Squeezing one more pumpkin recipe in before Thanksgiving! This Pumpkin S’mores Tart is such a great combination of flavors and could easily be the best thing on your Turkey Day dessert table. I feel like s’mores are typically a summer flavor? But s’mores totally gives me autumn camping bonfire vibes. I’ve got tons of s’mores recipes here on the blog and I’ve rambled on plenty of times about how much I love the crunchy/melty/gooey combination, but the toasty marshmallow is key!! To me it’s not worth it if you’re not going for toasty!
This tart starts with a simple graham cracker crust with a little dash of pumpkin pie spice thrown in. Then it’s topped with a super easy and stir-together pumpkin pie filling. Together they bake for about 20 minutes and that’s all the baking you’ve got to do here!
Next comes the chocolate ganache, which you could make in advance if you’d like. It goes on after the pumpkin filling has cooled, and then comes the marshmallow topping! Which is technically Italian meringue. Actual homemade marshmallows are a little time consuming, and, in my experience, insanely messy. Italian meringue is totally the way to go here! It involves whisking some egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a make-shift double boiler (aka my metal stand mixer bowl over a pot of simmering water), and when it reaches 120°F, it goes back onto the stand mixer and is whipped at high speed until fluffy, glossy peaks form.
You can toast the topping one of two ways! I’ve been wanting a kitchen torch for a looooong time and finally picked one up last weekend. I’ve always been a tiny bit intimidated by them?? 😅 But of course it was super easy to use. I can’t wait to toast more things with it!
You can also use the broiler on your oven. If you go this route, just make sure you move the oven rack closer to the broiler and watch very closely with the oven door cracked open. Marshmallow burns easily, and it shouldn’t take more than a minute, but just stand there and keep an eye on it. This is not the time to multi-task!
Short post today, but I hope you’ll give this tart a try! It would be great anytime of the year with something else swapped for the pumpkin. Maybe a fruity filling, just like, more chocolate.
Happy baking, friends! Hope you all have a lovely time with friends and family!
Pumpkin S'mores Tart
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham crumbs
- ½ tsp pumpkin spice
- ½ cup melted butter
Pumpkin Filling:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup whole milk
Chocolate Ganache:
- 8- oz chopped chocolate
- ½ cup heavy cream
Marshmallow Topping:
- 3 large egg whites
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the graham cracker crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9-inch tart pan with baking spray.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together graham crumbs, pumpkin pie spice, and butter until all crumbs are evenly coated. Press into and up the sides of the prepared tart pan. Set aside.
To make the pumpkin filling
- Whisk together sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, egg, pumpkin purée, and milk in a medium-sized bowl until all ingredients are incorporated. Pour pumpkin filling into the graham crust and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
To make the chocolate ganache
- Combine chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until chocolate is melted and cream is completely incorporated. Remove from heat and cool for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Once ganache has cooled and the pumpkin filling is cool, pour ganache over pumpkin filling.
To make the marshmallow topping
- Fill a medium to large pot with 1-inch water and bring to a simmer. In a heat-safe bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Place the bowl over the pot, making sure the bowl does not touch the simmering water. Cook egg white mixture, whisking constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 120°F on a candy thermometer.
- Remove from heat. Place mixer bowl back on stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add vanilla bean paste, and whip mixture on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Spread topping over chocolate ganache, creating large swoops with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Use a kitchen torch or the broiler in your oven to toast the topping. If using the broiler method, adjust the oven rack to be closer to the broiler. Preheat broiler, place the tart in the oven, and toast for 30 seconds to 1 minute. You can keep the door cracked and watch the topping toast so you can make sure it doesn’t burn. It can burn very quickly so keep an eye on it and don’t walk away from your oven!
- Once topping is toasted, let it cool slightly. To serve, cut tart with a hot serrated knife, wiping the knife off with hot water after each slice. (The marshmallow topping will stick to it.) Store loosely covered at room temperature.
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