S’mores Pie
Take all the components of the sweetest campfire snack and turn it into a most elegant s'mores pie: a graham cracker crust, a dark chocolate ganache layer, and a tall, fluffy vanilla ganache that’s toasted to emulate the melty marshmallow.
I have lusted after this gorgeous (no)bake pie forever, it was just a matter of time before I tackled it as a s’mores pie. I think it was the toasted meringue that got me, which of course is no surprise, but what surprised me was my own ganache – with it’s little additions and perfect consistency, is what made me fall in love with this pie, and eat it long after the meringue had wept onto the plate it was stored on.
No part of Hay’s recipe was followed per se, but I took all her components and made them the way I know best: the right ratios for butter/crumbs, baking it to set it, ganache in grams with added flaked sea salt for depth, and a meringue that follows the basic formula you’ll see in all my recipes: ¼ cup granulated sugar per egg white. And of course, a vanilla bean for the speckles and flavor.
Recipe Ingredients
Graham or digestive crackers: I’m partial to the latter but use what you like. If you opt for oreos (golden or standard) you may wish to remove the cream or the crust will have too much butter in it and become soft, and melty.
Butter: One stick, melted. If you are using a particularly butter cookie for the crust, you might want to reduce this by 2 tablespoons.
Chocolate: This is important, use GOOD quality chocolate. I like this best with a mix of milk chocolate (100g) and dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids (200g). If you prefer it darker
Heavy Cream: Or heavy whipping cream, either will do and the minimal difference in fat content won’t trouble us too much here. For a dairy free option use coconut milk, the one stored in a can.
Salt & vanilla: fine sea salt and pure vanilla extract or paste.
Egg whites: at room temperature they whip more easily but it’s fine to use them from the fridge.
Sugar: Granulated sugar or light brown sugar.
Vanilla bean: Using a vanilla bean or paste will not only give you the lovely vanilla flavor but it will also add pretty black speckles throughout the meringue.
How to make S’mores Pie
First the crust
Preheat the oven to 350 F. While this is a no bake pie, I always bake crusts so that it holds shape and doesn’t completely crumble when sliced.
Grind the cookies (biscuits or crackers), then combine them with melted butter, powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir until you have wet crumbs
Press a thick layer of crumbs into the bottom of a pie pan, then all around the sides. Use a measuring cup to help you pack it in. This is enough crust to make a deliciously thick crust all over, so use it all!
Set it in the oven to bake for 10 minutes. When it comes out, it will probably have bubbled and look warped: use the same measuring cup to pack it back into place
Set aside to chill
Make the Chocolate Ganache
Break or chop up the chocolate into small pieces and set the heavy cream in a small pot over medium low heat
–> I tend to ‘pre-melt’ some of the chocolate, just 30 seconds in the microwave, to make sure it will all melt evenly
When the cream is bubbling at the sides and steaming in the center, remove it and pour over the chocolate
Gently stir the cream into the chocolate then leave it for a few minutes (about 5 should do it)
Stir until it’s smooth and all the chocolate has melted, adding the vanilla and salt once smooth
Pour into the chilled crust then set in the fridge for at least an hour but up to overnight
Make the meringue
There’s a few methods to make a meringue. For the swiss method, you’d warm the sugar and egg whites in a double boiler until the sugar dissolves. In the french method, the sugar is slowly poured into the egg whites after they are frothy and as they are whipping. In both cases you’ll keep the machine on whipping until the meringue is at stiff peaks.
I tend to prefer the swiss method because I consider it more fail-proof
Set a pot filled a third of the way with water over medium heat and bring the water to a simmer
Over the pot set a bowl that fits but it’s bottom does not touch the water
Into the bowl whisk the egg whites and sugar until well mixed, keep stirring as the mixture heats
Once you cannot detect any sugar granules in the mixture (check by lifting some of the liquid and pinching it) you can transfer to a stand mixer
Affix the whisk attachment and begin whipping on low, working up to medium speed
Whisk to stiff peaks, adding the salt and vanilla toward the end of whisking
Dollop over the chilled pie and smooth it around
Use a kitchen torch to toast the top of the meringue
FAQ
How do I make the perfect ganache?
Use a scale to measure the chocolate and heavy cream. Scald, do not boil, the heavy cream. Make sure the chocolate is in bits. Let the heavy cream sit over the chocolate for a few minutes before fully mixing to melt. Then stir, stir stir until completely smooth.
How should I toast the meringue?
You have two options: a kitchen torch or the broiler function on your oven. If broiling, make sure the pie is chilled and the oven is preheated to broil. Once it’s in, watch it like a hawk: as soon as you see it fully toasted remove it less it burn.
Can I make this s’mores pie ahead of time?
You can make pie with the ganache and leave it to chill for a full day. It will keep just fine, covered or not. The meringue is more fussy; if stored overnight the meringue will begin leaking and will separate from the topping. Best to make and top it the same day.
I’d like to make this smores pie dairy free, how can I?
I imagine this do-able: dairy free butter for the crust, and coconut milk for the ganache. Of course, the chocolate you use should be dairy free too.
S’mores Pie Recipe
S'mores Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 250g or 2 cups packed graham cookie crumbs or digestive cookies
- 113g or ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Chocolate ganache filling
- 285 g good quality chocolate preferably a mix of milk and dark chocolate (my ideal is 100g milk and 185g 70% dark)
- 300 g heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
Marshmallow Meringue
- 4 large egg whites
- 200g or 1 cup granulated sugar or use light brown sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsps pure vanilla extract or paste
Method
To make the crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Grind the cookies or crackers in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Melt the butter, stir it into the crumbs along with the powdered sugar and salt. Press the wet crumb mix on the bottom of and up the sides of a 9 inch round pie pan in an even layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes then allow to chill completely before making the ganache.
To make the chocolate filling
- Chop the chocolate finely and place in a heatproof bowl. Set the heavy cream in a pot and turn heat to medium, cook for just a few minutes, until it bubbles on the sides and is steaming - don’t let it boil. Pour over the chocolate and stir briefly then let it set for a few minutes. Stir until smooth - this will take at least a full minute but don’t stop, the movement helps the chocolate melt correctly. Once smooth, add the vanilla and sea salt then pour into the chilled crust. Chill ganache for at least an hour before topping.
To make the meringue topping (the day of serving)
- Option 1, Swiss method (best for brown sugar meringue): set a pot filled a little less than halfway with water over medium low heat and bring the water to a simmer. Set a bowl over the pot (it shouldn't touch the water) and add the sugar then the egg whites to the bowl and quickly whisk well. Keep stirring, use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, as the mixture heats. Lift the spatula and pinch some of the dropping liquid, if you cannot detect any sugar granules then it's done warming. Pour it into the bowl of a stand mixer and affix the whisk attachment, start whisking on low then work up to medium (speed 6). Whip until you have stiff peaks, adding the salt and vanilla toward the end.
- Option 2, French method: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, begin whipping the egg whites slowly, and once frothy, slowly pour in the sugar- very slowly to let the granules dissolve before adding too much at once. Once the sugar is all in, add the vanilla and salt. Whip until stiff peaks; when you can turn the whisk upside down and it holds shape.
- Dollop the meringue over the ganache then place in the fridge to chill. After about 30 minutes, torch the top with a kitchen torch.
- For clean slices, warm a knife under hot water then dry it and slice. Store leftovers in the fridge.
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I made this recipe minus the meringue (because meringue doesn’t store well, and I knew it wasn’t going to be eaten all in one sitting) for my youngest sister’s 18th birthday, and it was absolutely DIVINE! This was my very first time making ganache as well, and it was incredible. I plan to make it again but next time including the meringue, and I’m already excited thinking about it. What an incredible recipe!
Hi Sam! This pie looks perfect for a make-ahead option for Thanksgiving.
I always read the comments so just wanted to double check on the sea salt vs flaky sea salt in ganache.. I’m guessing you changed the recipe?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Keli! I did used to have flaky sea salt for those pops of flavor but it wasn’t very popular so i just made it fine sea salt =)
how far can i make this in advance? I did the crust and ganache lst night but when can meringue be done?
Meringue should be as close to serving as possible; so not more than a few hours.
Fabulous recipe! Will make this over and over.
Overall, this is a nice recipe. One question about the meringue– I made it with granulated sugar and followed the French method, but no matter how long I kept the whisk attachment on, I couldn’t get stiff peaks. The end result was a runny mess when I cut into it. Why did this happen?
It sounds like something was stopping the egg white proteins from binding. There are a few factors that can cause this: egg yolks (even a tiny bit) in the egg whites or any kind of oil (eg. the bowl wasn’t clean and might have grease on it), or adding the sugar too quickly. Also, if you whip it too quickly it won’t be able to build the structure so slow and steady is best. Hopefully next time it works out better!
I see only fine sea salt nowhere does it say flaky. Also I needed to add more butter to the crust as it wasn’t wet enough and there wasn’t enough to go all the way up the sides of the pan.
Hi! So I just had a clarifying question. When you said the amount of chocolate for the ganache it says 285g, but then said the mix could be 100g milk and 300g dark. Are we just mixing the two at a 3 to 1 ratio, more dark than milk, and it totals 285g? Thanks!!
Total would be 285-300g (less means a softer filing). I fixed the language now, hopefully makes sense!
This was absolutely delicious and surprisingly simple. Loved the combination of textures. I used Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Grahams in the crust (highly recommend), all dark chocolate in ganache, and paired with the brown sugar meringue option to reinforce that toasted, rich flavor. Thanks Sam!
Does the meringue technically need to be cooked since there are raw eggs whites or does it matter?
So good! I added a tiny bit of cinnamon to the digestive biscuit base and I did a mix of milk and dark chocolate it was delicious.
Excited to make this for Thanksgiving! Bringing it to a friend’s house – would you recommend keeping it in the fridge there until it’s time to serve or can it sit at room temp? I know with lots of people over and a warm kitchen from the oven, the house heats up fast.
Hi! Definitely in the fridge, the meringue will weep and the ganache will soften if left too long at room temperature. Hope you have a wonderful gathering!
I made this pie last year for Thanksgiving and it was a HIT. Absolutely delicious. The chocolate is very rich and deep, which might not be traditional of a smore, but is elevated and classy for a holiday dessert. I can’t wait to make it again this year for Thanksgiving…my guest have requested it. Thank you for the wonderful recipe. ❤️
this is so wonderful to hear! I hope you and your guests enjoy it just as much as you did last year =)
This was incredibly salty, and the meringue started out great but got soft during the time it was supposed to sit on the fridge. i don’t know why it needed to chill at all. there’s also no comments about storing it.
I’m sorry to hear it Bethany! I wonder if you had the right kind of salt? A teaspoon of flaky sea salt will just add specks of bright flavor not an overall saltiness. As for the meringue, it doesn’t have to set but I find that when I’ve left it for a bit in the fridge it helps it set. I also like to write a recipe exactly as I made the one pictured on the page and for this one you see, I had left it for a few hours in the fridge before torching. I’ll add some notes about storing it, thank you for the feedback.
This is salty AF. I made two of these pies trusting the recipe and had to throw them away because 2 teaspoons of salt is far too much for one pie. It should just be pinches of salt or omitted all together and use salted butter.
Abby, I’m so sorry you lost two pies! Note that it says flaky sea salt which is very different than fine. It adds a little pop of flavor to the ganache, not really changing its salt level.
Salted or unsalted butter for the crust? I’m guessing it doesn’t matter too much but I’m curious!
I use unsalted but I think salted would be ok here too
I just made this pie yesterday. Not only is this recipe so easy to follow but it turns out perfectly every time. It’s so easy and such a crowd pleaser!! MAKE THIS PIE!! Also if anyone of your guests has an egg allergy just sub the meringue with whipped topping … it works just as well.
This is a terrific recipe!! I’m bringing it to a summer cookout and it will be perfect. Sam does a wonderful job writing out each step and explaining why she chooses the ingredients. I live somewhere difficult to find the cacao percentage she recommends, but as that was spelled out I could figure the best substitute. Very helpful for me.
Could I use cool whip instead of a meringue?
You can but it can’t be toasted.