Banana S’more Nut Bars

So I’m busy this week and next getting ready for PAX.

PAX stands for ‘Penny Arcade Expo’, which is a video game convention in downtown Seattle.

I believe I have mentioned I am proudly a gigantic nerd.

I’m working on making myself something special to wear to the convention like last year, causing me to spend a lot more time at the sewing machine than in the kitchen or in front of the computer.

But fear not! I’m leaving you with something incredibly wonderful to tide you over.

I’ve made a s’mores cookie bar in the past, but this bar is actually quite different. The cookie bar was as if a chocolate chip cookie and a s’more had a baby.

This… I’m not sure I would consider it a combination of existing desserts so much as a whole other animal on its own.

I mean, sure, it’s got all the components of a s’more from its graham cracker crust to its chocolate ganache filling, dotted with mini marshmallows (I didn’t have mini marshmallows so I just cut normal marshmallows into 1/6ths.) but bananas and peanuttiness make it a different beast.

It’s actually kind of strangely self-contradicting. The peanut butter in the ganache makes it thicker and heavier, but the bananas give it a touch of freshness.

Then the dry roasted salted peanuts to help cut through the sweet.

Trevor described it (with a smile on his face) as a “misleading” dessert saying, “the banana makes you feel that it isn’t actually that rich! And then you’ve finished the entire bar really quickly and it hits you all at once how much sugar you’ve eaten.”

It’s a downright taste sensation.

So I highly recommend that you make these now. And next week while I’m gone.

Although you should share them if you make them twice. You’ll think you can eat 3 of them because of the banana, but the sugar coma that follows will hit you hard.

See you in 2 weeks after PAX!

Recipe from BonAppetit.com

Ingredients

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 15 whole graham crackers (about 8 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 10 oz high-quality milk chocolate (such as Lindt or Scharffen Berger), finely chopped
• 5 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 70% cacao), finely chopped
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed well
• 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 cup salted, dry-roasted peanuts

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until coarse crumbs form (there will be about 2 cups). Combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter; stir to blend. Pour into prepared baking dish; press evenly onto bottom of dish.
3. Bake until light golden brown around edges and center springs back after being pressed gently with your fingertips, 8–10 minutes.
4. Stir both chocolates, peanut butter, and honey in a large metal bowl to combine; set aside. Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over chocolate mixture. Let sit until chocolate begins to melt, 2–3 minutes. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and ingredients are blended. (If chocolate isn’t completely melted, set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water and stir until smooth). Fold in bananas, then marshmallows into chocolate mixture.
5. Pour batter over graham cracker crust in pan and smooth top. Sprinkle peanuts over. Refrigerate until topping is completely set, about 3 hours.
6. Cut into bars. Serve chilled.

NOTE: Bars can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

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