As a child, I was kind of afraid of the woods. Blame it on the fairy tales, maybe? But as an adult, I cannot get enough of nature. While Swallow Falls State Park is my favorite place on Earth, the coronavirus pandemic has prevented us from crossing state lines into Maryland. We’re lucky to live near North Park in Pittsburgh, and also to have our own backyard, complete with a fire pit.
I recently caught the scent of a backyard fire on the breeze, and this made me think of s’mores, which then made me wonder how I could bake something s’more-like for Mike and his coworkers. The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion includes a recipe called “Build-a-Bars” that can be adapted to whatever flavor profile you like, and it seemed a good option for a s’more bar. You could make a pastry crust for these, but I chose to go with a graham cracker crust for extra s’more-ness.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 13 1/2 sheets of crackers)
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
For the filling
- 2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 4 full-sized Hershey bars, broken into pieces
- 1 cup broken graham crackers
For the topping
- 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- 5 ounces evaporated milk
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking tin.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, flour, and brown sugar and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
In a medium bowl, stir together miniature marshmallows, Hershey bar pieces, and graham cracker pieces; set aside while you make the topping.
For the topping, beat cream cheese, sugar, and salt until blended. Add egg and beat well to combine completely, scraping your bowl as necessary, until no lumps remain. Add evaporated milk and beat to combine completely.
Pour the filling evenly over the crust, then pour topping evenly over filling.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until edges bubble a bit and the center is set. Cool on a wire rack completely before cutting; cut into 24 bars.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2-3 days.
amy bakes in the 'burgh 