The Best S'mores Brownies
These S'mores brownies are made with a graham cracker crust, a fudgy brownie layer, and topped with a fluffy Swiss meringue.
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust
- 1 ⅔ cups Graham crackers
- 6 tablespoon Butter
Brownie batter
- ¾ cup Butter melted, unsalted
- 8 oz Dark chocolate 60%
- ¾ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Cocoa powder Dutch processed
- 1 teaspoon Espresso powder
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Egg yolk
- ⅔ cup Flour
Swiss meringue
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- 3 Egg whites
Instructions
Make the graham cracker crust
- Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor on hand, place the crackers in a Ziplock bag and smash the crackers with a cup until fine crumbs form.
- Into a small to medium mixing bowl, add the graham crackers crumbs, and melted butter. Mix with a spoon until the crumbs are coated with butter.
- Transfer the crumbs into a prepared 9 by 9 inch pan, pressing evenly and firmly into the pan.
- Bake the crust in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 8 minutes. Keep an eye on the crust and make sure it doesn’t burn. Take the crust out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature.
For the brownie batter
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and the dark chocolate. Melt completely in the microwave or on a bain Marie. Mix with a whisk until silky and smooth.
- Add the granulated sugar, espresso powder, vanilla extract, and kosher salt, sift the cocoa powder, and mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the eggs and egg yolk and mix until well combined and smooth.
- Sift the flour and fold the mixture with a rubber spatula until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter onto the graham cracker crust. Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. Do not overbake it to keep it fudgy!
Make the Swiss meringue
- Start by combining egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, creating a double boiler.
- Whisk the mixture constantly while heating until it reaches 160°F (71°C) or feels smooth and not grainy when rubbed between your fingers.
- Once the desired temperature is reached, remove the bowl from heat and transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Beat on high speed for about 5-7 minutes, or until stiff, glossy peaks form and the meringue has cooled to room temperature.
- Top the completely cooled brownies with the meringue and make swirls using an offset spatula.
- Use a kitchen torch to slightly burn the top of the meringue to create a toasty look and give it a toasty flavor. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter. For a fudgy texture, avoid overmixing your brownie batter once you add flour. Mix just until combined to keep from incorporating too much air.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Monitor baking time. Keep an eye on your brownies as they bake. overbaking can lead to dry brownies instead of that desired fudgy consistency. A toothpick inserted should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely before topping. Allow your brownies to cool completely before adding the Swiss meringue topping to prevent melting or sliding off due to residual heat.
- Torch carefully. Use a kitchen torch on low heat setting to gently toast the Swiss meringue without burning it, moving in small circles until you achieve an even golden-brown color.
- Serve freshly torched. For best results, serve your brownies shortly after torching so that everyone can enjoy that freshly-toasted marshmallow flavor and texture.
- Line your baking pan with parchment paper to prevent the brownies from sticking to the pan.
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 4gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 258mgPotassium: 175mgFiber: 3gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 449IUCalcium: 30mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!