S’Mores Dip

This oven baked S’mores Dip recipe is the cleanest, mess-free way to serve s’mores at home year-round! Zero fuss with just 4 ingredients.

The post S’Mores Dip appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Camping is one of my favorite budget-friendly activities. Whether it’s a girl’s trip or a family affair, count me in! You know what goes hand in hand with camping? S’MORES! And boy, do I have the easiest version of that camping menu classic for you. This skillet S’mores Dip recipe is the cleanest, mess-free way to serve s’mores! Zero mess, zero fuss. All you need is just 3 ingredients and a box of graham crackers; this is the easiest dessert ever! 

Overhead view of s'mores dip in a skillet

Here in Tennessee, the weather stays hot until October, so I always associate camping with early autumn. It’s something I look forward to sharing with my daughter now that she’s 3 and a little more adaptable. You already know this s’mores dip will be on the menu for our next camping trip! It gives us all the flavors and fun of s’mores with minimal cleanup. Plus, it’s perfect for little hands (and big hands, too!) to dip and enjoy. Just be careful to not touch the skillet—she’s hot!

What is S’mores Dip?

I think most of us are familiar with traditional s’mores: graham crackers sandwiched with a layer of chocolate and a big toasted marshmallow. Well, with my s’mores dip recipe, we’re ditching the roasting stick and building our s’mores right in a cast iron skillet! I layer semi-sweet chocolate chips AND white chocolate chips for the ultimate indulgence (but on a budget, of course), then top it all off with mini marshmallows. Everything melts together in the oven (or on a hot grill or over a campfire if you have the right set up), and voila! You have a delicious, ooey-gooey s’mores dip to scoop up with graham crackers.

Ingredients for S’mores Dip

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy s’mores dip recipe:

  • Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: The base of this dip is made with a layer of semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can also use milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips, or even a chocolate bar broken into small pieces. 
  • White Chocolate Chips: Adds a creamy, sweeter contrast to the semi-sweet chocolate chips. 
  • Mini Marshmallows: I prefer using mini marshmallows as they melt quickly and evenly. You can also use regular-sized marshmallows or jumbo marshmallows cut in half.
  • Graham Crackers: Honey or cinnamon-flavored graham crackers both work well as dippers—choose your favorite!

What Else Can I Add?

This is one recipe you really can’t mess up! Feel free to get creative and add your own twist. Some fun ideas include:

  • Peanut butter or butterscotch chips
  • A drizzle of caramel sauce on top
  • Dollops of peanut butter between the chocolate and marshmallow layers
  • Chopped nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans) mixed in with the chocolate chips
  • Instead of graham crackers, try dipping with cookies, fruit, or pretzels/Ritz crackers (salty and sweet is always a winning combo!)

Do I Need a Cast Iron Skillet?

Cast iron heats up evenly and stays hot for a long time, making it the perfect vessel for this s’mores dip. The chocolate melts quickly and stays melted for longer in a cast iron skillet. However, you can make this recipe in any oven-safe dish or pan. Just keep an eye on the dip, as it may cook a bit faster or slower, depending on your dish.

Top Tip

Chocolate can burn and become grainy if heated for too long. Evenly layer the chocolate chips and marshmallows, and switch to broil very briefly once the marshmallows start to puff up. The chocolate will continue melting from the residual heat without overcooking! If you’re doing this over a campfire or on a grill, you won’t get the toasty marshmallow appearance but they will still become gooey and warm. Yum!

Storage and Reheating Instructions

One of my favorite things about this s’mores skillet dip is how it can be reheated multiple times so nothing goes to waste. Just pop it back in the oven until warmed through and melty. You can also store any leftover dip in the fridge for 3-4 days in a microwave-safe container and reheat as needed.

A hand dipping a graham cracker into s'mores dip
Close up of s'mores dip in a skillet
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S’mores Dip

This oven baked S'mores Dip recipe is the cleanest, mess-free way to serve s'mores year-round! Zero fuss with just 4 ingredients.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Amercian
Total Cost ($5.59 recipe / $0.69 serving)
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings, 6 crackers dipped per person
Calories 384kcal

Equipment

  • 9'' Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips $2.22
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips $1.42
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows $0.84
  • ½ box Graham crackers $1.11

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread semi-sweet chocolate chips on the bottom of your cast iron skillet.
  • Then, spread white chocolate chips across the top of the semi sweet chocolate chips.
  • Top with mini marshmallows.
  • Bake at 350 degrees until marshmallows on top have puffed up and are starting to brown, about 8 minutes.
  • Turn oven on broil for 2 minutes, or until the marshmallows on top are toasted to your liking.
  • Remove from oven and serve hot with graham crackers! Be careful, the cast iron skillet stays hot for a while. Scoop with care.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 187mg | Fiber: 4g
Half eaten s'mores dip with a graham cracker scooping more out

how to make S’mores Dip – step by step photos

Semi-sweet chocolate chips in a skillet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips on the bottom of your cast iron skillet.

Semi-sweet and white chocolate chips in a skillet.

Then, spread ½ cup white chocolate chips across the top of the semi sweet chocolate chips.

Chocolate chips and mini marshmallows in a skillet for s'mores dip

Top with 1 cup mini marshmallows. Bake at 350 degrees until marshmallows on top have puffed up and are starting to brown, about 8 minutes.

Broiled s'mores dip in a skillet

Turn oven on broil for 2 minutes, or until the marshmallows on top are toasted to your liking. Remove from oven and serve hot with ½ a box of graham crackers! Be careful, the cast iron skillet stays hot for a while. Scoop with care.

A hand dipping a graham cracker into s'mores dip

No camping trip or bonfire necessary; this easy skillet s’mores dip is a year-round treat I’ll be making on repeat!

The post S’Mores Dip appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry cookies are tender, sweet, and full of fresh strawberry flavor. These cookies are the real deal– no artificial colors or flavors!

The post Strawberry Cookies appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Summer is strawberry season, and you better believe I am always out picking farm-fresh strawberries the first day the U-pick farms open. My favorite thing to do with strawberries (besides eat them by the handful) is make these chewy strawberry cookies. They’re tender, sweet, and full of fresh strawberry flavor. These cookies are the real deal– no artificial coloring or flavoring here. Just sweet strawberries and some creamy white chocolate chips– yum!

overhead view of 12 strawberry cookies on a parchment-lined wire rack.

What Are Strawberry Cookies?

These strawberry cookies are a sort of cross between chocolate chip cookies and strawberry muffin tops. They’re richly flavored with salted butter, white and light brown sugar, and vanilla extract. The fresh strawberry pieces add tons of bright flavor and a unique texture, and the white chocolate chips add pops of sweetness.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make strawberry cookies:

  • Strawberries: Fresh strawberries work best. If you’d like to use frozen, let them thaw completely and drain off any excess water before combining with the lemon juice. Shout out to Slate Farms in Clarksville TN for growing these beautiful strawberries!
  • Lemon Juice: Helps macerate the strawberries to bring out their juices and enhances their natural flavor.
  • Salted Butter: Makes these cookies moist and tender.
  • Sugar: I used a combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar for depth of flavor and extra moisture.
  • Egg: Helps bind the cookies together.
  • Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness of the cookies.
  • All-Purpose Flour: Gives these cookies their structure.
  • Sea Salt: Enhances the natural flavor of the cookies.
  • Baking Powder: Helps keep the cookies from turning out dense.
  • White Chocolate Chips: Add a pop of sweetness and creaminess.

Storage Instructions

Store strawberry cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tips and Notes

  • Fold gently when adding the strawberries to the dough so they don’t get crushed or turn the dough completely pink.
  • I do not recommend storing the dough to bake later, as the longer the dough sits with the wet strawberries in it, the more moisture they release, negatively impacting the texture of the cookies.
  • If you don’t have a 2-ounce cookie scoop, you can measure the dough with a 1/4 measuring cup and roll it between your palms. Smaller cookie scoops also work, but 2-ounces makes for a nice big cafe-style cookie which is what I was after.
  • These cookies tend to spread in the oven, so to get that beautiful round shape, take a round cookie cutter or cup with a larger diameter and gently swirl it around the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven.
4 stacked strawberry cookies on a wood cutting board.
overhead view of 12 strawberry cookies on a parchment-lined wire rack.
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Strawberry Cookies

Strawberry cookies are tender, sweet, and full of fresh strawberry flavor. These cookies are the real deal– no artificial colors or flavors!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Total Cost ($5.61 recipe / $0.35 serving)
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 16 cookies (2-ounce scoop)
Calories 207kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, brunoised (diced very small) $2.13
  • 1 tsp lemon juice $0.02
  • 8 Tbsp salted butter $0.94
  • 1 cup light brown sugar $0.68
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar $0.17
  • 1 large egg $0.12
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract $0.65
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour $0.24
  • 1 tsp sea salt $0.05
  • 1 tsp baking powder $0.04
  • 1/4 cup white chocolate chips $0.57

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss the diced strawberries and lemon juice together and let them sit while you prep the rest of the cookie dough.
  • Cream both sugars and room-temperature butter together using your hand mixer on low speed.
  • Add the egg and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugars. Whisk or mix on low until consistent.
  • Then, add the flour, salt, and baking powder to a mixing bowl and whisk dry ingredients together. Adding a spoonful or so at a time, slowly mix in all of your dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until a consistent dough forms.
  • Strain the strawberries, discarding the juice.* Gently fold in strawberries and white chocolate chips into the cookie dough.**
  • With a 2-ounce scoop, drop cookie dough balls 2-3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on how crispy or chewy you like your cookies!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Add that strawberry lemon juice to some iced tea and you’ve got yourself a fancy mocktail!
**Reserve a few extra white chocolate chips per cookie to put into the top before you bake. This little trick helps them turn out extra pretty!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g
overhead view of strawberry cookies stacked on a black plate.

how to make Strawberry Cookies – step by step photos

diced strawberries in a measuring cup next to a small bowl of lemon juice on a cutting board.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss 1 cup diced strawberries and 1 tsp lemon juice together and let them sit while you prep the rest of the cookie dough.

a stick of butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in a white bowl.

Cream 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 8 Tbsp room-temperature butter together using your hand mixer on low speed.

adding an egg and vanilla extract to creamed butter and sugar in a white bowl.

Add 1 large egg and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugars. Whisk or mix on low until consistent.

adding dry ingredients to wet in a white bowl.

Then, add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp sea salt, and 1 tsp baking powder to a mixing bowl and whisk dry ingredients together. Adding a spoonful or so at a time, slowly mix in all of your dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until a consistent dough forms.

folding strawberry pieces and white chocolate chips into cookie dough in a white bowl with a rubber spatula.

Strain the strawberries, discarding the juice. Gently fold in strawberries and 1/4 cup white chocolate chips into the cookie dough.

placing cookie dough balls with a cookie scoop on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

With a 2-ounce scoop, drop cookie dough balls 2-3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, depending on how crispy or chewy you like your cookies!

dipping a strawberry cookie into a glass of milk.

Enjoy the taste of summer with these chewy strawberry cookies!

The post Strawberry Cookies appeared first on Budget Bytes.