S’mores Pie — The Recipe That Closes a Big Week

Cold week. Frost every morning. The truck block heater worked overtime. I drove short runs Monday and Wednesday and took a long Chicago run Thursday through Saturday — I had told Sarah I needed to be in Chicago anyway, and she set up a brief meeting with a marketing person at the publisher while I was there. I ate deep dish pizza with Sarah at a place called Pequod's on the north side. We drank wine. We talked for three hours. I told her about Gayle. She told me about her father, who had died last year of Parkinson's. We held each other's hands across the table at one point and did not speak for a full minute. Sarah is a friend now. Sarah is a friend. I did not know my editor would become a friend. I do not know how that happened.

Got home Saturday at 10 p.m. Dave had saved me a plate. The kids were up. Josie had done a school project — a poster about Nebraska pioneer women — that she had to present Monday, and she had been waiting for me to see it. I saw it. It was excellent. She had included a paragraph about me, which I had not known she was going to do. "My mother drives a truck and wrote a book about it. She is a Nebraska pioneer woman." I had to leave the living room. I went to the kitchen. I stood at the sink. Dave came in and put his hand on my back. He said, "You are okay." I said, "I know." The week had been big.

Sunday I made a beef pot pie from a family recipe Gayle had given me in 1995 when I was first married. I had not made it in years. Dave loved it. The kids loved it. Gayle ate a large piece at the table Sunday night, came over because I had asked her to, and said, "Brenda. That is exactly right." The next book will have it. I have now made pot pie with three generations of hands teaching the one before. That continuity will be in the book. All of it will be in the book.

Justin caught a stomach bug Friday night and was down Saturday. He was back Sunday. Tyler is fine. Josie is fine. Amber texted Sunday: she is fine, she is studying, she misses us. This is the report. The report is good.

The week had been so full — the Chicago run, Sarah and the wine and the hands held across the table, Josie’s poster, Dave’s hand on my back at the sink — that by Sunday night, with Gayle still at the table and the pot pie plates cleared, I wanted to give everyone something that felt like a reward. Something that reminded the kids, and honestly reminded me, that the sweetest things are simple and made together. This S’mores Pie is what I turned to: a graham cracker crust, a dark chocolate filling, and marshmallows toasted golden under the broiler — the kind of dessert that makes a full, hard, good week feel finished the right way.

S’mores Pie

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min (plus 1 hour chill) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full crackers)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (for filling)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish.
2. Make the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pie dish. Bake 8–10 minutes until just set and lightly golden. Remove and let cool 10 minutes.
3. Make the chocolate filling. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Let sit 2 minutes, then stir until completely smooth and glossy. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then whisk in the 2 tablespoons sugar, vanilla, and salt until fully combined.
4. Bake the filling. Pour the chocolate filling into the cooled crust. Bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has only a slight jiggle. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 1 hour until firm.
5. Toast the marshmallows. When ready to serve, scatter mini marshmallows evenly over the top of the chilled pie. Set the oven to broil on high. Place pie on the top rack and broil 1–3 minutes, watching closely, until marshmallows are puffed and deeply golden. Rotate the dish halfway through if needed for even browning.
6. Slice and serve. Let the pie rest 3 minutes after broiling before slicing. Use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean between cuts for neat slices. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 430 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Carbs: 50g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 190mg