elevated s'mores

These are AH-MAY-ZING!! First of all, it has all my favorite components: a shortbread crust, Nutella, marshmallow's annnnd it's easy to make.

I was lucky enough to receive this cookbook for Christmas, from my husband, and this was the first recipe I made from it. I mean, I hope I've established my love of anything with marshmallow's by now, so it should come as no surprise that this was the first recipe I tested.

I've made these twice now and every time I serve them they are met with applause, adoration and then promptly devoured. Just as they should be!

Toasted Marshmallow Squares:

Recipe barely adapted from Homemade Decadence by Joy Wilson

Makes 9 squares or 15 rectangles

Recipe Notes-

- Didn’t tweak this recipe too much, but I did up the quantity of vanilla extract, Nutella and salt since I thought it needed a bit more flavor.

Ingredients:

½ Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ Cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Large egg yolk

1 Cup, plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

½ Cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (aka Nutella)

15 Large marshmallows cut in half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang “handle”.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar, on medium speed, until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add the vanilla and egg yolk and beat well, scraping down the sides as needed. Slowly mix the flour and salt until completely incorporated.

3. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with flour and use your fingers to press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Try to make as even as possible.

4. Bake until the crust is golden brown around the edges, but still soft in the center, 20-24 minutes. Remove from the oven (leave the oven on) and let the crust cool for about 20 minutes.

5. Pulling on the parchment overhang, carefully pull out the shorbread crust and place on a baking sheet. Spread the chocolate-hazelnut spread evenly over the top. Then arrange the marshmallow pieces on top. Place in the oven for about 4 minutes. The marshmallows should be warm and soft. Remove from the oven and turn on the broiler. With the back of a spoon, gently press and smash the top of each marshmallow down.
6. Place the marshmallows under the broiler and don’t close the door. In fact, don’t take your eyes off them. They will go from golden brown to black within seconds. Once they are a golden brown, remove and place pan on a cooling rack to let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. They can be served slightly warm or at room temperature. They’ll keep for up to 4 days, well wrapped and at room temperature.