guns and barbells

Last weekend I went to a barbecue, where attendees were asked to bring a dish to share. Given my love of baking, of course I volunteered to bring dessert. 

But what to make? I scoured the Internet for “summer cupcake recipes” and actually found some delicious options. But time and ease of prep are always a factor with me, so I opted for one of my favorites: smores brownies. 

They’re super easy. And delicious! You should make them. Here’s how:

Start by building a graham cracker crust. If you have a blender, this is super easy. But if you don’t, put 3-4 crackers into a giant ziploc bag and start smashing. (Maybe do this over the sink in case you puncture your bag.)

  
Smash about a package and a half. Then melt a stick of butter in the microwave and dump your crumbs in the golden goodness. Stir!

  
Make sure you have enough butter so your crumbs are all wet (add more butter if you need), and then press them into the bottom of a 9×13 pan. If you use your fingers, go ahead and lick the butter off — I won’t tell on you. Just be sure to wash your hands before moving on. 

  
Bake this at 350 for about 12 minutes. In the meantime, prepare your brownie mix as directed on the box. 

  
When your graham cracker crust is nice and toasty, pour the brownie batter on top and CAREFULLY spread it across the pan. Be gentle; if you try to spread too quickly, you will disrupt your crust. 

  
Now bake the brownies as directed on the box, and maybe a few minutes more. As much as chewy brownies are delicious, you actually want to make sure the middle is fully cooked; otherwise you’ll have a sloppy mess. 

While your brownies are baking, you need to prep your toppings.  Break up a few graham crackers into chunks so each of your brownie slices will have one. And be sure to take at least one good sniff from your bag of marshmallows because it smells soooooooo good. 

  
When the brownies come out, switch your oven over to BROIL. Line up your marshmallows in neat little rows. This will make your life a LOT easier when you cut the brownies later. Plus, it makes my OCD happy. 

  
Put the pan back in the oven and DO NOT MOVE for the next 90 seconds. Just stand there and watch the marshmallows poof up into tiny sugary pillows and then rescue them from the oven when they reach that perfect golden brown point. Seriously, no more than 90 seconds. 

Immediately after removing them from the oven, adorn your marshmallows with the graham cracker chunks and VOILA! You are done. 

  
Cut these along the spaces between the marshmallows. Try to wait till they’re cool — I dare ya!
WHAT YOU NEED:

1 1/2 packages graham crackers, smashed

1 stick butter

1 box brownie mix, with eggs and oil as directed 

1 bag marshmallows

9×13 pan

350-degree oven