While we won’t make any promises, because we’re us and as you probably surmised around this time last year, we’re a little obsessed with pumpkin everything, we will do our best not to inundate you all with our favorite winter squash. This week notwithstanding, of course. That being said, we couldn’t resist this amazing season-straddling dessert. The opportunity to combine the glory of the Summer cookout and campfire staple that is the S’more with the harbinger of Autumn that is pumpkin purée was just too delicious to pass up. While the development of this recipe presented a couple of challenges, ultimately what seems to be a daunting, messy and labor intensive undertaking is, in fact, worth every ounce of effort. The end result is a creamy, crunchy, gooey, toasted, chocolatey work of art. Kyle is taking a bow as we speak.
The first challenge was to find a good gluten free graham cracker. Frustratingly, there is only one brand that we could find at the market, which will remain nameless out of politeness, but rest assured that we are busy researching homemade options for future creations and we will post that recipe as soon as we feel that it’s perfected.
Fortunately, we had a little leeway in this recipe because the “crackers” are pulverized and nearly drowned in butter, so their barely-there molasses flavor and unsettling textural resemblance to dog biscuits are disguised better than Tom Cruise at the beginning of Mission Impossible. Crisis averted.
We realize that the instructions and ingredient list for this recipe seem overwhelming, but it’s actually only four components, consisting primarily of pantry and refrigerator staples. They can be prepared in tandem with one another and assembled more easily than you would think. Just gather and pre-measure your ingredients, read through the recipe a few times before you start–which is a good practice in cooking and baking anyway–and keep the final result in mind, like a finish line. Also remember that at the end of the process, you get to experience the pyromaniac culinary joys of one of Kyle’s most cherished kitchen gadgets: the Kitchen Torch. (Don’t worry if you don’t have one in your “arsenal.” You can achieve the same toasted marshmallow topping with a closely monitored broil in the oven. You really are missing out, though.)
Once the crust is mixed and in the oven, you can mix up the pumpkin custard, which is literally as simple as whisking all of the ingredients together in a bowl. You can simultaneously melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, which we prefer to classify as multitasking, rather than “cheating.” Once the crust is pre-baked, pour on the ganache, then top it with the custard and pop it back into the oven for 35-40 minutes. This gives you more than enough time to whisk up the marshmallow topping AND clean up, because who wants to be bothered with that kind of adulting when there is dessert at the ready?
For the topping, we revisited a previous post for what might be the best sandwich in all of creation, the now pseudo-legendary Pumpkin Fluffer-Nutell-er. Rather than whisk the marshmallow “fluff” mixture to stiff peaks, as called for in the sandwich post, for these bars we figured soft peaks would better imitate the texture of fresh-from-the-campfire toasted marshmallows. We were right.
Let’s take a moment to ogle and drool….
Okay, moment over. Now it’s time for the Public Sevice Announcement portion of this post: These bars are an unholy mess, but that is inarguably a part of their glorious deliciousness. You won’t regret a single bite, but have wet wipes close at hand, dig in and clean as you go.
Of course, you could go with the stiff peak version of the fluff for a more cohesive (i.e. less gooey and awesome) topping, but honestly, where’s the fun in that? On that note, another heads up—if you have little ones and opt for the gooier version, keep an eye on them…
If they get away from you, the topping could very easily join the ranks of Easter basket grass and Christmas tinsel. You’ll be finding it everywhere. For months. You’ve been warned. Our work here is done. Enjoy!
- For the crust:
- 2 cups gluten free graham cracker crumbs (from one 7.5 ounce box)
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- pinch of salt
- For the chocolate ganache:
- 1 cup chocolate chips (about 5 ounces)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- For the pumpkin custard:
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the marshmallow layer)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ⅓ cup milk
- For the marshmallow layer:
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and salt and press into an 8 by 8 inch pan that is lined with parchment paper. Bake 8 minutes, until crust begins to brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- For the ganache: Combine chocolate chips and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power at 30 second intervals, stirring after each time, until chocolate is completely melted. Pour over crust.
- For the pumpkin custard: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, egg yolks, cornstarch, cinnamon and allspice. Whisk in the milk, then pour custard over the chocolate ganache layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until custard is fully set and begins to brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- For the marshmallow layer: Combine egg whites, sugar, water, vanilla, and corn syrup in bowl of standing mixer or large heatproof bowl and set over medium saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water (do not let bottom of bowl touch water). Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove bowl from heat and transfer mixture to standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- To assemble, remove the cooled pumpkin bars from the pan then peel off the parchment paper. Spread the marshmallow evenly over the top of the pumpkin bars. If you’re feeling fancy, you can pipe it on with a piping bag.
- Use a kitchen to evenly brown the marshmallow layer. To cut the bars, run a sharp knife under hot water then wipe dry. Slice bars into 16 even pieces, running knife under the water and drying after each cut.
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