S'mores Cookies

Language Corner

These language guides are here to support you, not overwhelm you! Pick one word, one prompt, or one concept that feels right for your child and your moment. There is no right or wrong way to use them. The best conversation is the one that happens naturally while you are cooking together.

✦ Word of the Day: 

Dehydrate (say it: “de-HY-drate”) means to remove water from something. The word comes from the Greek “hydor,” meaning water, with the prefix “de-” meaning to take away. In this recipe, we place marshmallows in a very low oven for a couple of hours to slowly dry them out. Once the water is gone, they become firm instead of soft, which means they hold their shape inside the cookie and give you little pockets of chewy, toasted marshmallow in every bite instead of disappearing into the dough.

Try it: Say “dehydrate” out loud. Can you hear the three syllables: “de”-“hy”-“drate”? Now use it in a sentence: “We dehydrated the marshmallows so they would stay chewy inside the cookie.” Can you think of other foods that get dehydrated? (Raisins, beef jerky, dried mangoes)

✦ Describing Words

The kitchen is one of the best places to practice describing words. As you bake, pay attention to what you notice: the dough is soft and cool, the graham crackers are crispy and sweet-smelling, the chocolate chips are smooth and shiny. Once the cookies come out of the oven, everything changes, the marshmallows are puffed and golden, the chocolate is warm and glossy, and the whole cookie is gooey, melted, and just a little bit sticky. 

Try it: Pick one ingredient from the counter and describe it using three words: one for how it looks, one for how it feels, and one for how it smells or tastes. For example: “The marshmallows are white, squishy, and sweet.” Now try the same thing after the marshmallows come out of the oven, have the words changed?

✦ Figure of Speech: Fold In

When step 7 says to “fold in” the chocolate chips, it is borrowing a word we usually use with laundry or paper. To fold means to gently turn one part over another, like folding a letter or tucking in a blanket. In baking, “fold in” means to mix something delicate into the batter using slow, gentle strokes so you do not overwork the dough. If you stir too hard or too fast, the cookies can come out tough instead of tender. So folding is about treating the dough gently, so it stays soft.

Try it: Can you think of another time we use the word “fold”? (Folding clothes, folding a piece of paper into an airplane, folding your hands.) What do all of those have in common? Now try folding the chocolate chips in yourself, see if you can do it slowly and gently without stirring.

✦ Talk While You Cook

While crushing the graham crackers: “How many ways can you think of to break something into small pieces? What happens to the crackers when we crush them? Do they look the same? Feel the same? What do you think the crumbs do for the cookie?”

While scooping and shaping the dough: “We are putting marshmallows inside the dough, so they are hidden. What do you think will happen to them in the oven? Can you predict what the inside of the cookie will look like when we break one open?”

While waiting for the cookies to cool: “If you could bring these cookies anywhere, where would you bring them? What is your favorite summer memory? If this cookie could have a name for this summer, what would you call it?”

There are no wrong answers, just good conversation!

✦ Think Like a Chef

A chef is always asking “what if?” and this recipe is a perfect place to start. What if you swapped the milk chocolate chips for dark chocolate? The flavor would be deeper and a little more bitter, which some people love with the sweetness of the marshmallow. What if you tried peanut butter chips instead of one of the chocolate varieties? The combinations are nearly endless, and the only way to find out is to try.

Try it: “If you could change one thing about this recipe, one ingredient, one step, or one topping, what would it be and why? What do you think would happen if we made that change? Would the cookies taste better, different, or maybe not as good?”

✦ A Note on Kitchen Safety

There is so much for little hands to do in this recipe. Kids can measure and mix the dry ingredients, crush the graham crackers (especially fun in a zip-lock bag with a rolling pin), help weigh ingredients, fold in the chocolate chips, and press marshmallows and chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies once they have cooled enough to touch. Scooping the dough is also a great job for older children.

For Parents: The oven belongs to the grown-ups, dehydrating the marshmallows happens at a very low temperature over several hours, and baking the cookies requires moving hot pans in and out of a 350° oven. The cookies and the pan stay hot for longer than you might expect after they come out. Wait a full 10–15 minutes before pressing the Hershey bar pieces in and remind little ones that even when something looks cool, it can still be warm underneath. Always use oven mitts and set the pan on a heatproof surface.