I’m conflicted. On one hand, it’s 85 degrees outside. On the other hand, it’s October. The logical side of me says it’s still time for shorts, sunglasses and cold iced drinks. Meanwhile, my heart is in the mood for all the staples of fall — scarves, boots and warm mug cakes. 

I’ve never been much of a fan of warm drinks. They’re too hot on my tongue. But, ever since I learned what a mug cake was a few years ago, they’ve become my favorite seasonal snack. I’m at my coziest when I’m curled under a blanket, with a movie on and warm mug with a brownie or cake in it. 

Simply put, I’m ready for fall. If it’s going to be stubborn about getting here, that’s fine, but I’m going to mildly pretend it’s already here. And if summer wants to hang around a little longer, it can be a part of the fun, too. That’s why the other night, I made myself a warm mug cake based on the most classic of summer treats: the s’more.

The really cool thing about this mug cake is that it kind of comes out in layers. Once you make the cake mix, you add chocolate chips or broken up squares of a chocolate bar, a crumbled graham cracker and marshmallow. The chocolate sinks to the bottom, the marshmallows stay on top and the graham cracker crumbles end up mixing into the cake in the middle. 

You can also add more of each of those things to the top once it’s all cooked for a little extra flair. All the chocolate and marshmallow in the cake will melt in the microwave and combine with the chocolate once you give it one good stir, so adding more to the top adds some softness and sweetness. It makes the flavors stand out just a little more. If you’re very gentle, you can even use the graham cracker pieces to scoop up some of the cake for an authentic s’mores kind of bite. 

The brownie mix makes this a very chocolatey s’more, but it’s easier to work with than trying to make the cake part from scratch. And if you add the extra graham crackers on top, it all balances out.

So if summer wants to hang around a little longer, I guess that’s okay. It’s not going to stop me from doing as many fall things as I can. 

What you’ll need:

⅓ cup of brownie mix 

¼ cup of milk 

2 tablespoons of cooking oil 

A splash of vanilla extract 

A handful of marshmallows 

A handful of chocolate chips or a quarter of a chocolate bar, broken into small pieces

1 graham cracker 

How to make it:

1. Pour brownie mix, milk, cooking oil and vanilla extract into a mug and stir well. 
2. Add small pieces of a chocolate bar or a handful of chocolate chips, ½ a graham cracker crushed and a handful of marshmallows and stir. 
3. Cook in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes. 
4. Add marshmallows, a couple squares of a chocolate bar and other half of the graham cracker on top if desired.
5. Let cool for five to 10 minutes. 
6. Enjoy!