Mud Hen Bars

Mud Hen Bars are different than any bar I’ve ever had. They’ve got a kind of s’more thing going on, but with a chewier texture and a crinkly meringue top. (Which is to say, they’re heavenly.) It’s pretty much an irresistible combination of flavors and textures, what with the chewy cookie crust, the gooey chocolate and marshmallows, and the flaky brown sugar meringue to top it all off. But don’t let that fool you into thinking they’re too hard to make – getting them in the oven isn’t too much effort at all.

These bars are all about the layers and the first one is a soft and buttery cookie-like one. You make a quick batter of butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, and the like and spread it into a baking pan.

That gets topped with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows. And then comes the trickiest part (which isn’t really tricky at all).

You whisk a couple of egg whites until they’ll hold stiff peaks and then fold in some brown sugar until it’s nice and smooth. This caramelly meringue forms the top layer of these bars, and you’ll be missing it in every other dessert you bite into.

They only take thirty minutes to bake, and when they emerge you have a bar with layer upon layer of deliciousness.

They’re soft and tender and chewy, they’re ooey-gooey, but they also have a delicate and airy crisp bite to finish them off. I can promise you they’re not quite like anything you’ve had before!

Mud Hen Bars

45 minutes to prepare serves 24

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 whole egg plus 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup miniature marshmallows
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with butter or nonstick spray.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth.
  3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix until incorporated. Spread batter into prepared pan.
  4. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the batter, followed by the mini marshmallows.
  5. In a large clean bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Gently fold in the brown sugar until smooth.
  6. Spread egg whites on top of marshmallow layer and bake until top is golden brown, 30-35 minutes.
  7. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Chocolate Chocolate and More.

Whizzco for LPE