campfire s’mores brownies
Summer’s entrance means s’mores, and when you integrate them into a brownie, well, that’s just wonderful.
I don’t recall a profound memory of s’mores (not like you want to hear a chocolate-laden diatribe anyway), a vague one here and there. Once around Christmastime my mom, sis, and I heated a single peppermint bark s’more over a gas grill, then my mom wondered what the hell to do with the rest of the leftover components. I probably wound up snagging them and forgetting about their existence in the back of the pantry.
Despite my lack of cool s’more narratives, these Campfire S’mores Brownies are worth a doubletake. A layer of honey grahams, silky milk chocolate batter, and a hat of cute mini marshmallows bruleed crisp and toasty. Best part? You don’t need a campfire, so if you’re squeamish about insects and petrified of wildlife, your own comfy stove is all that’s required. Plus, the base brownie is excellent for a batch of No Churn Salted Caramel Brownie Ice Cream.
I prefer a fudgy, chewy brownie over a cake-like iteration, so I call for only two eggs and a minimal amount of flour in this recipe. The result is tender and slightly gooey, but not oozing.
Line a baking pan with parchment and spread graham cracker sheets over the bottom. You’ll probably need to crack some of them into smaller rectangles, but be sure the fit is fairly snug.
Start out by melting the butter, brown and white sugar (brown sugar gives a softer texture and deepens the chocolate flavor), milk chocolate chips, and vanilla together. You can do this in a double boiler or, like me who is a savage sans double boiler, in the microwave. Take care with the latter method and do so in 30 second increments to avoid burning.
In a small bowl, whisk the shit out of the eggs until they’re nice and bubbly. Frothy eggs creates a wonderful crackly top, which you can’t see, but certainly plays into the mouthfeel of the final product. Slowly pour the eggs into the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until well combined.
Then, add the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa, and salt – directly to the wet. No need for separate bowls here unless the one in which you melted the wet ingredients is too small. So long as you’re careful not to overmix, brownies aren’t as territorial as cake batter as far as separating wet to dry goes.
Pour everything over the graham crust. Bake for around 30 minutes, checking after 20 to ensure the brownies don’t quickly overbake.
Take the brownies out, sniff the glorious cocoa aromas emitted from the pan, then sprinkle a lovely few handfuls of mini marshmallows overtop. The mallows may not cover the whole surface, but as they broil they’ll poof up and no brownie will be left naked.
Broil them on high for around a minute. Watch them extremely closely. I may not be a s’more scientist, but I do know marshmallows crumble into char real quick. When gloriously browned and poofy, take the brownies out.
Cutting the bars is a total trip. Just laugh at yourself for how much the marshmallows REALLY love sticking to the knives and ruining all of your aesthetic desires. If it’s really irking you, however, run the knife under hot water for a few seconds. The method isn’t foolproof, but it helps.
The result here? A fine pile of sweet s’mores brownies perfect for sharing around the poolside or divvying up while camping. If you’re into that sort of shindig.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Who doesn’t love chocolate? Here’s s’more ideas:
Skillet Dulce de Leche Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie
Vegan Pistachio Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salted Bourbon Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
Salty Pretzel Peanut Butter Cup Bars
Ingredients
- 6 sheets honey or cinnamon grahams
- 8 tbsp butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with parchment, leaving some to overhang the edges.
- Line the bottom of the baking pan with graham crackers, fully covering the parchment. You may need to break and arrange the sheets to get them to fit properly.
- In a microwave-safe bowl or measuring cup, heat butter, sugars, milk chocolate chips, and vanilla in 30 second increments, stirring after each to ensure none of the components scald. This process took about 2 minutes in my microwave, but times may vary. The butter and chocolate should be completely melted and the mixture very smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- In a small bowl, whisk eggs until very frothy. Slowly add to the butter mixture, whisking until incorporated. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir until just combined.
- Pour brownie batter over the graham crackers and gently spread with a rubber spatula. Tap pan a couple times on the counter to loosen any air bubbles and help the batter distribute.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into center removes with just a few moist crumbs.
- Turn oven broiler to high. Spread mini marshmallows evenly over the brownies. Broil 30 to 60 seconds. WATCH CLOSELY! When marshmallows obtain desired shade of toastiness, remove pan from the oven.
- Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then lift the edges of the parchment and pull brownie slab out of the pan. Run the blade of a very sharp knife under hot water and slice brownies into desired number of squares. Serve warm.
