S'mores Brownies
S'mores brownies are the best dessert mashup of the summer! They are layered with a buttery graham cracker crust, and fudgy brownie batter, and topped with a homemade toasted marshmallow layer; no campfire is needed!
Equipment
Ingredients
Brownie Batter
- 4-5 honey graham cracker sheets
- 10 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup + ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened dutch cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped dark chocolate
Homemade Marshmallow
- ⅓ cup water
- 4 ½ teaspoon gelatin powder
- 1 ⅛ cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp agave you can also substitute honey or corn syrup
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
Make the Brownie Batter
- Line a square edge 8x8 baking pan (see notes) then preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Lay 4-5 graham cracker sheets on the bottom of the pan in an even layer. It’s okay if you have to break some of them to fit!
- Melt the butter and chocolate chips until smooth.
- Whisk together sugars, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined. Then whisk in the melted butter and chocolate.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Then pour the brownie batter over the graham crackers. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out covered in a few moist crumbs. In my oven, 33 minutes is perfect! Let the pan cool on a wire cooling rack for 1-2 hours until completely cool.
- When the brownie is cool, melt the chopped chocolate and spread it evenly over the top. Then use your fingers or a pastry brush to brush canola oil onto the sides of the parchment paper above the brownie. This will keep the marshmallow from sticking to the paper.
Make the Marshmallow
- Pour the water into a mixing bowl and add the gelatin. Attach the bowl to the stand mixer and fit the whisk attachment.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, boil the sugar, agave, and water over medium heat for 10-13 minutes, until the mixture reaches between 240-250 F.
- With the mixer running on low, slowly stream the hot sugar into the mixing bowl with the gelatin. Aim the stream so it goes between the whisk and the side of the bowl. If you pour it onto the whisk you'll end up with hard bits of sugar in your marshmallows. Once it has been added, add the vanilla bean paste and salt. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 10-15 minutes, or until the bowl no longer feels hot. It should feel warm and the marshmallow should be thick and fluffy.
- Working quickly, scrape the marshmallow directly on top of the brownie. Use the spatula to evenly spread it to fill the pan. Set the brownies aside to set for a minimum of 4 hours.
- When you are ready to cut them, pull the sides of the parchment up to remove them from the pan and place it on a cutting board. Have a small bowl of canola oil or nonstick cooking spray nearby with a few paper towels and a sharp knife.
- Dust the top of the marshmallow with a thin layer of powdered sugar.
- Run the knife under hot water, then wipe it clean. Dab a paper towel in the oil and rub it all over the blade of the knife.
- Cut the brownie into four sections from the middle to one edge in one clean cut. Then run the knife under hot water, grease it, and cut the brownie from the opposite side in the same way. You can watch the step-by-step video below for a visual example. Separate the sections, then cut each one into fourths. Continue with these same steps until the entire pan of s'mores brownies are cut.
- Place the individual brownies on a sheet pan. Use a kitchen torch or put them under the oven broiler until the tops are golden brown. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Baking pans that have rounded edges are closer to a 7x7 baking pan. This means the brownie batter will sit higher in your pan and you will need to rearrange the graham crackers differently than shown. You should expect to bake them longer than the indicated baking time.
*Measure your flour properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
Set before cutting. Do not try and cut the brownies too soon, or the marshmallow will be a sticky mess. The longer it sets up, the easier it will be to cut!
Use a sharp knife. For clean cuts, there are a few things you can do. Run the knife under hot water, then grease or spray the knife with nonstick cooking spray. Wipe it clean in between cuts, following this same process.
Cut in sections. Cut the brownies into four sections first then into individual squares. This will keep the knife from pulling the marshmallow off the top. See the step-by-step video below for an example.