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This s’mores mousse tart takes the traditional s’mores flavors to the next level. The buttery graham cracker crust is flavored with pumpkin spice, filled with a creamy chocolate mousse and the tart is topped with a torched crystallized ginger meringue.
You can think of this as a fancy s’mores tart. What I love about it is that it has all the great features that s’mores have and none of the annoying ones.
Instead of gooey, uber–sweet marshmallow fluff it’s got a torched meringue whose flavor is enhanced by little pieces of crystallized ginger. The chocolate part is a creamy, bittersweet mousse instead of straight melted squares that get all over your fingers.
The crust is a graham cracker crust, but not just any old graham cracker crust. Rather than crushing up the bland, store-bought crackers I used this delicious homemade graham cracker recipe and morphed it into a tart crust recipe. And it was surprisingly easy to do, too. I basically just left out the leavening agent (baking soda) and that was all that was needed. I flavored the crust with my favorite spice blend, pumpkin spice, but if you’re not into that you can use cinnamon instead.
How to make this s’mores mousse tart:
You’ll start with the crust and just like any graham cracker crust dough this one is too brittle to roll out and transfer into the tart pan, instead you need to press it in with your fingers but that’s fairly easy to do. Start by whisking 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice together in a bowl.
Set the flour mix aside and in a separate bowl, whip together 8 tablespoons softened, unsalted butter, 1/3 cup light-brown sugar and 1 tablespoon honey.
Beat the flour mix into the butter and continue to beat until the dough becomes crumbly.
Transfer the dough to a 9-inch greased tart pan with removable bottom.
Start pressing the dough into the pan using the bottom of a cup measure.
Finish pressing the crust into the pan using your fingers, then chill the tart pan in the fridge for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. and bake the crust until it turns golden-brown ( 8 to 12 minutes). Let the crust cool completely.
The chocolate mousse filling is easily made with melted bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream and I added pumpkin spice here as well but if you don’t like that, you can just leave it out.
Chop up 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, put them in a small bowl, then bring 3/4 cup heavy cream to a boil, pour it over the chocolate and let the mix sit for a minute.
Whisk the mix into a smooth ganache and set aside.
Whip 1 cup heavy cream with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to stiff peaks.
Fold the cream into the chocolate.
Spoon the mousse into the tart shell and spread with an offset spatula.
Whip 4 egg whites until they start to foam, then slowly whip in 1/4 cup granulated sugar, followed by 3/4 cup powdered sugar.
Fold 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger into the meringue, then dollop it onto the tart.
Finish the tart with a quick blow of the kitchen torch and you’re all set.
Tips to make this s’mores mousse tart:
- I recommend using a fluted, non-stick tart pan with removable bottom for this tart because that will make it very easy to get the tart out of the pan.
- For the meringue, you want to make sure to have the individual pieces of crystallized ginger separated out rather than in one big clump so you can easily fold them in.
More delicious fall dessert recipes:
- Bruleed Chai-Spiced Pots de Creme
- Hazelnut Pumpkin Spice Trifles
- Maple Hazelnut Custard
- Maple Mascarpone Cream
- Maple Pecan Bread Pudding
- Pumpkin Spice Ganache
- Pumpkin Spice Hazelnut Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Hazelnut Churros
- Spiced Eggnog
- Spiced Irish Coffee
- Stovetop Apple Crisp
S'mores Mousse Tart with Crystallized Ginger Meringue
Ingredients:
For the graham cracker crust:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1/4 cup wheat germ
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup light-brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
For the chocolate filling:
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped*
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
For the meringue topping:
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (make sure you have the individual pieces more or less separated and not in one large clump to make it easier to fold them into the meringue)
Instructions:
For the graham cracker crust:
- Whisk the flours, wheat germ, salt and pumpkin spice together in a bowl.
- Beat butter, sugar and honey for a few minutes until fluffy.
- Beat in the flour mix.
- Transfer the dough into a 9-inch greased tart pan. (It will look like a lot at first but it will compress greatly when you start to press it in).
- Press the dough into the tart pan, using a cup measure and then your fingers.
- Place the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake the tart crust until golden-brown (8–12 minutes).
- Let cool completely.
For the chocolate filling:
- Add chocolate and pumpkin spice to a bowl.
- Bring 3/4 cup heavy cream to a boil, then pour over the chocolate/spice mix and let sit for a minute.
- Whisk to combine cream and chocolate into a smooth mix.
- Whip 1 cup heavy cream with the sugar to stiff peaks.
- Fold the cream into the chocolate.
- Transfer the mousse into the cold crust, spread out evenly with an offset spatula, then chill in the fridge for 1.5 hours.
For the meringue topping:
- Beat the egg whites until they start to foam, then, with the mixer running, gradually add the granulated sugar until you get glossy peaks.
- Again with the mixer running, gradually add the powdered sugar.
- Fold in the crystallized ginger.
- Spread the topping onto the chocolate mousse tart and briefly burn with a torch.
Notes:
Nutrition
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OMG, this looks incredible. Growing up as a girl scout, we always made s’mores on our campouts. I am vegan and this recipe can easily be veganized. Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Deborah! So glad you like it. Thanks for coming by! :)
Such a brilliant twist on s’mores! That meringue topping is beautiful!
Thank you so much, Kelly!!
Hi Nicole,
Whenever I visit your website, I find something new and amazing work. Your work is amazing. I loved it.
Thanks for your amazing recipes.
What a lovely comment, thank you so much! You made my day. :)
Nicole,
What a beautiful tart. Makes me want to take a bite ?. Seriously it captured beautifully.
Thank you so much, Mireille! :)
Hi Nicole!
I have been one of your avid followers
I love your photos and the easy to follow recipes
May I introdce you to our group and feature your blog?
We are based all the way here in Asia. Am specifically from the Philippines and soon we are coming out with an On Line mAgazine, and your beautiful photos are the “standards’ I want to introduce
And maybe in the future we can do some collaborations?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FoodCrawlersByDailyPalate
Hi Verna,
Thanks so much for your kind words! Sure, please feel free to feature anything from this blog in the Fb group, I appreciate it! :)
All the best,
nicole
Wow, you have the most inspiring pictures ❤️ You can expect to see me here often from now on ?
You’re so sweet, thank you for your kind words, Therese!
Wow! That dish looks so tasty! delicious. Thanks for sharing.
And thank you for your kind words! :)
Love this stunning tart, Nicole, I am mesmerised by that cloud of meringue! So beautifully captured as always! Thank you for sharing the homemade graham cracker recipe, as we can’t get them here in the UK. xx
Thank you so much for your kind words, Louise! I had actually never thought about graham crackers not being available elsewhere, come to think of it, I have no clue where they originated (or where their name comes from). :)
What a beautiful presentation. The very ingredients scream delicious! Just like a diva — the stage is basically unadorned because all you need is the star. Gorgeous!! Have a wonderful day!
Thank you so much, Marisa! :)
what a stunning dessert! This is a delectable work of art.
That is such a nice compliment, thank you SO, SO much, I really appreciate it!
I love your pictures. They are always beautiful! Love your explanation why you didn’t include the slice in your picture. From what I see I would say it was a perfectly cut slice :).
Thank you so much, Julia! That is so nice of you to say. The slice I cut out was actually in several pieces, I cut it out too thin initially and then sliced off more and more slivers until the opening in the tart looked the right size. :)
These flavours sound completely novel for S’mores. Ginger and chocolate is one of my favourite combinations. That and the fact that it’s in S’more form, of course. Beautiful as always, Nicole.
You’re right, it’s sort of an update on the traditional s’mores flavors. :) Thank you so much for your kind words, they really mean a lot coming from you, your work is absolutely stunning!