Do you remember Moon Pies?
Those half-cookie, half-cake treats managed to combine chocolate, graham crackers and marshmallow into one yummy bite. You can think of them as a close cousin to s’mores, but Moon Pies hit the market as prepackaged snacks all the way back in 1917, which means they actually predate s’mores and their construction is like an inverted s’more.
In a Moon Pie, the chocolate is a rich coating on the outside of the two, round graham cookies stuffed with marshmallows to make the perfect sweet treat that could be packed neatly in a school lunch box.
But, while ripping open a bagged Moon Pie is great, sometimes we all need something a little more substantial to satisfy our sweet tooth. That’s why we think Elizabeth, a pastry chef and cookbook author who publishes the Sugar Hero website might have created the best upsized dessert we’ve seen in a while.
Feast your eyes on the glorious Moon Pie Pie! Yes, the title is redundant but that’s forgivable when you look at how delectable it is.
Just looking at this layered dessert has our blood sugar jumping into orbit.
Like most good bakers, Elizabeth took a little creative license with the original Moon Pie ingredients. She replaced the graham cookies for a thick, chocolate chip cookie for the bottom crust that requires no apologies to the old-school recipe.
Also, for a more gourmet flair, this pie uses a vanilla meringue in place of marshmallows. The meringue gives the pie that sky-high look and when you torch meringue it ends up having virtually the same flavor as marshmallows toasted over a fire pit.
The recipe calls for pantry staples as well as dark chocolate, heavy cream and bread flour. The full recipe at Sugar Hero gives all the exact quantities for each ingredient.
Since you will be making this entire pie from scratch, it will take a little time to prepare. You can expect at least 90 minutes from start to finish. However, the recipe gives detailed directions on how to make everything from the thick cookie crust to the chocolate truffle layer, the meringue and even the chocolate ganache drizzled on top.
Some things are worth the extra time and effort and this pie looks like one of them. If you try it for yourself, let us know how it goes!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
