S'mores Cookies (S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies)

MAKING BROWN BUTTER

1. Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces. Place the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter in the saucepan while stirring occasionally. When the butter has melted and starts to foam, add the milk powder and stir it in (if using).
2. Keep heating the butter while stirring. After a while, you will see white milk solids separating at the bottom of the pan. Use the whisk / spatula to prevent the milk solids from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Keep cooking the butter and stirring, until the milk solids turn a dark golden brown in color. This will happen very quickly after the milk solids turn light brown in color first, so keep stirring and don’t leave the pan unattended at this stage, to prevent the butter from burning.
4. As soon as the milk solids turn dark golden brown, pour the butter into a measuring cup and let it cool slightly (ideally about 75°F, and still liquid).

MAKING THE S’MORES COOKIE DOUGH

1. Place the slightly cooled brown butter in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl for a hand-held mixer). Add the bourbon, both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and mix on low - medium speed ONLY until the butter-sugar mix comes together.
2. Do not mix to cream the butter and sugar. It's important NOT to incorporate air into the mix, and to have a smooth mixture. If you mix too much, and add more air, the cookie dough will end up needing more flour and have a cakey texture.
3. Add the eggs, and mix until just mixed through. After adding the eggs, you should end up with an emulsified mixture.
4. In a separate bowl - sift the flour, baking soda, and baking powder (if using) together. Add the crushed graham crackers as well. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, while the mixer is on the lowest speed. This is to prevent the flour from flying everywhere and making a mess, and also to prevent the dough from being over-mixed. The flour doesn’t have to be completely mixed in before adding more.
5. When most of the flour is mixed in, add the chopped chocolate, chopped graham crackers, and mini marshmallows, and mix on low speed until everything is mixed through.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and fold the mix just a few times to make sure the dough is properly mixed. Let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes, or ideally 30 minutes, covered. IF the dough is too soft, let it rest in the fridge for just a few minutes to firm up a little. It will harden if you let it rest in the fridge for too long.
7. Using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough onto a parchment paper-lined half sheet pan. Don't worry about spacing here, since this is just to chill the cookie dough first.
8. Add a few pieces of chocolate, 1 or 2 mini marshmallows, and a piece of graham cracker on top of each of the cookie dough portions. These chocolate pieces will melt and create pools of chocolate as the cookies bake. It's easier for the chocolate to stick to the dough while the dough is still soft.
9. If you want to bake the cookies right away, you can do so (but the cookies will spread more and be thinner). For best results however, I recommend covering the sheet pan with plastic wrap and letting the cookie dough chill overnight (or at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours).

BAKING THE COOKIES

1. Preheat a conventional oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Place 6 cookie dough portions on the half sheet pan, spaced evenly.
2. Bake in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes. I like to bake the cookies for 12 minutes for a chewier texture with a soft middle. The exact bake time can vary depending on your oven.
3. After the first 6 minutes of baking, quickly open the oven and place 1 or 2 mini marshmallows on top of each cookie, and rotate the pan, and bake for a further 6 minutes.
4. Remove the cookies from the oven, and immediately shape them (as described below).

HOW TO SHAPE THE COOKIES

1. Because of the marshmallows, these s'mores cookies might be a little misshapen. To shape them into nice, round shapes, use a cookie cutter or a small bowl (diameter of these should be a little larger than the cookies).
2. Place the cookie cutter / bowl over the freshly baked cookie. While holding onto the baking sheet with one hand (use an oven mitt since the tray will be very hot at this point!), rapidly move the bowl or cookie cutter in a circular motion over the warm cookie. The cookie will also move around inside the bowl / cookie cutter, and this friction between the edges of the warm cookie and the inside of the bowl / cookie cutter will shape them into nice, round shapes.
3. Repeat this for all the cookies while they are still soft and warm.
4. Let the cookies cool for about 6 - 10 minutes on the baking tray. Then carefully remove them with a cookie spatula, and place them on a wire rack to cool down further.
5. The cookies are best eaten a little warm, but they can be enjoyed at room temperature, or even chilled.

TO STORE THE COOKIES

1. Unbaked cookie dough - place the chilled cookie dough portions in a gallon-sized ziploc bag or air-tight container, and store in the freezer. When you're ready to bake them, remove portions of cookie dough from the freezer and bake for 12 - 15 minutes at 350°F / 180°C.
2. Baked cookies - place some tortillas on the bottom of an air-tight container. Place one layer of chocolate chip cookies on top, followed by another tortilla, and then another cookie layer. Repeat with all the cookies (using 2 - 3 tortillas). Replace the tortillas every 2 days or so (when the tortillas look like they are drying out). Cookies can be kept up to 5 days at room temperature. For best results, warm the cookies in the microwave a little before eating.