S'mores Tart (almost no-bake)

Day 4 and we’re all about chocolate (you knew we’d get there finally, right?) and nostalgia. What dessert is more reminiscent of childhood than a campfire (or stovetop) s’mores? That classic trio of toasted marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers just can’t be beat! Today, they’re all combined in this super duper S’mores Tart. The kids (and by that I mean, the 50 year old ones too) are going to love it!

And you, the maker of this stand up-and-cheer dessert, are going to love how easy this is to prepare. Barely any baking—mostly just chilling! Hooray!

You can even make the separate components of this treat over the course of a couple of days which makes it a total winner in the party-prep department!

You start by making the classic graham cracker crust which just gets pressed into the pan and baked for all of 10 minutes.

Then that crust gets filled with a creamy and rather decadent milk and dark chocolate ganache that takes like, 2 seconds to make and then gets chilled for at least a few hours and up to 2 days! Chocolate heaven!!

Then you pile on the homemade marshmallow topping which is just a mixture of egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla that gets briefly heated and then whipped till it’s fluffy.

Now comes the fun. If you have a handheld kitchen torch, now’s the time to pull it out (if you don’t, I sincerely suggest heavily dropping hints because it is the holiday season). You can also totally just stick this under the broiler for a minute or two.

Crunchy, buttery graham cracker crust, cool, creamy chocolate filling and gooey swirls of toasted marshmallow, every bite is rich, sweet and guaranteed to bring back happy memories!

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S’mores Tart (almost no-bake)

Makes one 9-inch tart

You will need a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (but you could totally make this in a regular pie plate)

Prep Time for crust: 5minutes, Bake Time for Crust: 10 minutes; Prep Time for Filling: 5 minutes, plus at least 2 hours to chill and set; Prep Time for Marshmallow topping: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust

• 12 graham cracker sheets

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• Pinch of kosher salt

For the Filling

• 8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped (I used Lindt)

• 4 ounces good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (I used a bittersweet Trader Joe’s bar)

• 1 ½ cups heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping

• 2 large egg whites

• ½ cup sugar

• ¼ cup light corn syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Recipe

1. For the crust: Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grind the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor until fine. Place into a bowl and add the sugar, butter and salt and mix well. Turn the mixture into a 9-inch tart with a removable bottom and use your fingers to press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

2. To make the filling: Place both of the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat without stirring until bubbles form at the edges of the pan. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Then stir until smooth. Stir in the 1 teaspoon vanilla and then pour the mixture into the cooled crust, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or up to 1 day ahead, until set.

3. To make the marshmallow topping: Place the egg whites, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla in the bowl of a double boiler and place over a pot with just an inch or two of simmering water (you don’t want the water to touch the bottom of the bowl) and whisk the mixture until the sugar dissolves, 2-3 minutes. Then transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and use the whisk attachment (if you have one) or just a plain old hand mixer and beat for at least 5 minutes, until the mixture has completely cooled, is light and fluffy and dramatically increased in volume. Spread all over the top of the chilled pie, swirling it as you go—watch out, it will be sticky!

4. This is best browned pretty close to when you serve it but you can definitely put the marshmallow topping on a few hours before you’re ready and keep it chilled. When you are ready to serve this, turn on the broiler and place the tart on a rack a few inches away from it, watching carefully with the oven door slightly ajar—this can go from browned to burnt in a matter of seconds. Alternatively, you can use a handheld kitchen torch. Remove the tart from the oven and release the sides. Use a hot knife to cut thin slices—this is rich.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Repertoire by Jessica Battilana.