S'mores bars

For this month's Blogger's Choice swap, I was given Carrie's Sweet Life.  Carrie and I have chatted online before, and as luck would have it, her sister-in-law was my mother-in-law's biology student. My mother-in-law (hi, Mom Lu!) has since retired from teaching, but she remembers each and every student she's ever taught and remembered Carrie's family member. Unfortunately, Carrie and her family do not live in the same town as my mother-in-law, so I have not been able to meet her in person yet.

Regardless, I was happy that I received Carrie's blog because she makes some great recipes. I took a long time deciding what to make from her blog and eventually settled on these S'mores bars. They looked simple yet decadent and oh-so-gooey. I saw that the recipe originated from another blogger that I follow, Baking Blonde. I guess everything comes full circle in the blogging world.

I made these for my coworker's birthday and knew that I wouldn't have much time between unpacking and trying to relax for the night. They came together in about 10-15 minutes, and I allowed them to cool overnight before I cut into them the next morning.

Holy moly - these bars were good! If I could make a minor tweak to them, I'd probably use my kitchen torch to slightly roast the marshmallows on top. They were a little on the softer side for my personal tastes, but I am not complaining. If you want, you can skip the extra marshmallows and chocolate chips on top and just add them to the cooled mixture before spreading in the pan.

Thanks for an amazing recipe, Carrie!

Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup butter (do not substitute)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 15 crushed graham crackers
• 1 1/2 cups small marshmallows, divided
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, divided

Directions

Line an 8×8 baking pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray (I used my silicone baking pan and skipped the foil).

In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, 3/4 cup marshmallows and 1/2 cup chocolate chips and set aside. 

In a sauce pan over low to medium heat, beat the egg, butter, sugar and vanilla together. Keep stirring until it comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. 

Pour the cooled mixture into the bowl with the graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate chips. Stir to combine. (It's totally normal and OK for the marshmallows and chips to melt)

Press the mixture into the pan and sprinkle the top with the remaining marshmallows and chocolate chips. Once the bars have cooled and set, cut and serve the bars.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge.

Yield: About 16 bars

Source: Carrie's Sweet Life; originally from Baking Blonde