Cereal S’mores Bars

This treat has three components: the brown butter graham crust, the crispy mallowy center, and the chocolate ganache. It takes a bit of work, but it doesn’t require an oven and in my current existence in this humid tropical country, I consider that a win.

Disclaimer: No, I am not a chef. I’m just trying to keep the last strands of my sanity from snapping.

GRAHAM CRUST

1/4 cup brown butter

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 pinch salt

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

300g chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup full-cream milk

1 tsp instant coffee

1 tbsp butter (optional)

CEREAL CRISPIES

1 bag white marshmallows

2 tbsps butter

250g cereals

PROCEDURE

To make the Brown Butter: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat for about two minutes or until your butter turns from yellow to light amber. Keep it on the hob for another 30 seconds and remove from heat when you see brown solid bits at the bottom of the pan (you can scoop some butter with a spoon to check). The brown butter gives the crust a nuttier flavor, but good ol’ melted butter works well, too.

Pour the brown butter over your crushed graham crackers and mix until it resembles damp sand. Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt. You can try forming a ball of crumbs with your fist. If it holds well together, you’ve used enough butter. You can add more melted butter as needed.

Line a square or rectangular container with non-stick baking sheet. Pour in the crushed graham mixture and flatten until you form a bottom crust. Place in the fridge to set while you work on the chocolate ganache.

To make the Ganache: In a saucepan, heat up the milk and the cream (you can use all cream for a richer, smoother ganache) over medium heat until you see some steam but no bubbles. Add the instant coffee powder, stir gently for another 30 seconds then remove from heat. You won’t taste the coffee flavor in the ganache, but it will bring out the intensity of the chocolate.

In a heatproof bowl, dump in your chocolate of choice. You can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark. I used Single Origin 65% Dark Chocolate from Malagos Chocolate to offset the sweetness of the marshmallows. Pour the hot milk into the bowl of chocolate. Make sure there’s enough to cover 3/4 of the chocolate. Let the hot milk and chocolate sit for about 1-2 minutes before mixing it slowly using a whisk or a rubber spatula. It’s going to be lumpy and ugly at first, but trust the process and just keep stirring until it all comes together. You can add a knob of butter to make your ganache richer and shinier. Once well combined, cover it with cling film, making sure the film touches the surface of the ganache. Chill it in the fridge while you make the cereal crispies mixture.

To make the Cereal Crispies: There are two ways to melt the marshmallows.

[Stove-Top Method] If you have a really nice non-stick pan or sauce pan that’s big enough, you can melt some butter and pour the marshmallows in it. Keep mixing over low heat until the mallows melt into sticky goo.

[Microwave Method] In a microwave-safe bowl, just put your mallows and butter in it and zap it for about two minutes. Make sure to check it the entire time because the mallows will expand inside the microwave. Once done, carefully take it out of the microwave and mix gently until the melted butter and melted mallows are combined.

Add your cereal of choice into the melted marshmallows and mix thoroughly. I think this would work on any cereal: rice crispies, corn flakes, fruit loops, honey stars, coco crunch, even granola! Once well combined, you can start layering.

Take the graham crust from the fridge and pour half of the ganache mixture over it. Spread evenly with a rubber scraper or offset spatula. You have the option to place the layers back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let is set a little bit before the next layer.

Make sure the cereal-mallows mixture is still a bit warm and pliable before putting it on top of the ganache layer. You can rub your hands with a little bit of oil to make it easier to handle the crazy sticky mixture. I flattened the cereal-mallows layer using my hands to make sure I get it into all the corners.

Lastly, pour the other half of the ganache over the cereal crispies layer and spread evenly. If you want, you can sprinkle some finishing salt or more graham crumbs on top of the ganache.

You can let it set at room temperature for about 2-3 hours (just make sure it’s away from direct sunlight or any heat source) or you can put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. DO NOT put it in the freezer otherwise your ganache will "sweat" too much while thawing. Slice the chilled block into your desired size and enjoy.