What’s In the Layers? Marshmallow Chocolate Cream Cheese Bars
You may recognize these treats from childhood potlucks in your church basement or family reunions at the park. And unless your mom shared the recipe with you, the secret layers in these marshmallow chocolate cream cheese bars have long been revealed only to those who bake them.
Enjoy each bite of layers—cake-like brownies, sweet cream cheese, chewy chocolate, salty pecans, sticky marshmallows, and soft, almost flaky, chocolate vanilla frosting. You will wear a path in the floor to the refrigerator.
another idea
Like the marshmallow layer but not into chocolate?
If you like a salty sweet treat but don’t want chocolate, salted peanut chews are worthy of hiding in your purse.
Prepare yourself — you’ll use three mixing bowls, a small bowl, and a saucepan. But trust me. I would never steer you down a dishwashing path if it weren’t absolutely, without a chocolate doubt, worth every squirt of dish soap.
Sweet wishes,
Marshmallow Chocolate Cream Cheese Bars
Equipment
- 1 9×13 cake pan
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature , 1 stick
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Layer
- 6 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 cups miniature marshmallows
Chocolate Frosting
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 3 cups powdered confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Brownie Layer
- Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9×13 cake pan.
- Melt 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.
- Add eggs, melted chocolate, and vanilla; mix well on medium speed.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gently stir into chocolate mixture. Fold in the pecans. Pour into a greased pan and spread evenly.
Cream Cheese Layer
- In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the butter and beat until well combined.
- Beat in sugar, egg, flour, and vanilla until creamy. Fold in pecans.
- Spread evenly over the chocolate layer. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the cream cheese layer and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes. Edges will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.
Marshmallow Layer
- Sprinkle marshmallows over the chocolate chips. Bake another 2 minutes or until the marshmallows become puffed. Remove from oven. Gently spread the marshmallows over the layer of chocolate chips. Cool on a wire rack.
Chocolate Frosting
- In a small saucepan over low heat, stir and melt together butter, cream cheese, unsweetened chocolate and milk. Stir until smooth. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, beating after each cup. Beat in vanilla. Spread over the cooled bars. Store in the refrigerator.
- Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, beating after each cup. Beat in vanilla. Spread over the cooled bars. Store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
All text and images © Staci Mergenthal • Random Sweets
l’m not on a diet but my sister is I need a way to make your dessert so she can enjoy them too .Because she had to change her eating habits because of her heart. Or at least if you could include subs in your recipies.thx.
Wow! These look so good! There is so much deliciousness happening on your page that I had to nominate you for the Super Sweet Blogging Award- I hope you’ll accept! You can find the details at http://bakencreate.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/super-sweet-blogging-award/!
may I say ‘yum’?
Of course you may!! 🙂 Have you made these or eaten them before?
Thank you 😉
Yes and NO 😉 first layer was, second similar the third no. but from your photo look the way I have to try it your way…