recipe: s'mores brownie bars

i was looking but a quick but comfort-foodie dessert to make for last weekend, and the s'mores brownie bar recipe from Serious Eats.com was a perfect lil fit. i had attempted s'mores brownies once before (i want to say 2 years ago), and when it came time to broil the marshmallows on top, 1 minute on the oven was 1 minute too many... i kind of lit the whole tray on fire. after letting them burn out and leaving me with a tray of char, i had put that idea aside for a while until this past weekend. seemed like a good time to try a new kind and give them a go. 

they came out really yummy, which was a very pleasant surprise for how quick/easy they were.

ingredients list:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (10 whole rectangular crackers)
- 1/4 cup (or less) graham crackers, roughly crushed
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
- salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, plus more for topping
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp instant expresso powder
- 1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3 cups mini-marshmallows

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease an 8 in square baking pan and set aside. 

grind graham crackers in a food processor until they become fine crumbs. melt 4 tbsp butter. add melted butter, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt to crumbs and pulse to combine. press into bottom of prepared pan.

melt chocolate chips and remaining 4 tbsp butter in a small bowl in the microwave, stopping every 15-20 seconds to stir. allow to cool, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.

in a large bowl, mix melted chocolate, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, espresso powder, vanilla, and 1/4 tsp salt. add flower and baking powder and mix until smooth. pour batter into prepared pan. bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes up with a few moist crumbs attached (being careful not to over bake). 

top with marshmallows, additional chocolate chips, and crushed graham crackers. return to oven for an additional 3-5 minutes, until marshmallows start to get a little golden brown. 

allow to cool about 1 hour before serving, cutting with a very sharp knife as the marshmallow topping will be very sticky.