By MawMaw Shirley's eighty-first birthday. October 22nd. I drove to Baker at 7 a.m. I made the gumbo — the annual gumbo, dark roux, thirty-five minutes, chocolate. She sat at the table and watched. She did not correct. She did not speak. The gathering was small — Mama and Daddy, Terrence, me. She ate one bowl. She did not ask for a second. I did not comment.
She showed me the leather notebook. Three more recipes added: fried green tomatoes, corn maque choux, and her mother's buttermilk cornbread. Her mother's. The generation before MawMaw Shirley. Three generations in one book. The chain extends.
The gumbo was the sacred part — the dark roux, the silence, the one bowl she accepted without a word. But a birthday still needs something sweet at the end, and I wanted something that asked nothing of me by the time we got there. MawMaw Shirley’s leather notebook holds the heavy recipes, the ones that take decades to learn. This marshmallow graham dessert is the other kind — the kind you bring to fill the table with softness, something light after something serious.
Marshmallow Graham Dessert
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 3 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full crackers)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers, for topping
Instructions
- Make the crust. Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar in a bowl. Stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish to form an even layer. Set aside.
- Whip the cream. In a chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with a hand mixer on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese. In a separate large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Fold together. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until just combined and no streaks remain. Do not overmix.
- Add the marshmallows. Fold the mini marshmallows into the cream mixture until evenly distributed.
- Assemble. Spread the marshmallow cream filling evenly over the prepared graham cracker crust, smoothing the top with a spatula.
- Top and chill. Sprinkle the reserved crushed graham crackers over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until set and cold.
- Serve. Slice into squares and serve cold. Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 290 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 180mg