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Milk Street Bowtie S'mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue

S'mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue

Makes 16 bars

1¾ hours 45 minutes active, plus cooling

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Cheryl Day, pastry chef and co-owner of Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia, makes a delightful baked good out of a classic campfire treat: s’mores. A buttery graham cracker crust is topped with a layer of chocolatey brownies and finished with airy meringue. We adapted her recipe from her latest book, “Cheryl Day’s Treasury of Southern Baking,” scaling back the ingredients to make a smaller batch. The crust calls for store-bought graham cracker crumbs, but if you prefer to start with whole graham crackers, to make the right amount of crumbs for the recipe, break 16 crackers into a food processor and blitz them until finely pulverized. A kitchen torch is the best and easiest way to toast the meringue, but a broiler works in a pinch. However, if using the broiler, be sure you carefully monitor browning because the meringue can go from perfectly toasted to scorched in a matter of seconds. Also, if broiled, the bars need to be served within a couple hours or the meringue will begin to weep. Otherwise, the bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days; bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes

16 bars

Tip

Don’t line the baking pan with kitchen parchment. It’s best to use foil, which won’t ignite if the flame from the kitchen torch comes in contact with it and which is safe to use under the broiler if that’s how you will be toasting the meringue. Also, don’t wait to apply the meringue to the bars. Once the meringue is made, it needs to be used immediately, otherwise it will stiffen up and become difficult to spread.

1¾ hours

45 minutes active, plus cooling

240 grams (2 cups) graham cracker crumbs (see headnote)
2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
113 grams (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
113 grams (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
113 grams (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
267 grams (1¼ cups) white sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
65 grams (½ cup) all-purpose flour, whisked to remove lumps
4 large egg whites
160 grams (¾ cup) white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crust:
  • 240

    grams (2 cups) graham cracker crumbs (see headnote)

  • 2

    tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar

  • ¼

    teaspoon table salt

  • 113

    grams (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the brownie layer:
  • 113

    grams (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

  • 113

    grams (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, chopped

  • 267

    grams (1¼ cups) white sugar

  • ¼

    teaspoon table salt

  • 2

    teaspoons vanilla extract

  • 2

    large eggs, room temperature

  • 65

    grams (½ cup) all-purpose flour, whisked to remove lumps

For the meringue:
  • 4

    large egg whites

  • 160

    grams (¾ cup) white sugar

  • ¼

    teaspoon cream of tartar

  • ½

    teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

S'mores Bars with Marshmallow Meringue

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Reviews
Louise P.
January 7, 2024
A showstopper
All in my multi-generational family, loved these squares! I followed the directions exactly as written. Thanks to this recipe, I now own a kitchen torch, which was fun to use and gave these squares such a pretty and tasty finish.
Anna P.
December 7, 2023
Storage?
Will these keep till the next day?
Scott S.
November 5, 2023
Was a great hit at a bonfire party.
This was an adults only event so we didn’t have any kids to provide feedback. Nonetheless, everyone loved it.
Katie F.
November 4, 2023
Mmmmm
We made these exactly as written. They were delicious; the meringue was the best part!