Need a romantic, playful dessert for Valentine's Weekend? I've got the answer for you in these mess-free fudgy S'more Brownie Bars: a combination of a s’more and a brownie, with the graham cracker crust and all. They’re a playful, handheld sweet that elevates your brownie game, resulting in a warm, toasty melted marshmallow per square and more chocolate chunk goodness hidden throughout each bite. Makes 16 bars.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs, about 15 sheets, crushed
1 stick unsalted butter (8 Tbsp), melted
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
Maldon flaky sea salt, optional
8 marshmallows, cut in half
INSTRUCTIONS:
For the crust, set the oven at 325 degrees. Butter a 10-inch square baking pan. Cut a piece of parchment as wide as the pan. Ease it into the pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides at either end (there should be a couple of inches of overhang at both ends).
In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Stir until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan, and press it down in an even layer.
Bake for 7 minutes. Turn the oven temperature up to 350 degrees.
For the brownie layer, in a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together; set aside.
In a heatproof bowl over hot but not boiling water, combine the chocolate and the butter. Heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until smooth. Remove the bowl from the water, wipe the bottom dry, and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. With a whisk, slowly stir in the melted chocolate mixture. Stir in the flour mixture, then the chocolate chunks just until combined.
Transfer the batter to the pan, spreading it gently into an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, keeping the oven on to add the marshmallows and bake further.
Open the oven, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if desired, then add the marshmallows, cut sides down, pressing them gently into the batter in 4 rows of 4 marshmallows (so each bar will contain a marshmallow). Continue baking for 10-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through to evenly brown the marshmallows. Total baking time is 35 minutes.
Marshmallows should be slightly golden and toasty in color, remove from oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Carefully remove from the pan using the parchment sides, and then portion the brownie bars into 16 portions, with each square containing one melty marshmallow. Enjoy!