Brown Butter S’mores Brownie Tart
If you’re a s’mores fan, you’ll love this tart! There’s crisp, brown butter pastry, a fudgy chocolate brownie filling & torched Italian meringue on top.
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This tart is a cross between a classic s’more & a fudgy brownie pie and it’s absolutely delicious! There’s a crisp, brown butter shortcrust pastry tart case, a rich & gooey brownie filling & a load of torched Italian meringue on top that’s reminiscent of a campfire marshmallow. Not only does it look impressive but it’s easy to make & a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
If you’re looking for some more dessert inspiration then check out our ever growing collection of dessert recipes! There’s something for everyone here, from homemade ice creams, to pies, cheesecakes, crumbles & tiramisu.
Components Of A S’mores Brownie Tart
A campfire s’more consists of a toasted marshmallow & a chunk of chocolate that are sandwiched between 2 graham crackers. For this dessert, we’re taking these flavours & using them in a brownie tart (this is like a brownie pie but in a tart case…).
- Brown Butter Pastry – This is like a regular sweet shortcrust pastry but the butter’s browned first, which gives it a nutty, caramelised flavour. There’s a teaspoon of toasted milk powder in the pastry as well to add double the flavour but this is optional.
- Fudgy Brownie Filling – The tart’s filled with a rich, fudgy brownie that’s also made with brown butter. The key things here are to use a good dark chocolate & Dutch processed cocoa powder and not to over bake.
- Blowtorched Italian Meringue – With regular s’mores, you toast marshmallows over a campfire. So to recreate this as close as possible, we’re topping the brownie with Italian meringue then toasting it with a blowtorch.
How To Make Brown Butter S’mores Brownie Tart
This tart does take a couple of days to come together but it’s definitely worth it! Although most of the work’s done in advance & once the tart is baked & set it’s just a case of topping it with Italian meringue & blowtorching before serving.
Brown Butter Pastry
We’ve taken a regular shortcrust pastry & given an extra nutty, caramelised flavour by browning the butter first. This is a really easy way to make a classic tart case even better but it does take a little bit more effort. We need to brown the butter first then chill it so that’s it’s completely set like a regular block of butter. Then it’s just a case of making a batch of shortcrust pastry like you normally would. Although it might need a splash of water to come together (as the water’s been cooked out of the butter).
Brownie Filling
Our s’mores tart is filled with a rich brownie batter then baked until fudgy! When developing this recipe, I did contemplate filling the tart with a ganache or mousse but for the most intense chocolate flavour, a chocolate brownie came out on top.
To give the brownie filling extra flavour, we’re going to be making it with brown butter. Then for an even fudgier texture, we’re adding in an extra egg yolk & some vegetable oil (extra fat = extra fudginess). Other than that, the batter’s made like a regular brownie by whisking eggs & sugar together then add in melted chocolate, cocoa, salt & just enough flour to give it structure.
Italian Meringue
Our s’mores brownie tart is topped with torched Italian meringue, which resembles the campfire toasted marshmallow that you get with a classic s’more. This type of meringue is made by whisking a hot sugar syrup into egg whites, until you get a glossy, stable meringue that holds its’ shape. This makes it the best meringue to use to top tarts.
It’s all about temperature & timing with Italian meringue, so you’ll need a digital food probe. The sugar syrup is taken to a temperature of 121°c/249°f but we start whisking the egg whites when the syrup reaches 115°c/240°f so that they’re at soft peaks when we add in the syrup. To finish the tart, we spoon the Italian meringue on top, using a spatula to make lots of little peaks then we use a blowtorch to toast the meringue all over.
Tips & Tricks
- Brown the butter for both the pastry & brownie filling, for extra flavour.
- Add toasted milk powder into the brown butter, to give the pastry an extra nutty flavour!
- Add an extra yolk into the brownie batter, to make it extra fudgy.
- Use good quality chocolate & cocoa powder in the brownie filling, for the best, richest chocolatey flavour.
- Use a blowtorch to toast the meringue, to give it the same finish as a campfire toasted marshmallow!
- Use a large chef’s knife to cut the tart into portions. For the neatest slices, wipe the knife clean between cuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
S’mores brownie tart needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days. Brownie tarts are best served at room temperature, so I’d recommend letting the tart sit out of the fridge for 30 minutes or so before serving.
To prevent shrinkage & to make pastry easier to work with, it’s best to chill it for at least 2 hours before rolling out & at least 2 hours before blind baking.
A good quality dark chocolate works best for chocolate brownies. I like to use a chocolate with a cocoa content around 72%.
Once cooked, the brownie filling will be set around the edges but the middle will still have a slight wobble. The filling will set as it cools so it’s best to underbake it slightly if you’re unsure, rather than over cook it!
It’s best to use Italian meringue as soon as it’s been made but it will keep for up to a day in the fridge before being used.
How To Cook A Brownie Tart In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas. Here’s how to cook this recipe in an Aga…
Blind bake the tart on the bottom set of runners in the roasting oven. Bake the filling in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners. Use the boiling plate to brown the butter for the pastry & filling and to make the syrup for the Italian meringue.
Equipment Used
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More Dessert Recipes To Try!
- Cake Crumb Treacle Tart
- Cherry Bakewell Crumble
- Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding With Miso Caramel
- Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta With Poached Rhubarb
- Brown Butter Hobnob Cheesecake
- French Toast Ice Cream
Watch How To Make This Recipe
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Brown Butter S’mores Brownie Tart
Equipment
- 9" Tart Case
- Baking Beans/Rice
- Digital Food Probe
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Piping Bag
- Saucepans
- Veg Peeler
- Blowtorch
Ingredients
Brown Butter Pastry
- 190 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Toasted Milk Powder (See Notes)
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 80 g Icing Sugar
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 45 g Egg Yolks
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 1 tbsp Ice Cold Water
- 1 Egg Yolk (For Brushing On Pastry)
Brownie Filling
- 140 g Dark Chocolate (72% Is Best!)
- 50 g Vegetable Oil
- 20 g Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- 125 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 Large Eggs (See Notes)
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- 75 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 75 g Plain Flour
Italian Meringue
- 180 g Egg Whites (See Notes)
- ½ tsp Cream Of Tartar
- 360 g Caster Sugar
- 110 g Water
Instructions
Brown Butter Pastry
- Start by browning the butter. To do this, chop the butter into evenly sized pieces then place into a medium saucepan. Place over a medium heat & allow to melt, stirring regularly with a spatula. Keep cooking, until the butter starts to foam, smells nutty & you can see that the milk solids in the bottom of the pan have turned golden brown.
- As soon as the butter has browned, take the pan off the heat, stir in the toasted milk powder (if using) then transfer the brown butter to a bowl & leave to cool to room temperature.
- Once the butter is cool, pour it into a container that has been lined with a double layer of clingfilm then chill in the fridge until completely set. This will take a couple of hours.
- Next, sift the flour, icing sugar & salt into a mixing bowl then whisk to combine. Transfer the chilled butter to a chopping board, cut into 1 cm cubes, add into the flour then rub in with your fingers until the mix resembles breadcrumbs with some large pieces of butter still visible.
- Add the yolks & vanilla paste into a small bowl, mix together then add into the flour, along with the cold water.
- Mix until the pastry starts to come together then tip out onto a clean work surface & gently knead until you have a smooth dough (be careful not to overwork). Flatten the pastry into a disc then wrap in clingfilm & chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Next, place the chilled pastry onto a lightly floured work surface & roll out into a circle with a thickness of 3mm-4mm. The pastry should be about an inch wider than your tin.The pastry needs to be at least an inch wider than your tart case. I like to let the pastry sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes or so before rolling, as it will become more pliable & easier to work with.
- Pick the pastry up using a rolling pin, drape over the tart tin & carefully mould into the tin. Using some of the overhanging pastry, rolled into a ball to press the pastry into the sides of the tin works best.Don't worry about trimming the excess pastry off, we'll be doing this after blind baking.
- Prick the base with a fork then chill the pastry case in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight is best.
Blind Baking
- Preheat an oven to 190°c/170°c fan (374°f/338°f).
- Take a large piece of baking parchment, scrunch it up then place inside your pastry case. Fill the parchment with baking beans (or raw rice) then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the top of the pastry case is starting to turn golden brown & the edges have set.Make sure to bake the tart on a tray, to catch any excess pastry. Be careful not to remove the parchment too early, as this can cause the pastry to tear.
- Remove the baking beans & parchment & return the case to the oven & cook until the pastry is a light golden brown all over. This will take 5-10 minutes.
- Once baked, brush the base of the pastry case with the egg yolk then set to one side, to cool.The excess heat in the pastry will set the egg yolk.
- Once cool, use a veg peeler to trim the sides of the pastry case level with the top of the tin. Discard any excess pastry.If you're going to be making the filling straight away, I'd leave the oven on. If not, turn it back on just before making the filling.
Brownie Filling
- Turn the oven's temperature down to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces then place into a mixing bowl with the vegetable oil, cocoa powder & salt. Set this to one side.
- Chop the butter into evenly sized pieces, add into a large saucepan then cook over a medium heat, until browned. As soon as the butter is ready, pour it over the chocolate, leave to stand for 1 minute then stir until melted.
- Add the eggs & both of the sugars into a large mixing bowl then whisk with an electric hand mixer until pale & fluffy. This will take 3-4 minutes & there should be a visible trail left on top when you lift the whisks out (this is the ribbon stage).
- Next, gradually pour the melted chocolate into the eggs whilst whisking on a medium-low speed. Once all of the chocolate has been added, give the bowl a quick scrape down with a spatula then whisk again briefly.
- To finish the batter, sift in the plain flour then fold in with a spatula until just combined.
- Tip the brownie batter into the tart case, use a palette knife to spread into an even layer then bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are set but the middle still has a slight wobble.
- Once cooked, let the tart cool completely then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Italian Meringue
- Take the tart out of the tin & place onto a serving board. Leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before serving. Make the meringue in the meantime.
- Add the egg whites & cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer then set to one side.Make sure that your bowl is clean & dry!
- Next, add the sugar & water into a medium saucepan, set over a medium-high heat & bring to the boil (without stirring!). Continue cooking the syrup until it reaches 121°c/249°f.If there are any grains of sugar on the side of the pan, use a pastry brush dipped in cold water to dissolve it.
- When the syrup reaches 115°c/240°f, start whisking the egg whites on a medium-high speed, until they reach soft peaks. This will take 2-3 minutes.
- Once the syrup has reached 121°c/249°f, turn your mixer down to a medium speed then carefully pour the syrup into egg whites, in a thin, slow stream.It's best to pour the syrup down the side of the bowl, so that it doesn't hit the whisk & go everywhere!
- Continue whisking the meringue on a medium-high speed until it has cooled, reached stiff peaks & is glossy. This will take 5-10 minutes.
- Top the tart with the Italian meringue, using a spatula to create lots of peaks on top then use a blowtorch to toast the meringue all over.
- Use a large knife to cut the tart into pieces then serve! For clean slices, wipe the knife clean between cuts.
