It’s a beautiful thing when your children get old enough to bake or cook on their own. When the fancy strikes, Abigail just gets in the mood and wants to bake something, and we’re almost always pleased with her creations. Today’s recipe is no exception. Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars start with a layer of brownie, followed by a layer of marshmallow, followed by a layer of a chocolatey-peanut buttery-rice krispie thing. She made these bars for a conference weekend, and they were the perfect bit of sweet to follow (or precede) our quick meals that weekend. The bars actually came together quite quickly, even though there are multiple steps to them. We also decided they needed a few small changes, and my recipe below reflects those changes.
The original recipe called for just 4 cups of mini marshmallows, which you melted in the oven and then spread out over the bars. I thought about how irritating spreading melted marshmallow was going to be, and instead, we just used an entire bag of mini marshmallows and spread them out over the whole pan of brownie before baking. One bag is the perfect amount to cover a sheet pan.
The other change we made is to the topping. We thought the recipe as written did not have quite enough for the sheet pan, so I multiplied that as well. Work quickly when you spread the topping- the chocolate and peanut butter set up quickly. By the time I finished pouring the topping on one side of the pan, the other side had already started firming up. Increasing the amount of topping makes the spreading part easier, so it should go well for you should you decide to make these.
Definitely make them. They were delicious and not cloyingly sweet in the least. The crunch of the krispies makes this a very satisfying dessert square to serve at an upcoming gathering.
Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars
3/4 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons baking cocoa 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional, and we left them out- they don’t need the added richness) 1 bag of miniature marshmallows Topping: 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter 5 tablespoons butter 3 cups Rice Krispies CerealDirections:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease a sheet pan well. (We used an 18 x 12 sheet pan.)
In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add it to the creamed mixture. Stir in nuts if using. Spread in the already greased pan using an offset spatula. This layer will be thin, just spread it evenly to the edges and corners.
Bake at 350ºF for about 15 minutes, or until set. Spread the marshmallows evenly over the whole surface of the bars. Bake for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until melted, but not toasted. Cool completely on a wire rack.
For the topping, combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until blended. Remove from heat. Stir in the Rice Krispies and immediately spread over the bars. Allow to cool completely before cutting into them.