Recipe Background
Smookies combine cookie spread and marshmallows for a toasty, nostalgic delight.
When I was seven, my family took a spontaneous trip to a quaint cabin in the mountains. A classic woodsy retreat, far removed from our usual routine. It was there, sitting by the cracking fire, that my love for concocting new treats began. My mom handed me a jar of cookie spread and a bag of cinnamon chips, challenging me to create something memorable with ingredients she always seemed to have on hand. I loved the aromatic combination of nutmeg and lemon zest dancing through the air as we puzzled out what to make. I often sneak these into my dough mix even now for a taste of nostalgia.
Crafting these Smookies was a play on tradition, using cold cubed butter to ensure the dough had the perfect flaky texture. While at the cabin, I discovered that letting the dough disks rest in the fridge was key, a simple trick my mom always insisted upon. Though I was impatient then, the wait was magical—it allowed all those wonderful flavors to meld. Years later, the marshmallow broiling technique was born from watching them rise and toast during summer campfires, turning these cookies into a gooey delight. Watching them brown in the broiler, just like those cabin marshmallows around the campfire, always takes me back to simpler times.
For all the quirkiness of that trip, I learned that sometimes the most unexpected ingredients, like a splash of vanilla extract or a handful of oats, create the most endearing memories. Smookies are now my go-to for those nostalgic evenings when a dash of whimsy is just what’s needed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
- 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest grated
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter cold and cubed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup cinnamon baking chips
- 10 tablespoons cookie spread
- 20 large marshmallows
Directions
- Place the flour, oats, brown sugar, lemon zest, nutmeg, and salt in a food processor and process until blended.
- Add the butter, cream, and vanilla into the oat mixture and pulse until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
- Stir the cinnamon chips into the dough mixture.
- Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk.
- Wrap the disks with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each of the dough disks to 1/4-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough with a floured 2 1/2-inch square cookie cutter.
- Place the cut dough 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake until the cookies begin to brown, about 10-12 minutes.
- Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Spread 1 tablespoon of the cookie spread on the bottoms of half of the cookies. Set aside.
- Place a marshmallow on the bottoms of the remaining cookies.
- Transfer the cookies to a baking sheet.
- Broil the cookies, 5-6 inches from the heat, until the marshmallows are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Gently cover the cookie spread-covered cookies on top of the marshmallow-covered cookies, gently pressing down.
- Serve.
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