Summertime means s’mores time. Nothing tastes more like the warm season than the sweet combination of graham cracker, chocolate and marshmallow, and as soon as the mercury starts rising, I, for one, can’t get enough. You too? Let’s mix it up a little with this S’mores Cheesecake from Life, Love and Sugar that, while complex, is worth every bite.

You’ll Need:

Crust
– 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
– 5 tablespoons butter, melted
– 5 tablespoons sugar
Cheesecake
– 24 ounces (three 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
– 1 cup sugar
– 2 tablespoons flour
– 3/4 cup cocoa (Life, Love and Sugar recommends Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
– 4 eggs, room temperature
– 1 cup sour cream
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
– 1/2 cup hot fudge topping, warm, + more for topping
– 45 to 50 large marshmallows

How To:

Crust

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, combine the crust ingredients and mix well.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.
5. Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil to waterproof it, and set aside.

Cheesecake

1. Reduce the oven heat to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, blend the cream cheese, sugar, flour and cocoa with an electric mixer on low speed until combined.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating slowly and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition.
5. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed until well combined.
6. Add some marshmallows in an even layer in the bottom of the springform pan, on top of crust.
7. Pour the hot fudge topping over marshmallows.
8. Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan.
9. Place the springform pan inside another pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan, but not so much that it goes above the top edge of the aluminum foil.
10. Bake for 1 hour and 35 minutes. The marshmallows may boil up through the top.
11. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for 20 minutes.
12. Crack the oven door and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another 20 minutes, until set.
13. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and chill.
14. Once the cheesecake is completely chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit on convection bake.
15. Remove the springform pan sides from the cheesecake and place the cheesecake on a cookie sheet.
16. Top the cheesecake with a layer of marshmallows.
17. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the marshmallows begin to brown.
18. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and drizzle with more hot fudge and graham cracker crumbs.

You can serve this cheesecake warm out of the oven, or refrigerate it and serve cold. Either way, one bite will make all 23 steps worth it. What do you think? Do you feel up to the challenge? What are some of your other favorite s’mores desserts?