Chocoholic: Homemade Mallomar Bars

Next year, in 2013, Nabisco's Mallomar cookies will celebrate their 100th anniversary. That's a pretty amazing run if you ask me. It's crazy to think that a cookie has been able to stay popular for so long, but for many New Yorkers (where almost 3/4 of the stock are sold), it's easy to see why. This cookie is irresistible.

If you've never had the pleasure, let me explain the Mallomar awesomeness: it consists of a round graham cracker cookie topped with a dollop of creamy marshmallow, all of which is enrobed with a hard dark chocolate coating. It's decadent and rich, but still light enough to not make you feel sick or guilty if you inadvertently pop down half a package of the little chocolate marshmallow buttons (not that I've ever done that). And it's not just New Yorkers who crave a s'more-like pillow-y cookie. Mallomar-type marshmallow chocolate cookies pop up all over the globe, with the Canadian Whippet, New Zealand MallowPuff, Israeli Krembo, the tall German Schokokuss, or the prim Tunnock's Teacake from Scotland.

I've been a huge fan my entire life, so when I had my bakery, I had to put a homemade version on the menu. The only problem was that it would have been ridiculously time consuming for me to make these cookies. Hand dip each one? Not unless I wanted to charge $5 a cookie. I decided to compromise by turning the components of my beloved Mallomar into an assemble-in-the-pan bar cookie instead. It was so easy to do that I was able to have my mallomar bars on the menu all the time.

To get the graham cookie crust, I whipped up a basic cheesecake crust mixture of crushed graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, then pressed it into a pan. Next, I whipped up a big bowl of fluffy marshmallow to pour over the base and let set. Finally, a rich slick of chocolate ganache is spread over the top. No baking is required so these bars are ideal for summer. How easy is that? Certainly easier than waiting for the next yearly batch from Nabisco to magically arrive in the stores (they're only produced during the winter months, but you New Yorkers knew that already didn't you?). Bite through the crunchy buttery graham cracker, the silky vanilla marshmallow, and the deep dark chocolate, and you just might find yourself muttering "Nabisco who?"

About the Author: Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide To Easy Artisan Bread. You can also watch her culinary stylings on the America's Test Kitchen television show. She presently lives in Singapore as a freelance writer for Time Out Singapore. Check out her blog: shophousecook.com . Follow Yvonne on Twitter.