Mini S'mores Tarts

As August nears a close I am OBVIOUSLY going to throw as many summer desserts at you as I possibly can. Hence these new mini s'mores tarts! I am not kidding, I think this may be the best thing I have ever created.

These mini s'mores tarts have a buttery graham cracker base, a smooth chocolate ganache filling and a homemade marshmallow fluff top. They are UNREAL. Now, I made these in three 4-inch springform pans, however you can make these in a muffin tin if you do not have mini pans. I suggest lining the muffin tin with cups so they are easy to remove.

Ingredients for mini s'mores tarts

Base

For the base, you will need:

• Graham crackers
• Unsalted butter

Filling

For the filling, you will need:

• Semi-sweet chocolate, or preferred chocolate of choice. But make sure it's good quality!
• Heavy cream

Marshmallow Fluff

For the marshmallow fluff topping, you will need:

• Egg whites
• Powdered sugar
• Cream of tartar
• Vanilla extract

Preparing the filling

I like to prepare the chocolate ganache filling first, so it has some time to set and thicken up. Making chocolate ganache is rather simple - all we need is heavy cream and good quality chocolate. I like this chocolate from Ghirardelli. Good quality chocolate is important - otherwise you can be left with a lumpy or grainy chocolate ganache - and we want ours to be smooth and luscious.

We start by placing the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Then, heat up your heavy cream over low heat on the stove until you see a gentle simmer. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Take a small heat proof spatula or a spoon and gently stir until the chocolate and cream are completely homogenous. Set this aside to let it cool at room temperature. You can place it in the fridge to chill, however it will cool more evenly if left at room temperature.

Making the base

For the base, we will take 15 full graham cracker sheets and pulse them into a fine crumb. The crumbs should equate to approximately two cups. Melt your butter and pour over the crumbs. Using a spoon, gently stir together the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until it resembles wet sand. In your pans or muffin tin, gently pack the crumbs into the bottom and slightly up the sides. Put these in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up.

After they firm up, remove the mini springform pans, or your muffin tin, from the freezer. If you are using mini springform pans, remove the base from the pan and pour about a ½ cup of the chocolate ganache filling into the base. If using a muffin tin, fill the base ¾ of the way full with chocolate ganache. Set these in the fridge for 1-2 hours for the ganache to completely firm up.

Marshmallow Fluff Topping

This homemade marshmallow fluff topping is so dang good. I've started to just make it and keep it in a jar in the fridge so I can snack on it whenever I want. Plus, it's so easy to make.

Fill a sauce pan with about two inches of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Separate your yolks from the egg whites and make sure NONE of the yolk gets into your mixture. In a heat proof bowl, place your egg whites, powdered sugar and cream of tartar, and place your bowl over the simmering water. But do NOT let the bottom of the bowl touch the simmering water. You can also use a double boiler if you have one!

Continuously whisk this together while the mixture heats up. It will start out thick, and the powdered sugar may be clumpy (this is okay!), it will thin out and the clumps will dissipate as you keep on whisking. Whisk for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture is thin and frothy on top - if you have a thermometer, it should be around 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Using a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat on high speed for 5-6 minutes until luscious, puffy, stiff peaks form. Once it is finished, you can either dollop or pipe a bit of the marshmallow fluff onto the chocolate filling. If you have a baking torch, I highly suggest toasting the marshmallow fluff topping a bit - it LITERALLY tastes like a fireside marshmallow. So so so good.

This is by far the best summer dessert on the blog. I hope you guys LOVE it as much as I do! If you give it a try, please rate and review - it would mean so much! If you are looking for other s'mores recipes, definitely check out S'mores Ice Cream (No Churn), S'mores Cookies, and S'mores Bars (No Bake)!

Tried this recipe? Make sure to rate and review and tag @sturbridgebakery on Instagram!