Matcha Black Sesame S'mores Bars

For a fun Asian twist on a classic dessert, try these matcha black sesame s'mores bars. Black sesame graham cracker crust topped with creamy chocolate coconut and toasted matcha meringue? Yes, please!

Recipe

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Matcha Black Sesame S'mores Bars

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: dessert bars

Servings: 9

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Black sesame graham cracker crust

• 5 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds (42 grams)
• 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (128 grams, about 9 crackers)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
• 6 tablespoons melted butter (84 grams)

Filling

• 2 cups coconut milk (500 ml)
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
• 5 tablespoons cocoa powder (25 grams)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 large egg yolks at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
• ¾ cup light corn syrup (246 grams)
• ⅓ cup water
• 3 large egg whites at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ cup matcha powder (24 grams)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
• Place black sesame seeds in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Combine seeds with graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix until well combined and transfer to prepared baking dish. Press down on crust mixture to create one even layer. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make chocolate filling. Heat milk in a medium saucepot over medium heat until it comes to a bare simmer.
• Combine sugar with cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, and egg yolks, mixing until yolks are broken. The mixture will be dry.
• Slowly add milk to yolk mixture, stirring constantly. Pour chocolate filling back into pot and bring to a simmer over low heat. Continue to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour chocolate filling into crust and spread in an even layer.
• Combine sugar with light corn syrup with water in a medium-heavy bottom saucepot. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F.
• While the sugar mixture is simmering, pour egg whites and cream of tartar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form.
• While the mixer is running, slowly add sugar syrup directly into the egg whites until you've added all of the sugar. Add matcha powder and continue to whip egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 6-7 minutes.
• Top chocolate filling with matcha marshmallow fluff, creating peaks with the back of a spoon if desired. Transfer dessert bars to the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Right before serving, use a kitchen blowtorch to torch the tops if desired. Slice and serve.

Video

Notes

The crust can be prepared and baked the day before.

Use high-quality culinary-grade matcha powder for the best results.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Bake the crust

Ready for a different take on s'mores? This Asian matcha black sesame s'mores bar recipe is different from the original dessert, but still has the basic components.

Let's start with the crust. To give graham cracker crumbs a little more life, I decided to add black sesame seeds. Pulse the seeds in a food processor until they start to break down.

You can skip this step, but you will have a crunchier crust if you do. You can also grind the seeds even further, but make sure you don't accidentally over-grind them and end up with black sesame paste.

Combine the black sesame seeds with graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter until well incorporated. If you're crushing graham crackers to make the crumbs, you'll need about 9 cracker sheets.

Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared baking dish and press down to create an even layer. You can use an 8x8-inch baking dish, but you will end up with thicker bars.

Bake the crust for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let the crust cool while you prepare the remaining components.

Step 2: Prepare chocolate filling

Now, let's move on to the chocolate filling. I wanted the chocolate to still be the dominant flavor, so we're only adding coconut milk for a little twist.

The coconut flavor won't be strong but very subtle; you can also use regular milk if you prefer.

Whisk together the egg yolks with the remaining dry ingredients until the yolks are broken. The idea is to break up the yolks so that it'll be easier to mix with the milk.

Heat the coconut milk until it starts to barely simmer - you only need it to be warm. Then, slowly pour the milk into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Don't add too much warm milk at once, or it will scramble the eggs.

Pour the chocolate filling back into the pot and bring it back to a simmer, cooking until it starts to thicken. Make sure to keep stirring the filling so that it cooks evenly.

Pour the chocolate filling into the prepared crust and let it cool slightly.

Step 3: Make matcha meringue

Next, it's time to move on to the matcha marshmallow fluff. Use culinary-grade matcha powder; ceremonial grade is typically reserved for drinking and is more expensive.

Heat sugar with water and light corn syrup in a heat-safe pot and stir until combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F.

It's imperative that you use a candy thermometer so that you know the exact temperature of the sugar.

Meanwhile, pour room-temperature egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and add the cream of tartar. Using room-temperature eggs is important because they whip better. Cold eggs won't give you the same volume.

Once the egg whites form soft peaks, slowly add the sugar cornstarch syrup with the mixer on. You want to pour the syrup directly into the egg whites, not on the whisk or the bowl.

After incorporating all of the syrup, add the matcha powder. Continue to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 6-7 minutes.

Top the chocolate filling with the matcha marshmallow fluff, spreading it evenly. If you want pretty peaks, use the back of a spoon to create the effect. Let the dessert chill in the fridge before cutting it into bars.

Right before serving, use a blow torch to lightly torch the matcha marshmallow fluff. You can skip this step, but it does add a lovely toasted effect.

I had a pretty good idea of what these matcha black sesame s'mores bars would taste like just from the flavors, but tasting them was a true joy. What can be better than a rich, smooth chocolate sandwiched between a crisp black sesame crust and fluffy matcha meringue?

For another delicious tea-flavored dessert, check out this hojicha tres leches cake and rose milk tea!

Make-ahead and storage

• Make-ahead: Since the dessert needs to be set for 1 hour, you can make it the day before and let it chill overnight.
• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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