Too Hot for a Fire? Try these Campfire Bars

Originally published in the Lebanon Reporter on June 30, 2005

The heat of the last few days came upon us suddenly. Less than two weeks ago when we had family in town for our oldest son’s birthday, we took the chill off the late-evening air by joining our neighbors at their fire pit. We happen to have on-hand all the requisite ingredients for a favorite summertime treat - S’mores.

Each person around the fire, both kids and adults, seemed to have a different preference for just how roasted they wanted their marshmallows. Some like to stick theirs right into the flame, catching the marshmallow on fire, letting it burn until it is as black as cool, and then blowing it out like a giant birthday candle. Others like to keep theirs a few inches from the flame rotating the marshmallow until it the surface is evenly browned. 

Although I enjoy the S’mores ritual I’m not a big fan of eating them. For me it is the ratio of the marshmallow to the other ingredients. I’m kind of a moderate marshmallow fan. Let’s just say you won’t find me eating a fluffernutter. My wife, on the other hand, has been known to eat marshmallow cream by the spoonful.

The evening we made s’mores was also the evening we pitched a tent in the backyard and spent the night under the stars. Henry, our birthday boy, thought this was just about the coolest thing in the world. I had him convinced that making s’mores and sleeping in a backyard tent was authentic “camping.” Apparently he has been set straight by other kids in preschool who must have parents who are bit more into the outdoor adventure thing than I am.

Henry has learned that sleeping in the yard is for amatures. Real campers venture far into the forest or onto the beach and that you can cook entire meals, not just marshmallows, over a campfire flame. He’s been asking me when we can go camping again. I’m using the current heat wave to put him off for a few weeks. Maybe I can get some pointers from the Wheat brothers (here and here) before fall.

In order to appease his hunger for s’mores without building a fire on an already smoldering evening, I dreamed up something I call “Campfire Bars.” These incorporate all the ingredients of a s’more yet can be made in the comfort of our air conditioned home. They turned out to be a big hit both with Henry and some friends who tried them recently. I even like them because the marshmallow-chocolate-graham cracker ratio is more to my liking.

I tested two batches of these. For one batch I used a made-from-scratch brownie recipe and the other I used a brownie mix from the box. Honestly, the boxed mix was better. So, if you have a good brownie recipe use it for this. If not, the boxed stuff works very well. Here is the recipe.

Campfire Bars

• 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 boxes of brownie mix
• 1 small bag of mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Using the back of a spoon, firmly press this mixture into the bottom of the greased pan. Bake the graham cracker crust for 10 minutes. While the crust is baking, prepare both boxes of brownie mixes as directed (the instructions will probably call for eggs and vegetable oil). They can be prepared in the same bowl.

After the crust has baked for 10 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and pour the brownie mix on top of the crust. Put the pan back in the oven and bake as called for on the box (note: you may need to raise or lower the temperature if the instructions call for an oven cooler or warmer than 350 degrees.). Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick. It should come out clean. 

Remove the pan from the oven and set the oven to the highest broil setting. Top the brownies with enough marshmallows to cover the top. Place this in under the broiler and watch it very carefully. It will begin to brown quickly and go from brown to black (of course some of you might like it this way) in just a few seconds. Once browned to your liking, remove from the oven and serve immediately. Cut into squares and serve.

The crust and brownies can be baked ahead, even the day before, if desired. The marshmallows can be added on top and put under the broiler before serving.