I made these incredible s’mores bars a couple of weeks ago as summer was winding down, and now that fall is officially here, I’m sharing them with you as a nostalgic throwback to those carefree days of June, July and August. I’m also sharing them with you as something you will not be able to keep your paws off as hard as you try. In fact, it’s 8:30 in the morning and I’m having a tough time not jumping up to make these all over again.
My approach to s’mores in the wild is indicative of who I am, I think (Aries + Chinese year of the tiger = double fire sign!) and reflects my general approach to waiting for things (i.e., I don’t like to do it). I like the perfect ratio of graham crackers and chocolate, but I really scorch that marshmallow and set it on fire just like the other young children around the campfire. I like a lot of char on my sugar gelatin. As I’ve discussed at length here before, I also love graham crackers, especially when they’re mixed with melted butter. So a three-tiered bar with a graham cracker crust, a moist, chewy brownie center and a toasted meringue topping is a pretty outrageous situation.
The original recipe calls for this to go into the broiler at the end to toast the meringue, but my broiler is a scary, black, fiery hole that I have to lay on the floor to get into, so I generally like to avoid using it when I can. But if you have a kitchen torch this is the perfect opportunity to use it to hand toast the top of your s’mores bar, without the risk of sending your hard work up in flames or getting meringue all over the inside of your oven.
As nostalgic as these bars are for the glory days of summer campfires, I’m personally happy to welcome autumn. Not only is the first day of fall my half birthday (31.5!), this is my favorite season in New York. The changing leaves, the comfortable breezes, the lack of wafting garbage smells on the sidewalk, the general reduction in vermin and the ability to turn on the oven without suffocating to death in your apartment- it’s all so magical!
Fall is also a time when I like to take a big fat vacation, and so on Thursday I’m jetting off for an adventure to Hong Kong, where I’ll meet up with a dear friend who lives there, and then to Sri Lanka together for some elephants, beaches and tea plantations. So if I’m MIA for a couple of weeks, it’s because I’m relaxing hard and scoping out a potential destination to share with you later on the travel guide!
Ingredients
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs (12 oz.)
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 14 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- First make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of overhang on two sides. In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix all of the ingredients until evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, just until lightly browned. Let cool completely. Leave the oven on
- In a heatproof medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter with the chocolate over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk in the eggs until smooth, then stir in the flour until just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly over the cooled crust. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the edge is set but the center is still slightly jiggly. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
- In a heatproof medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, whisk the egg whites with the sugar until the whites are warm and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk. Add the vanilla and cream of tartar and beat at medium speed until firm. Increase the speed to high and beat the meringue until stiff and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Mound the meringue on top of the filling, swirling it decoratively. Using a kitchen torch, if you have one, carefully torch the top of the meringue until it's golden and light brown in places. If you don't have a torch, broil the meringue 8 inches from the heat in your broiler until lightly browned at the tips, about 1 minute. Cut into bars and serve.
Notes
Adapted from Food & Wine April 2015
