S'mores Brownies

My brother Paulo will have Hubs and a few friends over every Sunday to watch ball games, and he's gracious enough to also feed that motley crew while they yell over the calls at the Chiefs game and complain about their Fantasy Football choices for the week. Aside from grabbing some beer on his way, Hubs is also nice enough to offer to bring dessert - which, of course, I am stuck making. Not really an issue, though, since I usually have lots of new recipes to try, and that makes it easier to get rid of the results :)


Here is one of the products of one Game Day baking experiment -S'mores brownies. Kathleen (of Tate's Bake Shop fame) named them 'Beach Brownies', but to me they are also like those treats everyone knows from cook-outs, camping trips, and picnics - s'mores. A lovely graham crust, fudgy chocolatey center, and toasted marshmallows covering the top. Yum!

Beware, though, these suckers are rich! A small piece goes a long way.

S'mores Brownies

(adapted from Tate's Bake Shop Cookbook, 2005)

Ingredients:

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

7 Tbsp. salted butter, melted

1 c. salted butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 Tbsp. vanilla

5 large eggs

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped

25-40 mini marshmallows (about half a bag)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Spoon the mixture into a glass 9X13 pan, and pat down evenly to cover the bottom only. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the buter and sugar, stirring constantly until the sugar and butter are melted. In a large bowl, add the chopped bittersweet chocolate. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the chocolate and stir until it is melted. Add the vanilla and mix. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until they are just combined. Stir in the chopped milk chocolate chunks.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Place the marshmallows evenly over the top.

Bake the brownies for 40-50 minutes, until crackled on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let the brownies cool on a wire rack, and then cut.