Mud Hen Bars

I’ve had this recipe pinned for a while, as it used mini marshmallow and it seems like I am forever trying to use up mini marshmallows before they go stale. Now this isn’t a problem in the winter, as I love adding a handful of marshmallows to my cocoa. But there have been few cocoa drinking opportunities lately. I bar cookie that was a mix of marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts couldn’t be bad!

These bars use fairly common ingredients, but in a very different way. You make a base, cover it with goodies, and then make a brown sugar meringue to top it all. Interesting! I don’t know that I have combined brown sugar and whipped egg whites before. It worked quite well, but you need to make sure that your brown sugar isn’t lumpy or it will be an issue. 

The base layer is pretty thin and I had a bit of trouble spreading it over the base of the pan. I finally just got some flour on my hands and pressed it in with my fingertips. The meringue topping is also not a thick layer; just go your best to spread it all the way to the edges of the pan. These bars are great. I don’t taste the nuts too much but I love the brown sugar meringue combined with the chocolate chips. They are a bit sticky when cutting but worth it in the end!

Mud Hen Bars

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1-1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9” x 13” pan with cooking spray.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks. You’ll use the egg whites later for the topping. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir to combine. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts, chocolate chips and marshmallows.

In a clean mixer bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in the brown sugar with a spatula. Carefully spread the brown sugar meringue on top of the base. 

Bake for 30 minutes, until the meringue is deep golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting. Cut with a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry.

Recipe from Sunday Baker