and divide the rest evenly between the paper liners. Use a small glass (like a shot glass) to press the crumbs into an even layer in the bottom of the paper liners.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set the pans aside while you make the cupcake batter.
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Make the chocolate cupcake batter as instructed.
- Add the chocolate batter right on top of the graham cracker crust, filling the cups no more than 2/3 – 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched.
- Gently transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack, and cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla.
- Increase the speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl down once or twice, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to “stir” and mix for 1 more minute.
- Transfer half the vanilla buttercream to another bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining vanilla buttercream and whip on medium speed until well combined, adding the milk as needed if the chocolate buttercream is too stiff.
Decorating
- Fit a 16 inch disposable piping bag with tip 8B, or another large open star piping tip. Fill the bag half-full with the vanilla and chocolate buttercream, alternating the two flavors in the bag so that they swirl together when piped onto the cupcakes.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Before the frosting crusts over, decorate with pieces of chocolate and crushed graham crackers.
Recipe Variations
Chocolate Ganache Filling
A simple mixture of chocolate and cream makes a decadent ganache filling for cupcakes. Get the recipe in these black and white cupcakes filled with ganache.
Marshmallow Filling
Use plain marshmallow fluff (creme) or add marshmallow fluff to frosting for a sticky marshmallow filling. Get the recipe in these chocolate Hostess cupcakes.
Marshmallow Frosting
Try my recipe for marshmallow frosting (7-minute frosting), or just top your cupcakes with a toasted marshmallow. Note that this type of frosting is not as stable as buttercream. Or, for a last minute option, pile some homemade meringue on top of the cupcakes and toast it with a brulee torch.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
I used tip 8B.
You Might Also Like
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Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude S’mores Cupcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 16-inch Disposable Piping Bag (plus tip 8B)
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed graham crackers
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 recipe High Altitude Chocolate Cupcakes
Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (see notes)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1-2 tbsp milk
Decorations
- milk chocolate bars, broken into pieces
- marshmallows
- graham crackers
Instructions
Getting Ready
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven.
- Line a standard sized muffin pan with 24 paper liners, and lightly spray the papers with non-stick baking spray.
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers with the sugar and salt. Add the melted butter, and stir until moist and crumbly.
- Set aside 2 tbsp of the crumbs for decorating, and divide the rest evenly between the paper liners. Use a small glass (like a shot glass) to press the crumbs into an even layer in the bottom of the paper liners.
- Bake the crust for 5 minutes, then set the pans aside while you make the cupcake batter.
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Make the chocolate cupcake batter as instructed.
- Add the chocolate batter right on top of the graham cracker crust, filling the cups no more than 2/3 – 3/4 full.
- Bake the cupcakes for about 18 minutes, until the tops spring back when gently touched.
- Gently transfer the cupcakes to a cooling rack, and cool completely before frosting.
Vanilla and Chocolate Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute, until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar by spoonfuls, the meringue powder and salt, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla.
- Increase the speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl down once or twice, until very light and fluffy. Turn the speed down to "stir" and mix for 1 more minute.
- Transfer half the vanilla buttercream to another bowl. Add the cocoa powder to the remaining vanilla buttercream and whip on medium speed until well combined, adding the milk as needed if the chocolate buttercream is too stiff.
Decorating
- Fit a 16 inch disposable piping bag with tip 8B, or another large open star piping tip. Fill the bag half-full with the vanilla and chocolate buttercream, alternating the two flavors in the bag so that they swirl together when piped onto the cupcakes.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Before the frosting crusts over, decorate with pieces of chocolate and crushed graham crackers.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
This recipe looks fantastic. I’m assuming this will work with mini cupcake pan/cups. I have a big group for the 4th and want to make a bunch of small ones!