Foolproof S’mores Pie with Chocolate Filling

Get ready for the ultimate s’mores dessert! This s’mores pie recipe has a crunchy graham cracker bottom, a thick layer of chocolate ganache, and is topped with a toasted marshmallow meringue. Are you drooling yet? Perfect for summer time or around the holidays, this decadent yet easy dessert will impress your guests without spending a ton of time in the kitchen!

Let’s talk about this S’mores pie because it haunts my dreams. It’s that good.

As a trained pastry chef I want to make sure that each layer is distinctly different when you take a bite. I think what makes this so good is the different textures this pie has. This is different than my smores brownies or marshmallow brownies recipe because there are 3 different layers that each had a distinct texture and flavor to it.

Lets break them down:

The crust– Like my homemade cheesecake recipes, this is a graham cracker crust thats toasted just slightly in the oven so that it holds nicely together when baked. I add a little bit of sugar to the recipe to sweeten it a tad, so that it offsets the nice bittersweet chocolate from the next layer of ganache.

Ganache Middle layer– The ganache in this recipe is thick, almost truffle like. I wanted there to be a difference in texture between the airy meringue on top and the thick layer or decadent chocolate to really play with your taste buds.

Toasted Meringue– I am a sucker for glossy meringue! This topping tastes like marshmallow fluff but 10x better. Do not be intimidated here, its actually so easy to make. I toasted it with a kitchen torch (also dont be intimidated, they are so easy to use) but you can toast it in the oven too.

You could also top this pie with my homemade marshmallow frosting if you dont want to make a meringue.

Put all these layers together and you have an insanely beautiful and impressive looking dessert that actually isn’t that hard at all to make! WIN WIN, lemme show you how to make it!

Equipment you need:

1. Pie or tart pan- I use a tart pan for this because I like the fluted edges but you can totally use a pie pan for this the same way.
2. Stand or hand mixer– You’ll need to whip the egg whites to create the meringue, this is not something to be done by hand.
3. A kitchen torch– Ok so you dont realllly need this but I highly recommend it. It’s actually way less scary than trying to broil or bake the meringue in your oven. You can more easily set the meringue on fire in the oven then with a kitchen torch. Get yourself one, you wont regret it!

Ingredient Mentions

Graham Cracker Crumbs– Buy and make this with graham cracker crumbs instead of having to crush your own. Of course you can always crush them yourself but I find it never gets ground enough and there are still too many chunks.

Chocolate- Use semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate for the best flavor profile. Milk chocolate is too sweet for this dessert overall. I like the 72% cocoa chocolate chips from trader joes for this. Yes I am using chocolate chips, its fine. We’re not going for a Michelin star here we just want to make ganache.

Heavy Cream– To make ganache you need to use heavy whipping cream. Half n Half will not work. Don’t even try it, its a waste.

Other than these you will also need staple ingredients like:

• White sugar- For the crust and meringue
• Unsalted Butter- goes in the crust
• Eggs – to make the meringue
• Cream of tartar- Also for the meringue, it helps to stabilize it.

How to easily make this pie

Make the crust- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Melt the butter in a medium size microwaveable bowl 30 seconds at a time until completely melted. Add the graham cracker crumbs and white sugar and mix until the texture is like wet sand. Press it into the tart pan tightly. I like to use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pack it against the bottom and sides well. Bake for 7 minutes.

Start the Ganache- Measure 12 oz of chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Measure 8 oz of heavy cream in a measuring cup. Microwave the heavy cream 30 seconds at a time until scalding. You’ll see little bubble on the sides.

You want it very hot but not boiling, otherwise it will curdle the cream. Keep an eye on it!

Pour the heavy cream over the bowl of chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes, do not touch it! This will allow the hot cream to easily melt the chocolate.

After 5 minutes, stir the ganache with a spatula, not a whisk as you don’t want to create any bubbles or trap any air. Pour the ganache into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Make the Meringue- Separate the egg whites from the yolks very carefully and add them to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. If even a speck of yellow yolk gets into the egg whites, they will not whip so be careful here.

Start on low-medium speed for 1-2 minutes. When it starts to get foamy, go up to medium speed (6) and slowly start adding in a bit of sugar, about 1/3 of the whole amount. Whisk for 1 minute then repeat with the remaining sugar adding in 1/3 at a time (not 1/3 cup, 1/3 of the whole amount).

Incorporating the sugar this way in important, otherwise your meringue will come out gritty and not smooth so dont rush this part.

When all the sugar is added, add in the cream of tartar and vanilla. Whisk on high speed until thick, glossy stiff peaks form.

Top the pie– Remove the pie from the fridge and top with the meringue. Using a kitchen torch, torch the meringue until it’s toasty all around.

Using the oven to torch meringue

If you dont have a kitchen torch put it on your holiday gift list, but until then you can use your oven. To torch a meringue using your oven you have to use the broiler. If you have a setting for low broil on your oven, use that because it happens reallllllllllly fast, like in seconds.

Preheat the oven to broil. Make sure to watch extremely carefully as it can go from toasted to burnt in seconds. I would not give it more then 20- 30 seconds under the broiler.

Meringue tips and explanations

Theres a few things to know about making meringue that will make it easier for you:

• Separate the eggs when they are really cold. This will help ensure you wont get any yolk into them.
• When separating, do it one by one in a different bowl than the one you’re mixing in. This way if one of the yolks breaks as you crack it, you dont ruin the other egg whites you already separated, and you wont have to wash out the bowl.
• When whipping, its best to have the whites already foamy before adding sugar as it will hold the sugar better once you start adding it. You dont want to add the sugar in right away as it can make the egg whites collapse.
• The reason you only add 1/3 of the sugar as youre whipping is because you want to make sure the sugar melts into the egg whites and you dont end up with a gritty meringue.

How to check for stiff peaks

The way to check for stiff peaks is to invert the whisk attachment and see how the egg whites hold themselves up. If they are still melting into each other or drooping over heavily, those are soft peaks. Keep whipping for stiffer peaks.

Stiff peaks are when you invert the whisk attachment and the egg white peaks are standing straight up or just slightly drooping. They will hold themselves up!

Look at the picture in the gallery above to see what stiff peaks look like.

Make ahead and storing

To make this ahead follow the recipe up until the meringue. Then make and toast the meringue before serving. Store at room temperature for 1-2 days. Alternatively you can refrigerate it, although I find that the crispy/toastyness of the meringue gets lost a bit in the fridge.

I do not recommend and have not frozen this dessert.

Yield

Depending on how big you cut the slices, this pie can feed 10-12 people.

I love when you share my recipes!!