S’mores Pudding Pie

Recently I was chatting with a friend at a restaurant and we both started gazing over the dessert menu even before we had ordered our entrees. I don’t know why I was even looking, I had this S’mores Pudding Pie waiting for me back at home. Sometimes I just like to look at dessert menus for inspiration. My friend remarked that the s’mores dessert looked awesome, and I had to agree. Then something really weird happened.

She said something like, “I love s’mores. But my favorite dessert is pudding pie.” I laughed and responded, “I literally have a S’mores Pudding Pie in my fridge at home.” She looked back at me in disbelief but who are we kidding? Anyone would believe I would have something like that in my fridge at any moment in time. I’m pretty much the dessert queen.

I was so excited to know someone else who shares my complete love, admiration, and obsession with pudding pies. They’re nothing fancy or spectacular about them, but I love them so. much. it’s. crazy. They were my favorite dessert growing up but I’d only get to have them on special occasions like Thanksgiving. That’s why I wanted to make a more summery version that could be festive and not too heavy for the warmer months.

Voila! S’mores Pudding Pie. It took some serious self-control for me not to eat this entire pie once it was chilled. I actually tried to cut a slice before it was cold enough and that didn’t go well. It was really just an excuse for me to sample it. This pie doesn’t have any heavy cream and uses 1% milk, so it’s basically healthy, right?

How to make

S'mores Pudding Pie

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Inactive Time 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 32 minutes

S'mores Pudding Pie has a buttery and crunchy graham cracker crust with a creamy and luscious chocolate pudding filling, topped with toasted marshmallows! It's one of my favorite desserts!

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 14 whole graham crackers
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the chocolate pudding:

• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups 1 percent low-fat milk
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the marshmallow topping:

• 20 marshmallows

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

For the crust:

1. In the bowl of a food processor process the crackers and sugar until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Use the bottom of a measuring cup, glass, or ramekin to press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the pudding:

1. Meanwhile, make the pudding. Put the gelatin in a small bowl, add the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan mix the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the vanilla and reserved gelatin. Pour the mixture into the pie crust.

For the topping:

1. Cut the marshmallows in half lengthwise with a pair of scissors. Top the pie with the marshmallows, covering the entire surface. Use a kitchen torch to brown the marshmallows to desired toastiness. Alternatively, place the pie pan on a baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes, watching the entire time to make sure it doesn’t scorch. Chill the pie in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight, until well chilled. Slice and serve!

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from here

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a picture and share it on Instagram with #handletheheat so we can all see!

Recipe by Tessa Arias