S'mores pie: Taste of camping in comfort of home
By ALISON LADMAN
For The Associated Press
If your idea of camping is pitching a blanket "tent" in the living room, this s'mores pie is your perfect campfire food.
We drew our inspiration from the real deal — graham crackers topped with chocolate and toasted marshmallow — and turned the ingredients into a pie. A graham cracker crust is filled with a rich chocolate filling and topped with a heap of marshmallow.
For the toasted effect, you can either use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the peaks of the marshmallow, or pop the whole thing under the broiler for a few seconds. If you opt for the broiler, you'll want to watch it carefully and rotate the pie as needed for even browning.
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S'MORES PIE
Start to finish: 2 hours (20 minutes active)
Servings: 8
For the crust:
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
For the chocolate filling:
• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• Two 14-ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the marshmallow topping:
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons corn syrup
• 6 egg whites
• 2 1/4 teaspoon (1/4-ounce packet) powdered gelatin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat the oven to 350 F. Coat a deep 10-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, honey, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix with a fork until well combined. Using the back of a spoon or lightly oiled fingers, press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie plate. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until slightly darker golden around the edges.
Meanwhile, mix the filling. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring between. Once completely melted, stir in the sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Pour into the baked crust.
Return the pie to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is set and just jiggles slightly at the center. Set aside to cool.
When the pie has cooled to room temperature, make the marshmallow topping.
In a small saucepan over medium-high, combine the sugar, water and corn syrup. Heat until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup reaches 240 F on a candy or instant thermometer.
While the sugar heats, in the bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites on medium until they hold soft peaks.
In a small bowl, combine the gelatin and 3 tablespoons of water.
When the sugar syrup reaches 240 F, with the mixer running, pour the sugar down the inside edge of the mixer bowl into the egg whites. Add the gelatin mixture and beat to combine. The mixture should be thick and glossy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all of the gelatin is incorporated. Beat for another 5 minutes on medium-high, then add the vanilla.
Use a large spoon to top the pie with the marshmallow, making large dollops and peaks with the spoon and completely covering the surface of the pie. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the marshmallow, being careful not to burn it. Alternatively, place the pie under the oven's broiler until just browned, rotating the pie as needed for even browning.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 859 calories; 283 calories from fat; 32 g fat (18 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 213 mg cholesterol; 134 g carbohydrate; 16 g protein; 3 g fiber; 308 mg sodium.