So remember how I gushed about the people I met at the Big Summer Potluck, how warm and welcoming they were, how genuine and down to earth everyone was? None of that has changed. They are all lovely people. What I didn’t realize going into the event was exactly WHO some of these folks were. At the risk of having BAH shut down by the food blog police for gross ignorance, I am oblivious to the vast majority of the food world.
In today’s kitchen confession, I’m going to fess up and say that when it comes to award winner this or cookbook author that, I don’t even pretend to know how much I don’t know. I poke around these here interwebs and find things that I like with absolutely no regard to the name associated with them. I am just as likely to try a recipe by {insert the most random person you can think of here} as I am one from Lidia, Jamie, Ina, Deb, or Ree. My palate does not care where good food comes from as long as the supply chain does not break down. And honestly, my obsessive tendencies do not need yet another muse. I spent nearly a year on a quest to find the perfect cake. Imagine how much of the rest of my life could be sucked up searching for the bestest, award winningest cookbook author or food expert.
Is there a point to this confession? Absolutely. S’mores bars. Abby Dodge’s S’mores Bars. What I didn’t know when I met Abby at the Potluck is that she is an accomplished pastry chef, award winning cookbook author, and renowned baking expert. A big part of me is glad that I didn’t know that before the event. Otherwise, my socially awkward self would never have had the courage to casually chat with her. I imagine that instead I would have stammered and stuttered something tres stupid before trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible and never discovered how genuinely approachable she is. Since I’m not an award winning cookbook author, renowned baking expert, or accomplished pastry chef, I don’t know how often she encounters the star struck or whether she can see them coming a mile away. I’m just glad that I didn’t turn her Potluck experience into something out of the pages of Tales of the Awkward and Socially Uncomfortable. Abby, thank you for being so vibrant and warm to a complete stranger and for opening my eyes to a slighter wider view of the food world.
Oh, and thank you for giving the world your Toasted Bittersweet S’mores Bars. Graham cracker crumbs, butter, chocolate, and marshmallow should not give me nearly as much pleasure as they do when they are transformed into a treat. Four simple ingredients? Even I, notorious recipe breaker that I am, could not fail at this. Mine didn’t look quite as pretty as yours did in the post on Fine Cooking, But like I said, my palate is only concerned with the supply of tasty food. And these did not disappoint.
Abby Dodge’s new cookbook is Desserts 4 Today. She was gracious enough to let me reprint the recipe here but I highly recommend that you see what other simply delicious 4 ingredient desserts are contained in the 125 recipes. The book is available online through Amazon. And check out her web site for a video trailer of the book. Want more Desserts 4 Today? Go check out Jen at My Kitchen Addiction. Reading her review and seeing her photos makes me want to call in sick today and go home and bake. How’s that for an endorsement?
Abby Dodges Toasted Bittersweet S’mores Bars
Reprinted from Desserts 4 Today with Permission
BAH Note: Be sure to plan your S’mores Bars making because between each step of the process there is a mandatory chill in the fridge so everything doesn’t fall apart when you finally slip the treats under the broiler. Rest assured, it’s worth the wait. The gram cracker crust remains firm while the chocolate layer soften ever so gently and the marshmallows become properly melty inside their thin, crisp crust.
Speaking of the broiler (which I fear almost as much as yeast), I ended up standing guard at the oven and when the tops had not gotten that lovely shade of brown after 20 seconds (I swear I counted), I opened the oven door and carefully began rotating the pan under broiler flame so that the tops browned evenly without sacrificing a single S’mores Bar to the Broiler Gods. I personally preferred these the next day when they were gently reheated in a 350 degree oven for about 5 to 7 minutes and then cooled slightly.
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 6 oz. chocolate (bittersweet or semisweet), chopped
- 18 large marshmallows, cut in half crosswise
Heat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch-square baking dish with foil, leaving about 1 inch hanging over 2 edges. Lightly coat the bottom and sides with cooking spray. Make room in the fridge.
Put 3 Tbs. of the butter in a medium, heatproof bowl and heat in a microwave or over simmering water until melted. Add the cookie crumbs and stir until the crumbs are moist and well blended. Dump the crumbs into the prepared pan and, using a flat-bottomed cup, firmly press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom. Bake until fragrant, about 12 minutes. Set on a rack to cool.
Put the chocolate and the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a medium heatproof bowl and heat in a microwave or over simmering water until melted. Whisk until smooth and blended. Pour into the baked crust (it’s OK if the crust is still warm) and spread evenly. Refrigerate until almost firm, about 30 minutes (for faster chilling, slide the pan into the freezer). Arrange the marshmallow halves, cut side down, evenly over the chocolate, pressing lightly. Cover and refrigerate until very firm, about 40 minutes or for up to 2 days.
Just before serving, adjust the oven rack to the top level and heat the broiler on high. Using the excess foil as handles, lift the s’more square from the pan and set on a cookie sheet. Pull the foil away from the sides and slide the cookie sheet under the broiler. Broil until the marshmallows are browned, about 20 seconds. Set on a rack and move the foil and s’more square to a cutting board. Cut into 18 rectangles. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve slightly chilled.
BAH Disclosure: I received a copy of Desserts 4 Today from the publisher for review. I was not compensated for this post and the opinions expressed herein are those of Bon Appetit Hon.
Bon Appetit Hon 
When I first saw the photo, I thought the post was going to be about sliders. The marshmallows look just like little buns!
Minx, you know if I had been trying to get them to take on a bun like appearance I wouldn’t have come anywhere close. But I can totally see how they look like wee sliders in the photo.
I seriously said “ahhhhh” when the screen popped up. And here I thought the s’mores ice cream I bought would suffice. This does not help me. Nope.
Boo, I don’t know from smores ice cream. But these bars, I know they do not disappoint.
Oh you have to find some s’mores ice cream. They make it at the dairy at my son’s university (which sadly, is not in College Park). Spectacular stuff if you run across some.
PS, glad I’m not the only one who saw sliders on first glance.
Smores ice cream? Really? Is this maybe a regional thing? Better question…can somebody find a way to send me some so I can experience it myself?
Ohhhh yeah. Howling Cow, the NC State campus dairy, calls the flavor Campfire. Graham cracker ice cream, marshmallow cream and chocolate chips.
I really wish I had known about this earlier this year when I was driving down I95 and could have detoured in search of Smores Ice Cream. Of course that does give me a pretty good excuse to make a road trip….
My girls would maim and kill for one of those!
Kitch, where did yur girls get the sweet tooth from? Musta been their Daddy. Because I know how you feel about the sweets. But maybe you’ll surprise the kids with a batch of smores bars?
Yum… I think your S’mores bars look great. S’mores, by definition, are not supposed to look “perfect” so I think you totally nailed it. I’d eat one (or two or three!). Thanks so much for mentioning my cookbook review… Totally appreciated 🙂
Jen, we totally scarfed these down in about a day or two. I’m not sure if that shows any restraint or not when you consider there are only two of us doing the eating.
Wendi.. these looks amazing & your kind words about me and D4T are much appreciated. Remember – we are all in this together!!
ps.. LOVE the sliders comment.. we should re-name the recipe and call ’em S’mores Sliders
Abby, thanks for stopping by. I can’t wait to make more D4T recipes…and I plan to fully redeem myself for overbaking the Nutella Brownie Bites.
Lovely s’mores bars (or sliders). 😉 Abby is wonderful and so is her new book!!
Tracy, isn’t Abby incredible? She really made a huge impression on me.
I love the simplicity of these…. can’t wait to get my review copy in the mail too! I absolutely adore Abby’s recipes & I can’t wait to meet her 🙂
Lori, you’ll love Abby in person. She has a great spirit.
that dessert looks flat out amazing.
Thanks Elizabeth. It really is a can’t miss combination.
Kitchen confessions, I love ’em. This is one hell of a recipe – its positively lethal. Love it.
Anna, this entire cookbook is potentially lethal to my ability to fit into my skinnier clothes. And really, click that link to My Kitchen Addiction and see all the fantastic pictures Jen took of her D4T creations.
OH MAN! These look amazing! Smores anything is fabulous!
Jessica, I hope you will give these a try and also check out the Desserts 4 Today cookbook. By the way, love your FoodBuzz entry post.
I can’t believe I’m going to admit this, but I didn’t like s’mores until recently. As a kid, I just ate the chocolate. Then I got a s’mores as a baby shower favor, and I cannot believe what I was missing. And your s’mores look delicious! I think messy is just part of the process of eating them.
Jen, there were no smores for me growing up. That was the stuff you got if you went camping and whatnot. And believe me, I did nonathat. So my relationship with smores is more recent. And yes, the mess is part of the charm. You need to check out Beth at 990 Square’s smores cupcakes. They live here: http://www.990square.com/2010/03/chocolate-graham-marshmallow-cupcakes/
Oh, boy. You’ve hit my weak spot. YUUUM!
Adrienne, should I admit to having all the fixings to make another batch of these at my disposal? I don’t know what divine power has kept me from drowning my sorrows in a pan of melted chocolate and marshmallow goodness.