Mississippi Mud Bars

A slice of sweetness can make strong memories.  These Mississippi Mud bars bring together some flavors of Easters past: pecan-studded Goldbrick eggs, fluffy marshmallow insides of filled bunnies, the chocolate coating on– almost everything.   Somewhat like brownies topped with marshmallows and then a rich chocolate frosting, they transform “mud” into a good thing. They are crunchy and gooey and wonderful and linked to people who mean a lot to me.

I was reminded of this Southern indulgence at a recent reunion of college friends. My friend Pam recalled that I had delivered slices of Mississippi Mud cake as a surprise one weekend to her and other girls who shared our house .  All these years later, she said it would be fun to make it again. I was given the assignment to find the recipe and share it.

To start my research, I called Mom. My mother located the original recipe in Louisiana Entertains, a cookbook my father had given her when I was in college. Contributed by Amelia K Levine, it was called “Heavenly Hash Cake” and made a 9 X 13 pan of sinfulness. I began by halving the recipe and using an 8 X 8 pan.

To Levine’s recipe for the batter, I added a bit more cocoa powder, a smidgen of salt, and some vanilla extract. While the original ingredient list included “roasted nuts,” I knew that pecans were the only nut that would do—it’s a Southern dessert, after all.

When the baked base came out of the oven, I pressed marshmallows on top while it was still warm.  The original recipe called for whole marshmallows to be halved, but I decided to use mini-marshmallows for maximum coverage of each bar.

The first time I tried the recipe, I used the frosting found in the original, but thought it too sugary.  Instead I decided on a more chocolate-y, less sweet frosting from Richard Sax’s Classic Home Desserts.  It worked with the other layers just as I had hoped.

I thought about my college friends as I finished swirling on the frosting. I’m glad we shared this treat all those years ago.  And when they want to make a dessert for a fun, casual gathering, they’ll now have one with muddy goodness and memory-making possibilities.

You can eat these bars right out of the pan once they’re frosted and cooled, but we liked them after they were in the refrigerator for a day.  They slid out of the pan easily and then disappeared quickly.

Mississippi Mud Bars

Sunnyside Cook

Dawn Dobie

Chocolate decadence with a brownie layer covered with marshmallows and a chocolate frosting

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings 16

Ingredients

  

Cookie Base

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup roasted pecans chopped
• extra butter for greasing pan

Topping

• 2 cups mini-marshmallows

Frosting

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened to room temperature
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioner's sugar sifted

Instructions

 

Cookie Base

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 8 X 8 pan with butter.
• Melt the 8 tablespoons of butter with cocoa in a small pan over low heat.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside to cool slightly.
• Beat the eggs until they're bright yellow.  Add the sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add the butter-cocoa mixture and stir to combine.
• Add the flour and the salt and continue stirring until combined.  Stir in the pecans.  Pour into the greased baking pan.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center of cookie base comes out clean.
• Remove from oven.  

Topping

• Sprinkle mini-marshmallows on top, distributing evenly.  Gently press marshmallows into cookie base. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before putting the frosting on.

Frosting

• While cookie base is baking, prepare frosting.  
• Melt chocolate over lowest heat possible in a small pan on top of the stove.  (Or use a double boiler to melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over simmering water.)  Allow to cool off heat for a few minutes.
• Cream the butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl.  Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar and mix well.  Mix in the vanilla extract.
• Add the melted chocolate and beat the mixture until it is smooth and shiny.
• Using a large spoon, place dabs of the frosting atop the warm marshmallow-covered base.  Carefully spread the frosting to cover the base,trying to not dip into the marshmallows. (I used an offset spatula.) 
• Allow to cool.  Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

To roast pecans, place them in a single layer in a baking pan and bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Allow to cool before chopping.

The bars can be served after they have cooled, but we preferred them after they had spent a few hours in the refrigerator.  Just cover them tightly after they have cooled and place in the refrigerator.

The cookie portion of this recipe is based on "Heavenly Hash Cake" in Louisiana Entertains and contributed by Amelia K. Levine.

The frosting for this cake is from Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts.