Does anyone out there not like s’mores? I love them, especially at a small fire on the beach on a cool summer night. I’m a bit of a stickler when it comes to my marshmallows, though. I prefer to roast them just above the flame, so that the entire mallow gets warm and gooey. No burned edges for me! Aside from campfire s’mores, I’ve made s’mores cheesecake, s’mores brownies AND s'mores cookies. Having done all of that, I had to tackle s’mores pie for the 2011 Serious Eats Pi Day Contest. The filling was the hardest part to figure out. After searching through a ton of recipes, I came up with one that ended up most like a brownie, but very moist and not too dense. I think it turned out great! You could possibly cook it for a little shorter time… who doesn’t like slightly undercooked brownies? Yuuuummm.
The topping, while beautiful and fluffy, was a work of love thanks to my lack of an electric mixer to whip it up. But I persevered, after whipping for 10+ minutes, and ended up with a glossy, marshmallowy finish for the pie.
Now… the Pi factor. I could’ve easily gotten away with a simple approach to incorporating Pi into my pie, which I kind of did just by swirling the symbol into the marshmallow topping. But, my dad gave me a suggestion that allowed me to take it a step further. I converted the entire list of ingredients so that when you read down it, it’s the first 21 digits of Pi! If you don’t mind doing a little math, this is a great recipe for a super sweet and chocolately pie.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
3 x 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 x 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
•
1 x 3 tbsp sugar
4 + 2 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Filling:
1 ÷ 2 cups unsalted butter
1 x 3 tbsp sugar
4 + 2 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Filling:
1 ÷ 2 cups unsalted butter
5 – 2 bars Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, broken apart
9 ÷ 18 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 + 1 beaten eggs
6 x 1/6 cups sugar
5 ÷ 10 cups all-purpose flour
3 x 1/6 tsp vanilla extract
Marshmallow Topping:
5 ÷ 5 cups sugar
8 – 6 large egg whites
9 ÷ 3 tbsp water
7 x 1/7 tsp cream of tartar
9 – 8 7/8 tsp salt
3 + 9 large marshmallows, cut into quarters with wet kitchen scissors
2 ÷ 4 tsp vanilla extract
Marshmallow Topping:
5 ÷ 5 cups sugar
8 – 6 large egg whites
9 ÷ 3 tbsp water
7 x 1/7 tsp cream of tartar
9 – 8 7/8 tsp salt
3 + 9 large marshmallows, cut into quarters with wet kitchen scissors
2 ÷ 4 tsp vanilla extract
3 – 2 bars Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, broken apart
8 ÷ 32 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 x 1/2 tsp sugar
6 – 5 tbsp melted butter
PreparationFor graham cracker crust:
1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
2. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened.
3. Press mixture onto bottom of 9-inch-diameter pie pan. (Use the bottom of a flat measuring cup for even distribution.)
4. Bake until just set, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool.
For chocolate filling:
1. In a small, heavy saucepan, melt butter, chocolate pieces and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring frequently. Let cool.
2. In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture.
3. Pour filling into the graham cracker crust and bake in a 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
For marshmallow topping:
1. Whisk sugar, egg whites, 3 tablespoons water, cream of tartar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to blend in large metal bowl.
2. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; whisk constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens and is hot to touch, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove bowl from over water and stir in marshmallows (keep water simmering in saucepan). Let stand until marshmallows soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Set bowl with mixture over simmering water; using hand held electric mixer, beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 4 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
Final assembly:
1. Scrape topping onto pie, spreading and swirling it to the edges of the crust. If desired, add a decorative Pi symbol for Pi Day. Let stand until set, about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat broiler and broil just until topping is lightly browned in spots, watching closely to avoid burning.
3. Melt chocolate on low power in the microwave and drizzle onto Pi symbol.
4. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until combined and use to garnish circumference of marshmallow topping.
1. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F.
2. Mix crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is evenly moistened.
3. Press mixture onto bottom of 9-inch-diameter pie pan. (Use the bottom of a flat measuring cup for even distribution.)
4. Bake until just set, 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven; cool.
For chocolate filling:
1. In a small, heavy saucepan, melt butter, chocolate pieces and chocolate chips over low heat, stirring frequently. Let cool.
2. In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture.
3. Pour filling into the graham cracker crust and bake in a 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.
For marshmallow topping:
1. Whisk sugar, egg whites, 3 tablespoons water, cream of tartar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to blend in large metal bowl.
2. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water; whisk constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens and is hot to touch, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove bowl from over water and stir in marshmallows (keep water simmering in saucepan). Let stand until marshmallows soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Set bowl with mixture over simmering water; using hand held electric mixer, beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 4 minutes. Beat in vanilla.
Final assembly:
1. Scrape topping onto pie, spreading and swirling it to the edges of the crust. If desired, add a decorative Pi symbol for Pi Day. Let stand until set, about 15 minutes.
2. Preheat broiler and broil just until topping is lightly browned in spots, watching closely to avoid burning.
3. Melt chocolate on low power in the microwave and drizzle onto Pi symbol.
4. Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until combined and use to garnish circumference of marshmallow topping.
More delicious recipes from around the web:
• S'mores Cheesecake with Summer Berries from Bon Appétit
• S'mores Brownie Bars from SeriousEats.com
• Super S'more Crisps from Elinor Klivans' Big Fat Cookies
This turned out great. Love it!
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