This little slice of pie heaven was inspired by an Old-Fashioned Fourth of July pie baking contest at Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, PA. The contest had about eight pie entries in all. Among a field of fruit-filled, pastry-crust pies (all delicious in their own way) was a jewel of a pie: the Choco-Nana FlufferNutter Pie. It was scrumptious, both in name and flavor – it really stood out from the crowd.
The pie consisted of a graham cracker crust, a row of sliced bananas, a peanut butter chocolate fudge layer, and a marshmallow meringue topping that surprisingly held up in the oppressive heat of July. The inventive flavor combinations came through in every bite, each ingredient came through in the taste. It was a mash-up of S’mores and Reese’s peanut butter cups with notes of a peanut-butter-and-banana Elvis sandwich.
The Choco-Nana Fluffer Nutter Pie took home the bronze at the contest – but made first place on Kyle’s list of Pies I Must Recreate ASAP. Kyle’s version of this pie pared down some of the flavors – turning his focus to a No-Bake S’mores Pie.
The nature of a no-bake pie makes it perfect for the oppressive summertime heat. No oven, yes please! But the s’mores flavors can also remind one of autumn, it brings images to mind of relaxing around a fire-pit or campfire. The S’mores Pie makes this an excellent transitional treat between the seasons of summer and autumn – before the deluge of pumpkin baked goods begins.
The graham cracker crust (which can easily be made gluten free with GF graham crackers) is topped with an easy, fake-out chocolate mousse layer. This layer is sweetened whipped cream folded into a combination of cream cheese and cocoa powder.
Using cream cheese serves a double duty – it stabilizes the whipped cream to give it the mousse-like texture, and its tang offsets the extreme sweetness of the other layers. This helps prevent the pie from becoming too cloying.
The most difficult part of this recipe is the homemade marshmallow meringue. But, with just a simple candy thermometer and a stand mixer, one can easily help simplify the process. Kyle decided to get fancy and piped some of the meringue on top of the pie. This makes the pie even more lovely in presentation, but it is certainly not a necessity.
This pie recipe can be made a day ahead, leaving just one task for the next day. You can torch the marshmallow right before serving. If you don’t own a kitchen torch (I know I do not), just pop that pie under the broiler for about 30 seconds or so to brown the meringue.
If you want to take it up a notch, moving more towards the flavor combo of the bronze-medal winning Choco-Nana FlufferNutter Pie – there is a way! Slice two bananas and lay them on top of the graham cracker layer, then replace half of the cream cheese with 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter in the mousse. I say, try both, two pies can’t hurt!
This No-Bake S’mores Pie recipe is perfect for all seasons! Since the summertime pie window is almost closed, and the official first day of autumn is fast approaching, DO NOT FEAR! This dessert will work well at any occasion coming up in the remaining days of 2018. Halloween party? Check. Thanksgiving dessert? Yes. Any winter holidays? Yup. Enjoy!
- Crust:
- 8 ounces gluten free graham crackers
- 2 ounces (about ⅓ cup) semisweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still hot
- Pinch salt
- Chocolate Mousse:
- 1 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Pinch salt
- Marshmallow Layer:
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (plus 1 tablespoon) water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- For the crust: In a food processor, blend cookies, chopped chocolate and brown sugar together until finely ground. Drizzle in melted butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down the bowl if needed. Transfer crumbs to a pie or tart pan that has been coated with nonstick spray. Press the crumb mixture up sides of the pan, then pat it evenly over bottom of pan. Chill crust until next step.
- For the chocolate mousse: In an electric mixer whip together the heavy cream and sugar until stiff peaks form, Then transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. Add the cream cheese, cocoa powder and salt to the bowl of the mixer (no need to clean out the bowl between whipping the cream and mixing the cream cheese) and whip until soft and thoroughly combined. Add ⅓ of the whipped cream to the cream cheese/cocoa mixture and gently fold until thoroughly combined and no streaks of whipped cream can be seen throughout the “mousse.” Repeat this process 2 more times until all the whipped cream is incorporated into the mousse. Spread the mousse on top of the crust and return to the refrigerator.
- 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 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high and continue to beat until mixture has cooled to room temperature and stiff peaks form, 5 minutes longer.
- Spread the marshmallow on top of the chocolate mousse layer. If you’re feeling fancy, you could pipe swirls of marshmallow on top of the pie. (As pictured, I did a combination of both). Refrigerate until ready to serve. When serving, use a kitchen torch to brown the top marshmallow layer. Or, heat the pie under a broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, until browned (if using the broiler, keep a close eye on the pie, as it can burn very quickly). To serve, Slice with a large knife that has been dipped in hot water and dried with a towel before cutting each slice- this will help you get clean slices.
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