Mississippi Mud Bars

These bars! Seriously, amazing. Prepare to wow your friends and family with this tasty little Mississippi Mud concoction.

Mississippi Mud Bars
I made them recently for a church event and was kind of surprised at how many people were excited about them.

Maybe the fact that the event was a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby should be honestly disclosed. A group of energetic, mildly stinky boys (I can say this as two of them are mine) who would willingly eat crumbled off-brand Oreo crumbs off a gym floor may not be the most objective of dessert judges, I know.

But I still validate their honest feedback (even if I did have to hold the pan over my head and threaten to take the wheels off their Pinewood Derby cars if they came back for a 5th bar without washing their hands – or asking their mom first).

AND judging by the fact that many of the parents asked for the recipe, I can safely and comfortably recommend these bars for all of your future event/potluck/late night binging needs.

MISSISSIPPI MUD BARS

YIELD:  16-20 BARS  PREP TIME:  20 MINUTES  COOK TIME:  25 MINUTES  ADDITIONAL TIME:  45 MINUTES  TOTAL TIME:  1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
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Mississippi Mud Bars
4.5 Stars (18 Reviews)

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INGREDIENTS
BARS:
 1 1/3 cups (6.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
 1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar
 1 cup (7.5 ounces) brown sugar
 1/2 cup (1.5 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1 cup (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons) butter, melted
 4 large eggs
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 10-ounce package mini marshmallows (4-5 cups)
 1 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped pecans, toasted (optional but delicious)
CHOCOLATE TOPPING:
 1/3 cup (about 1 ounce) unsweetened cocoa powder
 1/4 cup milk
 1/4 cup (2 ounces, 4 tablespoons) butter
 Pinch of salt
 2 cups (8 ounces) powdered sugar
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet (half sheet pan, about 12X18 inches) with parchment and lightly grease with cooking spray. Alternately, you can line with foil and grease the foil or leave the pan unlined and grease the pan.
For the bars, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cocoa (sift the cocoa into the bowl using a fine mesh strainer if it is overly clumpy), baking soda and salt. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix together until combined (don't overmix; just whisk/stir until no dry streaks remain and ingredients are evenly combined).
Spread the batter evenly in a thin layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the top is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Watch closely so the thin bars don't overbake!
Remove from the oven, sprinkle the top evenly with marshmallows, and bake for 3-5 minutes more until the marshmallows are softened.
Sprinkle with pecans and let cool to room temperature before glazing.
For the chocolate topping, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder (I sift it in to avoid clumps), milk, butter, and salt. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Thin with additional milk, if needed, until the mixture is thick but pourable and can easily be drizzled across the bars.
Drizzle the glaze in a crisscross pattern across the bars. Serve the bars warm or at room temperature. They are easier to cut if they've been cooled completely.

NOTES
I prefer to glaze the bars with the chocolate sauce after they've cooled so the chocolate mixture doesn't absorb/sink into the marshmallows, but if you don't care about that, you can save time and glaze them while warm.

I have not tried halving the recipe, but you could probably try for a 9X13-inch (or slightly smaller) pan.

Cutting bars with marshmallows in them can be messy and tricky. I've had the best luck letting these bars cool completely (to room temperature) and using a sharp knife to cut the bars using short motions instead of dragging the knife through the bars. I also keep my kitchen shears/scissors on hand to trim any rogue pieces of marshmallow that want to stay attached when I scoop out the bars.



Recipe adapted from Mississippi Mud Bars