How To Make A S’mores Cheesecake
Tomorrow is the 4th of July and while the team is out of office doing their own celebrations, the holiday (and summer in general) always makes me think of sitting around a campfire making s’mores. It’s a nostalgic holiday (and treat) but since I can’t exactly have a campfire in the middle of Philly, I asked Zach (our resident food and wellness expert) to come up with this hybrid of s’mores and one of my other favorite desserts, cheesecake. Go make one for yourself and let us know how it turned out!
I try to eat healthy most of the time, keyword “most”. That also means that when it’s time to have a reward meal (not a cheat meal) I want to really make it worth it! So I combined two of my favorite desserts, s’mores and cheesecake, into one ultra delectable sweet treat.
Think of it as an adult dessert with a childlike twist, giving me flashbacks to campfires and roasted marshmallows – just like Bobby remembers. Make it for your next party and I guarantee it’ll be a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients:
For the Crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
For the Cheesecake
- 1 pound (2 8oz packages) cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Pinch of salt
For the topping
- 8oz semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups marshmallows (I used the mini marshmallows)
Directions
- In a bowl mix the graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and melted butter.
- In a springform pan press graham cracker dough into bottom and up the sides about 2 inches. Don’t worry about getting it perfectly even on the sides, it’s ok for it to look rustic and homemade.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and cook crust for 12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to let cool and reduce heat to 300.
- Using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and continue to whisk. Add vanilla, eggs, sour cream, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until smooth. (Pro tip: Keep the mixer on low to medium speed. Whisking on high or over mixing can cause your cheesecake to crack or fall when you bake it.)
- Pour cheesecake batter into graham cracker crust and bake at 300 for about 30 minutes. I usually test it out by shaking it a bit. It should have just the right amount of wiggle to it (it should move, but not come up the sides).
- Let cool on the counter for an hour and then refrigerate for 6 hours. Although I have found it tastes best the next day when it’s had time to completely set and become more firm.
- To make the chocolate ganache, cook chocolate chips and heavy cream on a double boiler mixing occasionally until smooth.
- Pour ganache onto the center of the cheesecake and spread until it covers the cheesecake, leaving about an inch around the edge uncovered. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Top the ganache with marshmallows. I personally love marshmallows so I add about a cup and a half, but add as little or as much as your heart desires.
- Using a torch toast the top of the marshmallows. If you don’t own a torch then you can turn your oven onto broil and put the cheesecake on a center rack for 30 seconds to a minute. Just be sure to keep an eye on the marshmallows to they don’t burn.
