S’Mores Brownies
I was headed to spend a few days with friends at the lake and for our first night we were meeting up for a cookout and bonfire. S’Mores are the perfect outdoor fireside dessert but felt a little boring. I wanted to bake something in advance, and what’s better than constructing your own S’Mores? Ooey, gooey brownies with all the same marshmallow, graham cracker, and chocolate goodness! They re-heat well in a cast iron skillet over the fire if you prefer them toasty warm. I like to serve them fresh (same day baked). If you want to bake them ahead, they will keep for a few days sealed in a container. They are so delicious, I predict they will be gone the moment you serve them! Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Baking Favorites. Williams Sonoma. San Rafael, CA. 2020
Kitchen tools
9 x 13-inch baking pan
Medium to large saucepan
Wooden spoon or rubber spatula for stirring
Whisk or a KitchenAid® Stand Mixer with whisk attachment
Serrated or plastic cheese/lettuce knife for cutting finished brownies
Optional:
compostable parchment paper
Kitchen torch
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350-degrees and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. I use butter to coat the pan because I think it tastes better than an oil spray.
Melt the butter and chocolate. I like to chop the chocolate and cube the butter on a sheet of parchment paper before adding it to the saucepan. Once chopped, it’s easy to slide off the pieces of butter and chocolate from the parchment into the pot. The cubed butter and chopped chocolate help melt faster and melt more smoothly and evenly together. Melt the chocolate and 8-oz butter in the pot on the stove on low heat, stirring often. When it’s fully melted, remove from the heat.
Whisk the wet ingredients. I pour the melted chocolate and butter into a Stand Mixer to whisk in the eggs, one at a time. I crack the eggs into a separate glass bowl first so I can check that there isn’t any discoloration or can easily scoop out any accidental pieces of shell. I pour one cracked egg into the mixer at a time and whisk until fully incorporated before adding the next egg. After all the eggs have been added, whisk in the vanilla and salt.
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the sifted flour and cocoa powder. Stir the mixture with a rubber spatula until just blended. You don’t want to overmix the flour. Be sure to stir down to the very bottom of the bowl to avoid clumps of flour and cocoa powder. The batter should be smooth and a dark chocolate color.
Add the crushed graham crackers. I like to spread the crushed graham crackers directly into the greased 9 x 13 baking dish so the brownies have a graham cracker layer at the bottom. For crunchy bits throughout the brownies, add the graham crackers directly into the batter instead.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly.
Add the marshmallows. Drop the marshmallows on top, evenly distributed. It’s ok if the marshmallows don’t touch and there are gaps between – they will melt and spread out.
Bake. Baking time will depend on the oven. I found 20-25 minutes at 350-degrees works well. The ideal is when the batter no longer looks wet and a toothpick comes out almost clean. Crumbs or a perfectly clean toothpick can mean overbaked, especially when you add the time for them to cool in the hot pan outside of the oven. I like brownies that are soft, so I look for an almost clean toothpick with baked brownie top. Out of the oven, the brownies will still have some heat on them from the hot pan to finish baking.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Let the brownies cool completely at room temperature in the pan before cutting them. Avoid them falling apart by cutting too soon, so wait for the tops to feel cool to touch.
Cut into gooey squares. My favorite tool for cutting sticky bakes like these marshmallow brownies is to use a plastic lettuce knife. After each cut, wipe the knife with a warm wet towel. It makes the brownies far less messy to work with and keeps the edges of each brownie cut cleanly.
Optional: Toast the marshmallows with a kitchen torch. I like to ensure every marshmallow has a golden top, so I finish off the brownies with a kitchen torch. It adds a warm, toasted flavor and really brings the S’Mores element. Enjoy your S’Mores Brownies outside around a campfire, in your backyard, or right in your kitchen. Yum!
Listen along to my playlist
I believe food tastes better when prepared with love! I always put music on before I begin in the kitchen. Here are some songs that I baked (and danced) to while making this recipe.
The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Crazy Love - Van Morrison
Leaf Off / The Cave - José González
Willow - Taylor Swift
Pink Moon - Nick Drake
Ingredients I baked with
My favorite part of baking is to see someone smile after their first bite. People always comment on how full of flavor the food is. I believe the simple secret is using fresh, natural ingredients. Here are some of my favorite items and what I used in this recipe.
