Campfire Marshmallow Bars
Broiling the marshmallows right to the brink of charred gives these bars a smoky taste reminiscent of a campfire cookout. Keep an eye on the marshmallows through the oven door as you would with marshmallows over a fire – charred is good, burnt is bad.
Yield: Makes 2 dozen.
6 cups crisped rice cereal
4 tablespoons salted butter, cut in slices 1 bag (10 ounces) mini marshmallows
Position an oven rack six inches from the broiler element. Heat the oven to broil, on a medium setting if possible, and turn on the oven light. Put the cereal in a large bowl.
Scatter the butter in a 13-by-9-inch cake pan and place in the oven to cook until the butter melts and its milk solids turn light golden brown, three to five minutes. Watch it carefully. Immediately remove the pan from the oven and carefully tilt it to evenly coat the bottom with the butter. Quickly spread the marshmallows in a single layer in the pan.
Return the pan to the oven rack and broil, watching its progress the whole time, until the tops of the marshmallows are very dark golden brown and the marshmallows are puffed, two to four minutes. Carefully and immediately slide the marshmallows out of the pan and into the bowl with the cereal. Leave behind any butter slicking the pan; don’t scrape anything out.
Carefully fold the marshmallow mixture together until the cereal is evenly coated. Scrape the mixture into the pan and press it in an even layer. Cool completely, then cut into 24 bars to serve. Variations: S’mores Bars
After pressing the marshmallow treats into the pan, arrange 24 squares of milk chocolate in a six-by-four grid on top. Return to the oven and heat just until the chocolate has softened, about one minute. Cut six graham cracker squares into four smaller squares each. Press each square into a piece of chocolate.
Big Batch Campfire Marshmallow Bars
Follow the method above using a half sheet pan (17 by 11 inches) and nine and a half cups of crisped rice cereal, six and a half tablespoons salted butter and one 16-ounce bag of marshmallows. Make Ahead: The bars can be kept in an airtight container for up to three days.