S’mores Pie

Yes, I am fully aware that we are on the cusp of Winter.  Yes, I realize that s’mores are usually something you make in the Summertime over a campfire.  But I don’t care, I was craving s’mores!  So I wanted to find a quick and easy way to enjoy those same flavors from inside my warm and cozy house.  The recipe I came up with is adapted from Sunny Anderson’s “Magical No-Bake S’mores”, and it really hit the spot.  I shared this with my family, but I am telling you, in all honesty, I could probably make one of these just for me.  It’s that good.

I figured it was a no-brainer to put chocolate pudding in a graham cracker crust, but I also knew that marshmallow creme can be a bit tricky to spread.  So when I found Sunny’s recipe, her solution of mixing the marshmallow creme with some whipped topping was exactly what I was looking for.

Now, I have to add a note here:  I wanted to add an ooey-gooey layer to this pie because my favorite part of s’mores is the melty chocolate you get from the heat of the toasted marshmallow.  I tried this twice in different ways, neither of which was perfect, but I think I have a solution.  The first thing I tried was melting some chocolate chips and topping the pudding layer with the chocolate.  That didn’t work because the chocolate set back up and created a hard chocolate layer that was nearly impossible to cut through, which resulted in really messy (although still very tasty) slices of pie.

So on my second pie, I decided to use jarred fudge sauce to top the pudding layer.  This was AMAZING.  The flavor and texture were perfect, but as soon as I cut the pie into pieces, the marshmallow topping slid right off the fudge layer, which again resulted in really messy but tasty slices of pie.  This is why I do not have a tantalizing picture of a beautiful slice of pie.  However, I am not one to give up, so on my next pie, I will try drizzling the fudge over the top of the marshmallow in place of the shaved chocolate.  I’m pretty sure that will work.  But if you’re not worried about how the slices look on the plate, you can add that fudge to any layer you wish.  Or omit this additional layer altogether.  It will still be an amazingly good pie.

This pie can be made any time of year, and I promise you, you will be making it at all times of the year.  I would say I hope you enjoy it, but I know you will.  And if you don’t, can I have the leftovers?

S’mores Pie

Serves: 6 – 8 people

Ingredients:
1 ready-made graham cracker crust
1 box Hershey’s instant chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 graham cracker squares
1 Tbsp chocolate chips or 2 squares of a Hershey chocolate bar

Directions:
1. Take plastic cover off of graham cracker crust and remove the label along with any of the remaining sticky stuff. Keep the lid.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and the milk. Pour into the crust, turn the plastic lid over so that it sticks up above the pie and secure by pushing down in a couple of places to hold it on. Place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set.

3. In a medium to large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the marshmallow creme and whipped topping together until smooth.

4. Remove pie from fridge, remove the plastic top and set aside. Top the pudding layer with the marshmallow creme mixture and spread to edges.

5. Place the graham cracker squares in a sandwich bag and seal it shut. Use a heavy glass to break up the crackers into fine crumbs. Sprinkle over top of pie.

6. If using chocolate chips: place chocolate chips in a sandwich bag and seal it shut. Use a heavy glass to break up the chips into smaller pieces. Sprinkle over top of pie.
If using a chocolate bar: grate the chocolate squares over a microplane to create chocolate crumbs on top of pie.

7. Replace plastic lid and leave on counter until ready to eat.