Chocolaty Smores Bars Food

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER S'MORES BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13 straight-sided baking pan with parchment, letting the parchment hang over the long sides by about 2 inches (this will help you remove the bars from the pan later). Spray all the parchment, including the exposed ends, with non-stick cooking spray.
• Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt to a medium-sized bowl then whisk to combine. Set aside. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. On medium-low speed, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Turn the mixer off and add in the flour mixture and stir by hand until just combined.
• Divide the dough in half. Using clean hands, place pieces of the dough all over the base of the prepared pan (this will make it easier to spread it into a crust that covers the base of the pan). Lightly spray your clean hands with the non-stick spray then gently press and mold the dough to cover the base of the pan.
• Place the chocolate bars on top of the dough in an even flat layer. Press slightly to adhere the chocolate to the dough. It will not cover the dough completely but will melt and spread as it bakes. Similar to the dough, dollop the marshmallow creme all over the chocolate bars. Spray your clean hands with the non-stick spray then use them to gently spread the marshmallow creme to completely cover the chocolate bars and dough. Sprinkle the peanut butter chips and the semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of the marshmallow creme. Spray your hands once again then take the remaining half of the dough and gently flatten into pancake-like pieces. Place them on top of the chips allowing some of the marshmallow creme and chips to peek through.
• Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let the bars cool completely before cutting into squares.

S'MORES BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter.
• In a large bowl combine the butter and brown sugar. Using a hand mixer, blend until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and mix on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute.
• In a separate bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. With the mixer running, slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture, and mix until a dough forms.
• Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish and pat out in an even layer to cover the bottom of the pan. Top the dough with the chocolate chips and marshmallows.
• Bake until the marshmallows are browned and the dough is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then slice into 2-by-2-inch squares.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE S'MORES BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over two sides of the pan to act as handles. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray.
• Place 18 marshmallows (about 4 ounces or 2 cups) in a medium bowl and set aside. Place the remaining 8 ounces of marshmallows (about 4 cups) in a large microwave-safe bowl along with the butter. Microwave on high until the marshmallows and butter are completely melted, about 1 minute, stirring halfway through. Stir to combine. Add the graham crackers and rice cereal and quickly stir them into the melted marshmallows. Immediately scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Spray the bottom of a measuring cup with nonstick spray and use it to press the mixture into an even layer in the pan.
• Place 1 cup heavy cream to a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the cream until it is just starting to steam, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Shake the bowl lightly to make sure the chips are completely submerged in the heavy cream. Let stand about 5 minutes. Whisk the heavy cream and chocolate together until smooth. If any chocolate isn't melted you can microwave for 10-second increments until completely melted. It's important to only microwave 10 seconds at a time so the mixture never gets too hot. Once melted set aside to cool slightly.
• Place the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer or a medium bowl and whip with a mixer or whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until you no longer see any streaks of white. Spoon the mousse over the graham cracker base and smooth the top to make an even layer.
• Cut the reserved 18 marshmallows that were set aside in half horizontally. Press 6 marshmallow halves in a row along the bottom border of the pan. Continue adding lines of marshmallows so that you have 6 rows of 6 marshmallows each covering the mousse. Cover with plastic wrap (preferably reusable) and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• When ready to serve, cut the bars into 6 long strips following the lines of the marshmallows. Then cut the strips in half so that each bar has 3 marshmallow halves on it. If desired, toast the marshmallows with a kitchen torch and serve. The bars can be refrigerated up to 3 days.