S’Mores Chocolate Pie -- Fire and Patience, From the Smoker to the Table

August 2025. Memphis summer, 66 years old, and the heat wraps around Orange Mound like a wet blanket that nobody asked for but everybody wears because that is the deal you make when you live in the South. The smoker calls louder in summer — something about the heat amplifying the smoke, the way humidity amplifies everything in Memphis — and I answer, because answering is what pitmasters do.

Rosetta beside me through the week, steady as ever, the woman who runs this household with the precision of a hospital ward and the heart of a mother who has loved fiercely for 41 years of marriage.

Ribs this week — spare ribs, dry-rubbed, five hours at 225, no foil, no rush. The Memphis way. The bark cracked when I bit into it, and the flavor was layered: smoke first, then spice, then the sweetness of the pork, each layer arriving on its own schedule, patient as a sermon. Rosetta ate two ribs and said nothing negative, which is a standing ovation from the toughest critic in my life.

Sunday at Mt. Zion, the choir sang and I sat in my pew and let the music hold me. The bass notes I used to add are quieter now — my voice is aging, the way everything ages — but the listening is its own participation, and the church holds me the way the church has held this community for a hundred years: faithfully, unconditionally, with room for everyone who shows up. I show up. That is enough.

When the ribs come off the smoker and Sunday winds down, Rosetta has a way of looking at the table and knowing something sweet is still owed to the day. I had been thinking about fire all week — the way it does its work slow and sure, the way smoke and heat build something you couldn’t have gotten any other way — and this pie felt like the natural end of that thought. Chocolate and marshmallow toasted just enough to remind you that good things require a flame, and patience, and somebody beside you worth making them for.

S’Mores Chocolate Pie {or Tart}

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full crackers)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups mini marshmallows (or 1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff)
• 2 full graham crackers, roughly broken, for garnish

Instructions

1. Make the crust. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into a 9-inch pie dish or tart pan, covering the bottom and sides. Bake 8—10 minutes until set and lightly golden. Remove and let cool completely.
2. Make the chocolate ganache filling. Place chocolate chips and butter pieces in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream just to a simmer — do not boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and butter. Let sit undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir slowly from the center outward until completely smooth and glossy. Stir in vanilla extract.
3. Fill and chill. Pour the warm ganache into the cooled crust, smoothing the top with a spatula. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours, or until the filling is fully set and firm to the touch.
4. Top with marshmallows. Remove the pie from the refrigerator. Scatter mini marshmallows evenly across the top of the chocolate filling, covering it generously.
5. Toast the marshmallows. Using a kitchen torch, toast the marshmallows until golden brown and blistered in spots, working in slow, even passes. Alternatively, place the pie under a broiler set to high for 60—90 seconds, watching closely to prevent burning. The marshmallows should be deeply golden but not scorched.
6. Garnish and serve. Scatter broken graham cracker pieces over the toasted marshmallows. Slice with a sharp knife (wiped clean between cuts) and serve immediately or return to the refrigerator for up to 24 hours — the marshmallow topping is best the day it is made.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 435 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 26g | Carbs: 51g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 195mg