Happy fourth of July from beautiful Salem, Ma!
Seeing that a lot of the Northeast is rained out this year and people are stuck inside, here’s a great way to enjoy classic s’mores flavor if you can’t get a fire blazing.
This is one for the record books.
Serve this baby warm and share it with your closest friends.
This pie is super rich and loaded with classic campfire flavor.
Purists or nut haters can totally skip the toasted pecans. The dessert would stand just fine on its own.
S’mores fudge pie is easy on the eyes and deceptively easy to make. Cut your slices on the smaller side.
It’s pretty dense, so a little really does go a long way.
Thanks to the brilliant peeps at Southern Living magazine for the recipe, which I tweaked only so slightly for this post.
What’s on top
Gooey toasted marshmallows. Velvety chocolate sauce. Crunchy, toasted pecans.
What’s inside
A graham cracker crust sprinkled with chopped, toasted pecans, then filled with luscious, dense chocolate cake that’s *almost* flourless.
(There’s just enough flour to hold the whole shebang together.)
If you’re not crazy about pecans, this would be great with almost any kind of nut.
I might try it with chopped, toasted almonds next time.
Maybe even throw in a little flaked coconut. Again, not your traditional s’mores…but somehow I think that’s just fine. 😉
Trust me: Don’t sauce until you serve
A word of caution: Bake the pie and brown the marshmallows on top. Make the chocolate sauce. THEN STOP.
Wait to top the pie with the chocolate sauce until right before you serve.
The warm sauce will deflate the marshmallows and most likely initiate a landslide (see below).
Not a problem if you’re serving right away.
Alrighty, to the ovens!
S’mores Fudge Pie
Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
Batter
4 oz. dark chocolate chips
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (NOT hot chocolate mix)
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. salt
Marshmallow Garnish
8 – 10 jumbo marshmallows (or about 15 – 20 large marshmallows), cut in half diagonally
3/4 cup mini marshmallows
Chocolate Sauce
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbls. unsweetened cocoa (NOT hot chocolate mix)
3-4 Tbls. milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. Scotch or whiskey
Serves about 8
Toast the pecans
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Coarsely chop the pecans. Toast them in a dry, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly brown and fragrant.
Remove from the pan and set them aside to cool.
Make the graham cracker crust
Put the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove in a small pan over low heat.
Pour into the bowl with the crumbs and sugar.
Stir until the crumbs are moistened and the mixture is uniform.
You’ll wind up with a bowl of stuff that resembles coarse, wet sand.
Dump the mixture into a nonstick, springform pan.
Spread them out, and press them into place on the bottom and sides of the pan.
Don’t make yourself nuts trying to get the crust perfectly even all the way around the pan. By definition, this is kind of a messy dessert.
Spread about 3/4 of a cup of the toasted, chopped pecans on the bottom of the crust, reserving the rest for garnishing the finished pie.
Make the batter
Melt the butter and chocolate chips together in the microwave or on the stove in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over low heat (stirring frequently).
Stir the butter and chocolate together until uniform.
Add the flour, unsweetened cocoa, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix until well combined and uniform.
The batter will be really thick, like brownie batter. Pour the batter into your prepared pie shell, right on top of those pecans.
Smooth the batter down with a spatula so it’s relatively flat and even.
Bake the pie
Pop the pie into your preheated, 350 degree F oven.
Bake for 60 – 75 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
When it’s done, yank the pan out of the oven and cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes.
Top with marshmallows
When your pie has cooled in the pan for about 20 mins., it’s time to top with marshmallows.
Grab a jumbo marshmallow. Slice it in half on the diagonal. Put the marshmallows cut side down on top of the pie.
Start on the outer edge and work inwards.
Place them so that they’re almost at the edge, but are not quite touching the sides of the pan.
(They’ll poof up when they go in the oven, so you don’t want them going over the edge of the pan.)
Repeat until the entire top is covered with marshmallows.
Sprinkle the mini marshmallows on top.
Set the pan on a sheet pan (to catch any overflow, just in case).
Slide the pan into the oven on the lowest rack.
Broil for about a minute, until the marshmallows are nicely browned on top.
Don’t walk away from the oven, there’s a fine line between toasted and burned…and it happens really quickly.
If you have a kitchen torch, skip the broiler and go to town.
Yank the pan out of the oven.
Set on a wire rack.
Immediately remove the outer ring on the springform pan.
Let cool for at least 10 minutes, about the time it takes to make the chocolate sauce.
Make the chocolate sauce
Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat.
Toss in the cocoa powder and milk. Whisk to combine.
Cook for about 3 minutes, whisking constantly.
Remove from the heat.
Add the powdered sugar and Scotch or whiskey.
Whisk until well combined.
If the sauce seems way too thick to you, thin it out with a little more milk.
Transfer the finished sauce to a measuring cup. Drizzle over the pie right before serving.
(See my warning above! Don’t sauce until you serve.)
Sprinkle with the rest of the toasted, chopped pecans. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Calories
Fat
Carbs
Protein
The Hungry Mouse
Yields About 8-10 servings
Serve this baby warm and share it with your closest friends. This pie is super rich and loaded with classic campfire flavor.
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
- TOAST THE PECANS: PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 350 DEGREES F. COARSELY CHOP THE PECANS. TOAST THEM IN A DRY, NONSTICK SKILLET OVER MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT, STIRRING FREQUENTLY, UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWN AND FRAGRANT. REMOVE FROM THE PAN AND SET THEM ASIDE TO COOL.
- MAKE THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST: PUT THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUMBS AND SUGAR IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL. MELT THE BUTTER IN THE MICROWAVE OR ON THE STOVE IN A SMALL PAN OVER LOW HEAT. POUR INTO THE BOWL WITH THE CRUMBS AND SUGAR. STIR UNTIL THE CRUMBS ARE MOISTENED AND THE MIXTURE IS UNIFORM.
- DUMP THE MIXTURE INTO A NONSTICK, SPRINGFORM PAN. SPREAD THEM OUT, AND PRESS THEM INTO PLACE ON THE BOTTOM AND SIDES OF THE PAN. SPREAD ABOUT 3/4 OF A CUP OF THE TOASTED, CHOPPED PECANS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE CRUST, RESERVING THE REST FOR GARNISHING THE FINISHED PIE.
- MAKE THE BATTER: MELT THE BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHIPS TOGETHER IN THE MICROWAVE OR ON THE STOVE IN A MEDIUM, HEAVY-BOTTOMED POT OVER LOW HEAT (STIRRING FREQUENTLY). STIR THE BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE TOGETHER UNTIL UNIFORM. ADD THE FLOUR, UNSWEETENED COCOA, EGGS, VANILLA EXTRACT, AND SALT. MIX UNTIL WELL COMBINED AND UNIFORM. THE BATTER WILL BE REALLY THICK, LIKE BROWNIE BATTER. POUR THE BATTER INTO YOUR PREPARED PIE SHELL, RIGHT ON TOP OF THOSE PECANS. SMOOTH THE BATTER DOWN WITH A SPATULA SO IT’S RELATIVELY FLAT AND EVEN.
- BAKE THE PIE: POP THE PREPARED PIE INTO YOUR PREHEATED, 350 DEGREE F OVEN. BAKE FOR 60 – 75 MINUTES, UNTIL A TOOTHPICK INSERTED IN THE MIDDLE COMES OUT CLEAN. WHEN IT’S DONE, YANK THE PAN OUT OF THE OVEN AND COOL IN THE PAN ON A RACK FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES.
- TOP WITH MARSHMALLOWS: GRAB A JUMBO MARSHMALLOW. SLICE IT IN HALF ON THE DIAGONAL. PUT THE MARSHMALLOWS CUT SIDE DOWN ON TOP OF THE PIE. START ON THE OUTER EDGE AND WORK INWARDS. PLACE THEM SO THAT THEY’RE ALMOST AT THE EDGE, BUT ARE NOT QUITE TOUCHING THE SIDES OF THE PAN. (THEY’LL POOF UP WHEN THEY GO IN THE OVEN, SO YOU DON’T WANT THEM GOING OVER THE EDGE OF THE PAN.) REPEAT UNTIL THE ENTIRE TOP IS COVERED WITH MARSHMALLOWS. SPRINKLE THE MINI MARSHMALLOWS ON TOP.
- SET THE PAN ON A SHEET PAN (TO CATCH ANY OVERFLOW, JUST IN CASE). SET THE PAN ON THE LOWEST RACK IN YOUR OVEN. BROIL FOR ABOUT A MINUTE, UNTIL THE MARSHMALLOWS ARE NICELY BROWNED ON TOP. YANK THE PAN OUT OF THE OVEN. SET ON A WIRE RACK. IMMEDIATELY REMOVE THE OUTER RING ON THE SPRINGFORM PAN. LET COOL FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES, ABOUT THE TIME IT TAKES TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE.
- MAKE THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE: MELT THE BUTTER IN A SMALL PAN OVER LOW HEAT. TOSS IN THE COCOA POWDER AND MILK. WHISK TO COMBINE. COOK FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES, WHISKING CONSTANTLY. REMOVE FROM THE HEAT. ADD THE POWDERED SUGAR AND SCOTCH OR WHISKEY. WHISK UNTIL WELL COMBINED. IF THE SAUCE SEEMS WAY TOO THICK TO YOU, THIN IT OUT WITH A LITTLE MORE MILK. TRANSFER THE FINISHED SAUCE TO A MEASURING CUP.
- GARNISH AND SERVE: DRIZZLE THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE OVER THE PIE RIGHT BEFORE SERVING. (DON’T SAUCE UNTIL YOU SERVE, OR THE WARM SAUCE CAN CAUSE THE MARSHMALLOWS TO LANDSLIDE OFF THE PIE, WHICH WILL WRECK YOUR PRESENTATION.) SPRINKLE WITH THE REST OF THE TOASTED, CHOPPED PECANS. SERVE IMMEDIATELY.
