S’MORE PIEfeatured

I’ve mentioned this before. My Mom hates camping. She loves nature, but she hates sleeping outdoors. The woman needs a bed. Period.

Ironically, when I turned 12 and was finally old enough to go on the girl’s camping trip with the church youth group, my Mom happened to be in charge that year. Wait what?  In classic form, instead of finding a bonafide campsite, she had us “camp” in our backyard while she slept inside. In her bed. Well played Mom. She also had us take our nature hike at the local zoo. So yeah, we learned a lot about the great outdoors that year.

And since she wasn’t super pumped to have us light a fire in our backyard, we roasted s’mores over our stove inside. Because camping just isn’t legit without s’mores. Even if you are just sleeping in your backyard.

I love this pie. It’s easy, looks cool and tastes like a legit s’more. All that’s missing is a campfire, some ghost stores and in my Mom’s case, a nice comfy bed.

Recipe: S’more Pie Adopted from First Prize Pies  |  Soundtrack: Megan Davies

• CRUST
• 1 1/2 cups ground graham cracker crumbs
• 6-8 tbsp butter, melted
• PIE FILLING
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 12 oz good quality milk chocolate, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• MARSHMALLOW
• 1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
To make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350º.

Crumble the graham crackers into a food processor and process until finely ground. You can also try a blender or a plastic bag and a rolling pin if you don’t have a processor. Pour the butter into the crumbs and mix with your hands. Mix until fully incorporated and the texture feels like wet sand.

Spray a 9-inch pie tin with cooking spray and then pour the crumbs into your pan. Firmly press the crumbs against the sides and then the bottom. To get the bottom even, use the underside of a measuring cup and press firmly all around. This will help make it packed and smooth. Chill the crust for at least 15 minutes.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove and completely cool before adding the filling.

To make the filling: Put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, heat the cream over medium high heat until it’s scalded. Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for 1 minute. Whisk until completely combined into a glossy ganache. Whisk in eggs and salt until fully incorporated.

Pour the chocolate filling into the crust and bake it for 35-40 minutes or until the filling has just set and is still slightly wobbly in the center. Remove the pie and cool completely.

To make the marshmallow: In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2/3 cup water. Leave it to sit.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and another 2/3 cup water. Cook the sugar mixture over medium-high heat, stirring only at the beginning to dissolve the sugar. Boil the mixture until it reaches 260ºF/130Cº on a candy thermometer. When it is getting close to being at the right temperature, turn on your mexer to soften the gelatin. Beat it quickly and then turn it back off.

Once the mixture is at the right temperature, remove it from the heat. Turn your mixer back on and slowly pour the hot mixture in a steady stream into the gelatin while mixing continually. Try to avoid pouring down the sides; instead try to get the sugar mixture between the beater and the side. When all of the syrup is in, increase the speed gradually to high and continue to beat until the mixture is very thick and has tripled in volume. About 5-10 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for a minute more.

Pour the marshmallow over the cooled pie. You might not use all of it. Just put it in a container and save it for that late night ice cream sundae craving.

Allow the topping to cool and set. About 30 minutes. If you are using a torch (my preferred tool, totally worth the purchase. Fun fun fun), make sure you are working in a clean, flame proof area. Putting a bake sheet under your pie helps protect your counters just in case. Light the torch and start to toast the surface of the pie. You can go as light or as dark as your prefer. I like my s’mores golden with a little scorch.

If you have no torch, you can also do this in your oven, you will just need to watch this like a hawk. Preheat your broiler and put the pie on a baking sheet. Cover the crust with tinfoil or a pie shield if you have it. Broil the pie about 3 inches from the heat source, rotating the pie for even toasting until you get the right color. It burns easily so you will need to watch it continually. Keep the oven door a little cracked and watch and rotate the entire time. Remove the pie once it’s the right level of toasted.

Allow the pie to cool completely before serving. Store in the refrigerator.

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