Newfoundland Smartie Cookies

Prepared with melted marshmallows, cocoa, and graham crumbs, Newfoundland Smartie Cookies are sure to give you smores vibes. The addition of the candy coated chocolate in the center helps to make this cookie feel and look more festive.

Have I saved the best for last with these Newfoundland Smartie Cookies? We won’t know that until I share the last treat in this series tomorrow. But, it’s a safe bet that this cookie is one of my personal favourites. It has everything I look for in a no-bake treat. Not only are they easy to make, but they are super freezer friendly, and they are made with marshmallows and sweetened condensed milk. Those two ingredients almost never disappoint when they’re together.

If you make these, you will need to prepare the cookie batter and let it chill. You must know by now that I completely despise having to chill cookie dough, but for these Newfoundland Smartie Cookies, I can make an exception. Cooling the dough is imperative, because if you don’t, the batter will be just too soft to roll into nice uniform balls.

The first time I made these, I was sure that they were going to taste much like Traditional Newfoundland Snowballs, but I was quite surprised when they didn’t taste like them at all. These have a softer texture and most certainly have a flavour all their own. The addition of the marshmallows and the graham crumbs give them a slight smores taste. And, unlike snowballs, these do not have oats, so they are smoother. Okay, let’s get to it!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE:

All of the ingredients specifications will be listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You will need:

• Marshmallows – Every kid loves the taste and texture of a marshmallow!  They are soft and puffy with just the right amount of sweetness and vanilla flavour.  You can use vegan marshmallows too!
• Canned Sweetened Condensed Milk – This recipe has not been tested with low fat condensed milk.  Depending on where you live, the size of the can my differ.  Be sure to have the full 14 ounces!
• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! Use salted or unsalted. It won’t matter.
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Graham Crumbs – Easily found in the baking section of any grocery store, these are crushed graham crackers.  You can use whole crackers and crush them yourself using a food processor.
• Cocoa Powder – Cocoa powder is an unsweetened chocolate product which adds deep chocolate flavor to desserts and beverages.  Use a good quality cocoa powder, not the kind we used to stir into milk as kids!
• Coconut – Baking coconut comes in sweetened and unsweetened and in different sizes.  Unless otherwise stated, use unsweetened coconut when baking otherwise the result might be too sweet.  Be sure to check the size too – is it supposed to be shredded, grated, etc?  The size of the coconut will affect the outcome of your recipe.
• Smarties – Or any other candy coated chocolate. (In Canada, smarties are a candy coated chocolate, much like M&Ms. In this case, I used mini eggs, because I had them on hand.)

MARSHMALLOWS ARE OFTEN USED IN NO-BAKE TREATS

I used to not make many confections with marshmallows until recently. I do love them, but after just one or two, I seem to go into sugar shock. Ha! When it comes to snacks and treats, I’m all about salty snacks. I can easily forego sugary snacks. I’m one of those people who will eat one or two of something and then I don’t want to see it anymore. I bake a lot, so it’s quite common to try one or two of whatever it is, and package the rest up for a friend or a neighbour. In some cases, especially if I make something with chocolate, John.e refuses to let me get rid of it. He loves chocolate!

As you know, Dear Reader, John.e is a vegetarian and marshmallows have gelatin in them. Gelatin is made with collagen from animal parts, so obviously, he isn’t going to eat anything with marshmallows in it. Sounds gross, doesn’t it!? So, I was quite happy to find vegan marshmallows, and now I can make more marshmallow treats. You can 100% use Dandies Vegan Marshmallows in this recipe. In this case, I used real marshmallows, because he didn’t want to be tempted to eat any!

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

I have a lot of recipes here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen with sweetened condensed milk as one of the ingredients. (Click here to see them!) Growing up in Newfoundland, it was always something I’ve been aware of. But, that’s not the case for everyone. I get many questions from readers about it. For someone not familiar with the gooey, sticky canned milk, it might be easily confused with canned Carnation condensed milk, for instance. Let me explain what it is here.

So, first of all, it’s condensed. The milk is condensed by removing water. This can be accomplished by applying heat. The water will evaporate causing the milk to condense, which thickens the milk. Sugar is added to sweeten the condensed milk. The main purpose of adding sugar is to prolong the shelf life of condensed milk, which can sit on room temperature shelves for years. Sugar prevents microorganisms from growing in the milk and helps to thicken it even further—it’s added after the milk has been boiled, reduced, and pasteurized.

If you find an unsweetened condensed milk, it’s most likely that it’s simply evaporated milk or condensed milk, which is thick, but not gooey and sticky. Evaporated milk is often used as a cream added to tea or coffee. If you are unfamiliar with it, please read the can carefully. Also, shake it – can you feel the liquid splashing about inside the can? If so, it’s not sweetened condensed milk; it’s evaporated or condensed milk only!

THE TYPE OF COCONUT IS IMPORTANT

When it comes to coconut to bake with, there are two kinds – sweetened and unsweetened. Those two types can be found in different levels of fineness and coarseness. It’s important to use unsweetened coconut for this recipe. Otherwise, these Newfoundland Smartie Cookies may be too sweet to eat!

You’ll want to use an unsweetened coconut. The size of the shredded coconut won’t make a difference to the taste, but it certainly will make a difference when you try to roll the mixture into balls. The longer shreds of coconut will make for a messier bite and you want your delicious cookie to look just as amazing as it tastes!

Depending on the brand, some coconut is shredded, grated, or desiccated. Shredded usually refers to larger pieces, while grated tends to be smaller. Desiccated has nothing to do with the size of the pieces, but means the coconut is dried or that the moisture has been removed. In most cases, you will find a fine or medium grade. Fine is my personal coconut of choice in most cases and it is what I used here. Medium will work too.

HOW TO MAKE NEWFOUNDLAND SMARTIE COOKIES

Add the marshmallows, sweetened condensed milk, butter, and vanilla extract to a large, microwave-safe bowl. On high power, microwave the ingredients for one minute. Remove and stir well. Return to microwave and set it for another minute. Continue to do this until all of the ingredients are melted together. Next, add the cocoa powder and stir into the marshmallow mixture. Now, add the graham crumbs and coconut. Stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 3-4 hours.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Pour coconut into a bowl for rolling the balls into. Set aside. Finally, add the candy coated chocolate to a bowl as well. Setting everything up before you start to roll the mixture into balls makes the task easier and cleaner.

Portion out one tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Roll the ball into the coconut and set it onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Press a candy into the center of the ball, which will flatten them slightly. Do this until all of the mixture is used up. Transfer the baking sheet to the fridge for 2 hours. Finally, place the cookies into a food-safe container and keep refrigerated.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most no bake confections, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Some of them will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. But, others most certainly will not! If in doubt, store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

Most no-bake confections are made without the need to freeze them for long periods of time, but they can be frozen. Newfoundland Smartie Cookies can be frozen! Once they are completely chilled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen confections as a gift, lay them out onto a wire cooling rack in a single layer to thaw out. Condensation might form and that’s normal. Giving them space to breath by not overlapping them will help to eliminate that. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.