Decadent S'more Brownies

There is no darker place than the mind of a chocolate mad teenager. So deep is my daughter's love of chocolate that she can tell the difference in taste and texture of nearly every market-variety brand chocolate and quite a few artisan offerings.

Many a time I've brought home a treat and I've been told that it had the wrong cacoa percentage. Really? Is your palette that sophisticated? Well, apparently it is.

One of the things that I strive to achieve as a parent is a little culinary independence. I have always encouraged my kids to experiment in the kitchen and make some of their own creations.

My daughter is turning into quite a baker because of her deep seated love of chocolate. Last week  was no exception.

I brought home a perfectly good bag of marshmallows, a perfectly good box of Grahm crackers and a perfectly good package of Hershey bars. I had planned to treat the kids to s'mores. However, since I couldn't locate my ax (yes, I own an ax), we couldn't work the firewood into manageable pieces. 

I told the kids to be patient and that I would find the ax the next day. Insert sardonic laughter here. My daughter didn't want to wait. The chocolate beast within was roaring at her to consume every sweet thing within a 50 yard radius.

Not to be discouraged, my daughter ran to her computer and within three minutes had located an appallingly sweet and deeply satisfying recipe for S'more Chocolate Brownies.

You will get at least two new cavities from this dessert, but I have to confess, it may be worth it. This is the next best thing to an actual campfire s'more. In fact, some of you may never want to roast another marshmallow and just make this treat instead.

So, courtesy of my lovely daughter, I hope you enjoy this fantastic recipe. You will want to have a nice tall glass of icy cold milk on hand when you serve.  

S'More Brownies

Recipe by Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients

Crust:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch fine salt

*Brownie:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 large cold eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

• 4 cups large marshmallows

*You can substitute brownie mix if you don't want to make from scratch.

Directions

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.

For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, (keep an eye on it, it can go quick), about 2 minutes. Cool on a rack; gently removing the brownies from the pan using the aluminum flaps. Carefully separate any marshmallow from the foil and fold away. Cut into 12 (2-inch) squares.