Homemade graham cracker crust, rich chocolate ganache and a billowy meringue come together to make the ultimate s’more tart! Good thing it’s as easy as it is delicious!
It’s here. It’s officially that proverbial time of year to make something s’more. Why officially? Because I pretty much decided so.
If you’ve been hanging around these parts for any length of time, you’ve probably picked up on my affinity for all things s’more. I’ve made s’more ice cream, s’more doughnuts, s’more sandwich cookies, s’more cake… Seriously, I could write this list forever. I kid you not, FOREVER.
And, let’s be honest, what’s NOT to love about s’mores? Can you REALLY beat chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker? FYI, the answer you’re looking for is no. Just no.
Unless you were going to say chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker alongside a crackling fire in the dead of winter with a mug of hot cocoa. In which case, let’s be best friends?
How to make this s’more tart
First, make the graham cracker crust.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter for the graham cracker crust until smooth. Add the brown sugar and honey, and continue beating until the mixture is once again smooth.
Add the remaining ingredients for the crust and beat until it pulls away from the sides and clumps into a single ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days (depending on how far in advance you make it).
On a lightly floured surface, work the dough for the crust with your hands until malleable.
Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper until it’s slightly larger than your 14″ x 5″ pan. Gently flip the dough into the pan and press it into the bottom and sides.
Don’t worry if it breaks apart or cracks; this dough presses back together beautifully. Just use your fingers to press together any cracks and excess dough to fill in holes.
Trim away any excess left around the edges. Generously prick the bottom, and bake at 350F with pie weights for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Second, make the chocolate ganache filling.
To make the ganache, heat the cream until almost boiling (this can be done in a microwave if you prefer not to mess with the stove). Chop the chocolate into fine pieces and pour the hot cream over it.
Allow the hot cream and chocolate to sit for a couple of minutes so that the chocolate softens. Gently stir the ganache with a spatula (a whisk creates too many air bubbles) until completely smooth.
Pour the ganache into the cooled tart shell and spread evenly. Wrap with plastic wrap pressed down onto the surface of the ganache, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Fourth, make the meringue.
To make the meringue topping, whisk together the egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer placed over a pot of boiling water (a double boiler).
Whisking occasionally, heat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch.
Move the bowl to your stand mixer, add the vanilla, and whisk on high (using the whisk attachment) until billowy, and the meringue holds a stiff peak.
Finally, assemble the tart.
Remove the tart from the refrigerator, and spread the meringue evenly across the top.
I used the back of a small spoon to create the back and forth pattern on the top, but you can really style the meringue however you like. Toast with a chef’s torch and serve immediately.
Tips for making the perfect tart
- Looking to work ahead? The the graham cracker dough can be made 2 days in advance and a baked shell filled with ganache can last up to a week. Both should be refrigerated.
- Graham cracker dough is too dry: Sometimes this dough winds up a little dry. If that happens to you, you can easily fix this by dampening your hands with water and knead that little bit of moisture into the dough. The dough has reached the right consistency when it forms one cohesive ball without being sticky.
- Easily transfer the dough: The secret to easily transferring the graham cracker crust to the pan is to roll it out on a piece of parchment. Pick up the parchment paper and gently turn it out over the pan.
- Baking an empty tart or pie shell: Whenever you’re baking an empty pie or shell tart, be sure to use a pie weight of some sort. This will keep the dough from rising, pulling way from the pan and/or forming air pockets. Pie weights are available to purchase or you can make your own by placing parchment paper on your crust and covering it with uncooked rice or dry beans.
- Meringue won’t whip up: Sometimes, no matter what you do, your meringue won’t whip up to stiff, billowy peaks. The most common culprit: Grease. Any bit of grease in your mixing bowl, no matter how miniscule, can keep your meringue from reaching stiff peaks. To avoid this, make sure to give your mixing bowl a fresh clean before making the meringue.
- Browning the meringue without a torch: If you don’t have a culinary torch on hand, you can brown your meringue in the oven under the broiler. Just be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!
PrintS’more Tart
Homemade graham cracker crust, rich chocolate ganache, and a billowy meringue come together for the ultimate s’more tart! As easy as it is delicious!
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 12 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust:
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp. whole-wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 3 oz salted butter, at room temp.
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. honey
For the chocolate ganache filling:
- 8 oz dark chocolate
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
For the meringue toppings:
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Beat the butter for the graham cracker crust until smooth. Add the brown sugar and honey, and continue beating until smooth.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the crust and beat until it pulls away from the sides and clumps into a single ball.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper until it’s slightly larger than your 14″ x 5″ pan.
- Gently flip the dough into the pan (a second person would be helpful here) and press it into the bottom and sides. Trim away any excess.
- Generously prick the bottom, and bake at 350F with pie weights for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
- To make the ganache, heat the cream until almost boiling.
- Chop the chocolate into fine pieces and pour the hot cream over it. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes to allow the chocolate to soften.
- Gently stir the ganache until completely smooth.
- Pour the ganache into the cooled tart shell and spread evenly.
- Wrap with plastic wrap pressed down onto the surface of the ganache, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- To make the meringue topping, whisk together your egg whites and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer placed over a pot of boiling water (a double boiler).
- Heat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch.
- Move the bowl to your stand mixer, add the vanilla, and whisk on high (using the whisk attachment) until billowy, and the meringue holds a stiff peak.
- Remove the tart from the refrigerator, and spread the meringue evenly across the top. Toast with a chef’s torch and serve immediately.
Notes
- Looking to work ahead? The the graham cracker dough can be made 2 days in advance and a baked shell filled with ganache can last up to a week. Both should be refrigerated.
- Graham cracker dough is too dry: Sometimes this dough winds up a little dry. If that happens to you, you can easily fix this by dampening your hands with water and knead that little bit of moisture into the dough. The dough has reached the right consistency when it forms one cohesive ball without being sticky.
- Easily transfer the dough: The secret to easily transferring the graham cracker crust to the pan is to roll it out on a piece of parchment. Pick up the parchment paper and gently turn it out over the pan.
- Baking an empty tart or pie shell: Whenever you’re baking an empty pie or shell tart, be sure to use a pie weight of some sort. This will keep the dough from rising, pulling way from the pan and/or forming air pockets. Pie weights are available to purchase or you can make your own by placing parchment paper on your crust and covering it with uncooked rice or dry beans.
- Meringue won’t whip up: Sometimes, no matter what you do, your meringue won’t whip up to stiff, billowy peaks. The most common culprit: Grease. Any bit of grease in your mixing bowl, no matter how miniscule, can keep your meringue from reaching stiff peaks. To avoid this, make sure to give your mixing bowl a fresh clean before making the meringue.
- Browning the meringue without a torch: If you don’t have a culinary torch on hand, you can brown your meringue in the oven under the broiler. Just be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
Graham cracker crust recipe adapted from Miette (2011), pg. 150
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 333
- Sugar: 32.1g
- Sodium: 82mg
- Fat: 17.1g
- Saturated Fat: 11.2g
- Carbohydrates: 41.9g
- Fiber: 1.2g
- Protein: 4.2g
- Cholesterol: 36mg
Keywords: smores recipe, how to make smores, smores dessert
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Update Notes: This post was originally published in June of 2016 but was republished with updated photos and tips in July of 2019.
Oh hey there! You might have noticed a number of updated posts recently. That’s because summer is often a time where blogs like mine see less traffic, and what better time to improve the content I already have than a time where I don’t have to worry quite so much about creating totally new things.
But improving doesn’t mean forgetting where I was in my photography journey this time three years ago. Spoiler alert: It’s not nearly as far along as I am now.
I was still in my “wash out all the shadows” phase. So enjoy the photo below of this post circa 2016!
Simply love your photos. And know exactly what you mean about old blog photos. Still trying to redo my first ones! This tart looks gorgeous and sounds even more delicious. S’mores are such a part of my childhood but don’t get many now that I live in hot South Florida. Got to try this when I get my next craving!
I go back and forth on my old photos so much! Part of me hates them and wants to redo them, but part of me feels like they tell the story of my food photography journey, and hopefully encourage new photographers that it gets better. The latter half usually wins out. 😉 Oh man, I bet s’mores are few and far between in hot southern Florida! Hopefully this tart will help satisfy that craving (and not heat up your already hot kitchen)! 😀
Lovely photos, I love the mood you were going for! Also, the s’mores tart is gorgeous and delicious. You’re right, nothing beats it!
Thank you Elsa! 😀 That dark ganache filling just seemed like it needed a dark, moody background!
How gorgeous is this tart?! S’mores is seriously the best flavor combination for summer {or anytime, really. I’m not picky}. Absolutely love the photos you took! I totally understand the picture thing too, food photography is such a learning process but the only way to improve is to practice. Again, loving these shots. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Valentina! 😀 Food photography, and all the little bits that come with it (like food styling), is SUCH a process! I love it, but some days I wish it just weren’t so difficult! 😉 So glad you liked the tart and the photos. I agree, I could totally have a s’more any time of year too. 😀
This tart looks absolutely divine! I love the thick layer of marshmallow cream. I love anything s’mores too. I’m so excited it’s the summer–s’mores season!
Thank you Lucy! 😀 Team s’more for life!
Your photos are beautiful! I love those moments when food photography (or any photography for that matter) just seems to come naturally. Those moments are true gems.
I agree! And having just seemed to hit my food photography groove, I definitely treasure those moments! I wish every shoot felt as natural as this one did! 🙂
Thank you! 😀
This recipe looks yummy and now I could use a post on “How to photograph food”. How about it? lol
Thank you for the super sweet comment Suzy! Actually, I have a number of posts on photographing food if you’re interested! You can find those articles at: 🙂
What’s not to love about this!! Beautiful…
★★★★★
Printing this off right now. I was just talking about making a smore dessert for my next bbq party. This is great!!
★★★★★
Whoa. This looks absolutely incredible! I am obsessed with s’mores and think this treat would be exceptional. PS. Your photography from three years is also exceptional 🙂
★★★★★
What a delicious looking tart! This looks so tasty! The meringue topping is all kinds of amazing!
★★★★★
Still love your photos! And this ‘smore tart is scrumptious and not too hard to make. Perfect!
I like that you leave old photos in updated posts. I must admit I quite like the feel of the older photo. You certainly showed off much nicer crokery in the new take, but I have a thing for darker backgrounds. Maybe because I’m reluctant in using them myself so I like to see them in other people’s photos.
★★★★★
I’m in love with the addition of honey to the crust! It looks fabulous, the crust and the tart. And yes, summer is the time to update the blog, no question about it! Gorgeous images too.
★★★★★
This tart would look good no matter how you photographed it! I think your photos are beautiful and just make me want to put my hand through the screen and grab a piece. And I’m with you, I’ll take s’mores any way i can get them. Can I be your friend?
★★★★★
How gorgeous is that tart! That thick layer of marshmallow simply stole my heart. Wish I could grab a piece now.
★★★★★
This is so awesome ! It relieves those sticky fingers you get from regular smores , definitely will try this 🙂
★★★★★
This tart looks so tasty! I love smore treats and would love to try your recipe!)
★★★★★
Oh my gosh – I love all things s’mores! This tart sounds fantastic – such a fun dessert for a summer party!! And oddly, I think I have the same cake server in the circa 2016 photo! 🙂
★★★★★
Great tart recipe that looks extremely easy, yet so tasty! That billowy meringue must be something. It certainly looks extra delicious!
★★★★★
Such gorgeous pictures, and s’more tart looks absolutely stunning, a delightful dessert for anyone.
★★★★★
Ahhh… this looks like such a beautiful dessert or snack!