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S'mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue
Cheryl Day, pastry chef and co-owner of Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia, makes a delightful baked good out of a classic campfire treat: s’mores. A buttery graham cracker crust is topped with a layer of chocolatey brownies and finished with airy meringue. We adapted her recipe from her latest book, “Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking,” scaling back the ingredients to make a smaller batch. The crust calls for store-bought graham cracker crumbs, but if you prefer to start with whole graham crackers, to make the right amount of crumbs for the recipe, break 16 crackers into a food processor and blitz them until finely pulverized. A kitchen torch is the best and easiest way to toast the meringue, but a broiler works in a pinch. However, if using the broiler, be sure you carefully monitor browning because the meringue can go from perfectly toasted to scorched in a matter of seconds. Also, if broiled, the bars need to be served within a couple hours or the meringue will begin to weep. Otherwise, the bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days; bring to room temperature before serving.
Makes
16 bars
Don’t line the baking pan with kitchen parchment. It’s best to use foil, which won’t ignite if the flame from the kitchen torch comes in contact with it and which is safe to use under the broiler if that’s how you will be toasting the meringue. Also, don’t wait to apply the meringue to the bars. Once the meringue is made, it needs to be used immediately, otherwise it will stiffen up and become difficult to spread.
1¾ hours
45 minutes active, plus cooling
For the crust:
-
240
grams (2 cups) graham cracker crumbs (see headnote)
Directions
-
01Heat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position. Mist an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray (use a broiler-safe pan if you will be toasting the meringue under the broiler). Line the pan with a 14-inch length of foil, folded widthwise so it fits neatly in the bottom of the pan; allow the excess to overhang the sides. Mist the foil with cooking spray.