Having a teen-aged daughter as I approach 50, has taught me to keep my sense of ‘whimsy’ and relish in those beautifully opportune moments of occasionally ‘throwing caution to the wind’.
This dessert would be one of those moments. She and I spent two hours in the kitchen together on Mother’s Day, making these devilishly decadent brownies and they were worth every bite!
No counting calories on this recipe, my friends! Throw them into the wind, along with your caution, and enjoy!
Ingredients:
The Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick light butter
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
The Brownie Filling:
1 cup sugar
1 stick light butter
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels
½ cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
The Meringue:
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites, room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
Directions:
The Crust:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Melt the butter in a medium sized bowl and mix in the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and salt.
3) Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9×9 baking dish.
4) Bake the dish in the oven for 10 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the crust to cool.
The Brownie Filling:
1) Set a medium sized saucepan on the stove filled with about four inches of water and heat until simmering.
2) Set a smaller saucepan inside the medium saucepan and melt the butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth and glossy.
3) Remove the small pan from the heat and whisk in the sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs until incorporated. (Leave the larger pan with the water on the stove. You’ll use it again for the meringue.)
4) Stir in the flour and spread the mixture over the crust.
5) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until the perimeter of the filling is set and the center is still gooey.
6) Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
The Marshmallow Meringue:
1) Cut the brownies into individual sized portions and place them on a Parchment paper lined baking sheet.
2) Set your oven to broil.
3) Set a small heat-proof bowl inside the saucepan on the stove (water at simmering as before) and whisk the egg whites and sugar until incorporated and sugar is dissolved.
4) Remove the bowl from the water and using a hand mixer, add the vanilla and cream of tartar, beating the mixture at medium speed until soft peaks begin to form.
5) Increase the mixer speed to high and continue to beat the meringue for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
6) Mound the meringue on top of the cut brownies and place the pan in the oven, under the broiler for 2-4 minutes until the meringue is lightly browned.
