Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
This cookbook is overflowing with sweet things to bake, and a few savory ones too. I started with this gooey, yummy s’mores bars recipe, then the black and white coffee cake. Next on my list: a fresh vegetable pizza, peach custard pie, walnut snowball cookies, gingersnaps, and tiramisu jars. Sweet.
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Recipe excerpted with permission from Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher.
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S’mores Bars
Makes one 8-inch pan, nine 2½-inch square bars
Prep: 15 minutes, plus cooling time
Cook: 40 minutes
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted and warm
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1¼ cups Nutella, divided
8 ounces (225 g/2½ cups) Marshmallows (below)
cut into ½-inch pieces
When a campfire isn’t readily available, these bars will fulfill that summer craving for s’mores and then some. A layer of buttery graham base topped with milk chocolate hazelnut spread and homemade marshmallow make for the perfect s’mores experience. The crowning layer of creamy Nutella drizzle on top of these bars completes the experience, complementing the dense, fudge-like, baked Nutella inside the bar. These are most scrumptious when slightly warm and you can still get that pull-apart marshmallow gooeyness, but they will firm up nicely for bite-size party treats when refrigerated.
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch square pan with canola oil cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add the graham crumbs and flour and stir until well combined and no dry flour remains.
4. Press the graham mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Using an offset palette knife, spread 1 cup of the Nutella evenly over the base.
5. Evenly distribute the marshmallow pieces over the Nutella layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top of the marshmallow is a deep toasty brown and the Nutella has bubbled up a little around the edges. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
6. In a small heat-resistant bowl, heat the remaining ¼ cup Nutella in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds to make it easier to drizzle. Using a spoon, generously drizzle the Nutella over the bars in diagonal lines across the top.
7. Cut the bars using a warm chef’s knife by dipping it into hot water and drying it on a clean kitchen towel. Wipe the knife between each cut to get nice clean cuts.
Do Ahead
These bars can be baked and stored, uncut, without the final Nutella drizzle, wrapped in beeswax or plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 3 days. The marshmallows can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months. Store the finished bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Marshmallows
Makes 4 dozen 1½-inch square marshmallows (about 2 pounds/900 g)
Prep: 30 minutes, plus setting time
Once you have made these fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth, real vanilla cubes of sugary goodness, you will never eat a stale store-bought marshmallow again. Glucose is not a common home baking ingredient, but it can be found at most bulk stores or online. It is not the same as light corn syrup but is much thicker and acts as a stabilizer in this recipe. This is a sticky recipe! When working with the glucose, coat your tools with water or canola oil cooking spray to avoid sticking. We suggest you use a kitchen scale, as this is a recipe easier made by weight instead of cups, but we have included both measures here in case you do not have a scale.
1. Generously spray a 13- × 9-inch baking dish with canola oil cooking spray. Line the bottom (not the sides) of the pan with parchment paper and generously spray the parchment with cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a 6-quart or larger stand mixer, combine half of the water and all the gelatin powder and set aside to bloom. It will take 2 to 3 minutes for the gelatin to swell with the water and form a gel.
3. Pour the remaining water into a large pot. Pour the granulated sugar and glucose over the water. Do not stir. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and boil, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 238°F (114°C) on a candy thermometer, 8 to 12 minutes.
4. Place the bowl with the bloomed gelatin on a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Carefully pour the hot sugar mixture into the bowl and immediately start mixing on low speed, gradually increasing the speed to high. The mixture will foam and steam. Whip on high speed for 6 to 7 minutes. The whipped marshmallow will continue to increase in volume until it has almost filled the bowl. It is done when you can see the marshmallow forming stretchy bands like chewing gum as it whips and the mixture is opaque and glossy white. The marshmallow should still be warm when done. In the last minute of whipping, add the vanilla bean paste and salt.
5. Using a silicone spatula coated in canola oil cooking spray, heap the marshmallow into the prepared baking dish, scraping the bowl clean. Spread out the marshmallow evenly, then tap the bottom of the dish on the counter to settle the marshmallow. Sprinkle ⅓ cup of the icing sugar over the entire surface to prevent the marshmallow from forming a hard crust. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature overnight to firm up.
6. The next day, dust the countertop generously with 1 cup of the icing sugar and turn out the marshmallow slab onto the counter so that the bottom is facing up. Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle 1 cup of the icing sugar over the bottom of the marshmallow slab.
7. Place the remaining 1 cup icing sugar in a medium bowl to use for cutting and dusting the marshmallows. Using a 10-inch or longer chef’s knife with the blade dusted with icing sugar, slice the marshmallow into forty-eight 1½-inch square pieces by first cutting it into eight 9-inch-long strips. Then cut each strip into 6 equal pieces. Dust the knife with icing sugar as you make each cut
and dust all sides of the marshmallows as you cut them. This will prevent them from sticking together.
Do Ahead
These marshmallows can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.
Tracey Zabar's Sweet Little Cakes from Mrs. Zabar's Bakeshop is available here.
Tracey Zabar's Chocolate Chip Sweets: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes is available here.
A delectable collection of innovative chocolate chip recipes by world-renowned chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers
Tracey Zabar's One Sweet Cookie Cookbook is available here.
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Lori Zabar's Zabar's A Family Story, With Recipes is available here.
