Deluxe Chocolate Marshmallow Bars

Three layers of unapologetic indulgence stacked into a single bar: a chocolate cocoa cake base, a melted marshmallow middle that gets smoothed with a water-dipped knife, and a chocolate-peanut-butter-Rice-Krispies topping that crackles when you bite into it. The kind of dessert that disappears at bake sales and potlucks within an hour of arrival.

The construction is the whole game. Bake the cocoa cake first. Cover it with miniature marshmallows and return to the oven just long enough to soften and puff them, then spread the marshmallow with a wet knife so it flows into a smooth white layer. Once that cools, the chocolate-peanut butter-cereal topping gets poured over and chilled until firm.

The peanut butter and chocolate combination on the topping is the unsung secret. Pure melted chocolate sets too hard to slice cleanly through. The peanut butter softens the chocolate just enough to keep the layer cuttable while adding that classic chocolate peanut butter flavor partnership.

Pro Tips

• Watch the marshmallows carefully during the second oven trip. They go from puffed to scorched in under a minute
• Dip the knife in water before spreading the melted marshmallow. The water keeps it from sticking and lifting the cake
• Cool the marshmallow layer completely before adding the chocolate topping. Warm marshmallow melts the topping into a sticky mess
• Chill the finished bars at least an hour before slicing. Use a sharp knife dipped in hot water for clean cuts

Variations

• Use Cocoa Krispies instead of plain crisp rice cereal for a deeper chocolate topping
• Stir a half cup of chopped salted pretzels into the topping for sweet-salty crunch
• Sprinkle chopped pecans or walnuts over the topping before it sets