S'mores Brownie Bars

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Hi!
It’s the Sunday night before Thanksgiving, nearly five months after I originally created these S’more Brownie Bars, and I thought I’d FINALLY share these with the world! My apologies to all the people who were dedicated in asking my when this recipe was being posted.

I originally meant for this recipe to be posted in June, finally wrote this post in late August and now publishing it in November, I’m very aware I’m the worst, but TBH they are so good that it’s worth this wait.. I promise. Now that I have explained my procrastination with these s’more brownie bars, lets get on to the recipe.

Note: Please read through the whole recipe before starting. This recipe is slightly different than my usual recipes. There isn’t a distinct "Method" and "Assembly" part. There are many layers to this one and the assembly will be happening throughout.

If you do bake these, and I hope you do, I’d love to share in the moment with you. Tag me on instagram @foxandcrane and use my hashtag #foxandcrane so I may see your S’more Brownie Bars!

xo -Jase

…Good to Knows…

• Please read through the whole recipe before starting! This recipe is slightly different than my usual recipes. There isn’t a distinct "Method" and "Assembly" part. There are many layers to this one and the assembly will be happening throughout.

• I decided to par-bake the graham cracker base because I found that if if wasn’t baked prior to the brownie batter, the graham cracker base was a bit on the wet/mushy side.

• Although this recipe is somewhat time intensive, the results are outta this world and 100% worth your time! 

• If you do not have flaky smoked salt, you can swap that out for a standard flaky or kosher salt. 

…Provisions…

For a full list of recipes, check out the Recipe Index

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S’mores Brownie Bars

…makes 12-16 bars…

Graham Cracker Base
280g graham crackers
113g (1/4c or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
pinch of kosher salt

Brownie
30ml (2 tbsp) neutral oil 
113g (1/4c or 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
266g (1 1/3c) granulated white sugar
3 large brown eggs
10ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract
86g (2/3c) all-purpose flour
75g double-dutch cocoa powder
pinch of kosher salt 

Smoked Salt Caramel
300g (1 1/2c) granulated white sugar
200ml heavy cream 
113g (1/4c or 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
10g (2 tsp) smoked salt

Marshmallow
14g (2 packets) gelatin
150g water - split in half 
100g corn syrup
270g granulated white sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or the seeds from one vanilla bean pod

Graham Cracker Base
Place oven rack on the center position and preheat oven to 325˚f/160˚c. Spray a 9x9” square baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

In a food processor, pulse graham crackers until finely ground into crumbs. Add sugar and quickly pulse once to combine. Place mixture into a medium bowl and pour in melted butter and mix until dry ingredients have fully absorbed the butter. 

Pour mixture into parchment lined 9x9” baking pan and firmly pack crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.

Place into the oven and bake for 7-10mins until slightly more golden in color. Remove and allow to cool while you prepare the brownie batter. 

Brownie
In a medium size bowl, combine melted butter, oil and sugar together and whisk well to combine. Next add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to fully incorporate. Batter should look lighter in color and slightly fluffy. Add vanilla and whisk to combine.

Now sift together flour, cocoa powder and salt. Fold half the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until streaky, followed by the second half, and gently mix until everything is just combined. Do not over beat the brownie batter. 

Pour brownie batter onto the slightly cooled graham cracker base, smoothing the top with an off-set spatula.

Place into the oven and bake at 325˚f/160˚c for 25-28mins. Remove the brownies and let them set for 10mins before placing them into the refrigerator to cool while you prepare the caramel. Placing the brownies in the refrigerator will assist/cut down on cooling once all the layers are added.

Smoked Salt Caramel
In a small heavy-bottomed pan, add sugar and set to medium heat. Stir or swirl the pan occasionally, until the sugar is a deep amber color. Remove from the heat and slowly add heavy cream in a slow stream. Be careful as mixture will steam, bubble and sputter. Whisk well to combine. Now add cooled butter and whisk to combine, then add smoked salt and whisk until well incorporated.

Pour caramel onto the slightly cooled brownie, and using a non-stick sprayed, off-set spatula, spread the caramel into an even layer. Set this stage of the brownies aside to cool while you prepare the marshmallow.

Marshmallow
As always, weigh out, gather and prepare all ingredients prior to mixing. This is especially important when making marshmallows as you have very little time before the marshmallow begins to set once mixed. This also means you must prepare all your equipment. Spray your spatula with cooking spray.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the first half of water and both packets of gelatin. Whisk well, and leave to bloom (approx. 5mins) while you prepare the sugar syrup.

In a small pot, combine the second half of the water, corn syrup, sugar, and vanilla. Heat over medium to high heat, stirring occasionally, until the syrup reaches 240˚f / 120˚c. Once the temperature has been reached, remove pan from the heat and set aside until it has cooled slightly. 

At this time, turn your mixer on medium, and whisk the bloomed gelatin for a few seconds to help break up into medium sized pieces. Now while the mixer is still running at medium speed, gently pour the hot sugar syrup into the mixer. Tip: Pour the mixture in a slow stream down the side of the bowl, insuring it doesn’t hit the whisk, which may cause it to splatter and burn you. 

Now turn the speed up to high, and whip the mixture for approx. 8-12 minutes, until the mixture has doubled in volume, has turned white and is resembling soft marshmallow fluff that holds a stiff peak. Once it holds a stiff peak, carefully transfer to the piping bag using your prepared spatula. Marshmallow will be very sticky. so always prep utensils beforehand so it’s easy to remove it from the mixing bowl.

Pour the still warm marshmallow onto the caramel layer and, using a non-stick sprayed, off-set spatula, quickly spread it into the corners and create a swooshed top for when you toast the marshmallow before cutting. This will give you variation on your toast.

Now is the time that the S’Mores Brownie needs to fully cooled and the marshmallow needs to fully set before cutting them into squares or bars. This should take approx. 2-4 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

Once the bottom of the pan is completely cool to the touch and the marshmallow is springy to the touch, remove from the baking pan and with a torch, toast the tips of the marshmallow and cut into squares or bars. Now they are ready for you to enjoy!

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