S'more Bars

Growing up in the chilly North East of England means I was never introduced to the wonders that are s'mores. Where American pre-teens were toasting marshmallows in the evening breeze I was licking a 99 on a drizzly pier somewhere in Whitley Bay. As I grew I started to notice the sticky treats on TV, I yearned to try them but never really got around to it.

Last year I was gifted a chimnea for my garden, my first thought was "S'MORES!" closely followed by "finally, I can drink beers in the garden without freezing my arse off". We grabbed a six pack of Blue Moon and all the fixings for a s'mores party and fired up the chiminea. I was underwhelmed, the digestives were too fat, the chocolate didn't melt and the marshmallow was just too damn small. I guess it's just not in my blood. That'll teach me for not hitting up the ludicrously expensive American isle in my local Tesco.

I gave up on s'mores, with my first experience tainted with sticky disappointment I cast them from my mind and focused on cupcakes and cookies instead. That was until I came across this recipe nestled within my new American themed cookbook. I simply had to give them another shot, and boy was I glad I did. I tweaked the recipe to give me two large trays so I could share them with the customers of Pet Lamb, the recipe I have included below will give you enough for one tray of bars.

S'mores Bars
Ingredients: 125g melted butter 200g soft brown sugar 4 large eggs 150g digestive biscuits, crushed to 'breadcrumbs' 75g plain flour 1tsp baking powder 1tsp cinnamon 300g mini marshmallows, white 350g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces 250ml double cream 1tsp sea salt flakes
Method: Grease and line a 9" by 13" brownie tray, or use a disposable one. Preheat the oven to 180C.
Whisk the butter and sugar together until creamy, add the eggs one at a time until everything is incorporated. Add the flour, baking powder, crushed biscuits and cinnamon, stir to combine. Pour the batter into your prepared tray and bake for 30 minutes.
To make the ganache melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the bowl does not touch the water below. Once melted whisk in the cream to make a thick ganache. Pour over the cooled biscuit base and sprinkle with the sea salt flakes.
Tumble the marshmallows over the ganache liberally, you want the whole thing to be covered in snowy mallows. Place the tray into a preheated grill for a few minutes, do not take your eyes off your bars as they will burn quickly. Once the marshmallows have turned golden remove from the grill and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Chill the bars for 1-2 hours before cutting.