Mardi Gras Moon Pie Bars

If you got your hot hands on the Joy the Baker 2021 Holiday Magazine you might have flipped to the back pages and noticed  page after page of sparkle jackets, andouille sausage, crawfish, and the unsung hero of all late winter street parades: THE MOON PIE. It’s Mardi Gras, baby! It’s that time of year we hit the streets hoping to catch beads, plastic cups, handmade glittered shoes, and a packaged Moon Pie cookie.

While there may be fried chicken on the table and warm jambalaya on the stove back at the Mardi Gras safe House (your friend’s house along the parade route with a reliable bathroom), a Moon Pie is just the sustenance you need in the thick of it – deep in the parade path.

Admittedly the moon pie recipe in the holiday magazine (pictured on the left above) is … ambitious. That’s code for, it’s too much when you just want a cookie in the streets.

I’ve taken the the key elements of the moon pie (graham cracker crumbs, creamy marshmallow fluff, and chocolate) and literally smashed them into a square baking pan. This is an easier way to moon pie.

It’s Mardi Gras weekend – celebrate with us won’tcha!

And if Moon Pies aren’t your thing, here are loads more of my favorite recipes inspired by New Orleans.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make Moon Pie Bars:

•  all-purpose flour

•  crushed graham cracker crumbs

•  unsalted butter, at room temperature

•  brown sugar

•  one large egg

•  baking powder

•  kosher salt

•  vanilla extract

•  egg whites and granulated sugar for marshmallow creme

•  cream of tartar

•  semi-sweet chocolate chips

We’ll start these Moon Pie Bars by first mixing together the crust and topping.

In a large bowl cream together butter and brown until whipped around the bowl and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt.  The crushed graham cracker act as an additional, flavorful flour to the base and topping.

Beat together the mixture to a thick cookie dough.

Lightly grease an 8 or 9-inch square pan, line the pan with parchment paper, and lightly grease the parchment paper as well.  Parchment paper flaps will make the bars much easier to lift and remove from the pan.

Press about 2/3 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Save 1/3 for the topping. You can totally eyeball this! Set the crust aside. We’ll bake it once it’s fully assembled.

Marshmallow creme is essential to this recipe!

Can you use Marshmallow Fluff or regular marshmallows for this Moon Pie recipe?

I’m afraid not friends – only marshmallow creme will do!  Marshmallow fluff can’t withstand the heat of the oven and regular marshmallows will melt away and create a sticky burned mess so… let’s make our own marshmallow creme. It’s worth it, I promise!

Start in a medium, heat-proof bowl.  Place egg whites, granulated sugar, pinch of salt, and cream of tartar and beat starting at low speed over a double boiler.

A double boiler is as easy as 2 inches of water brought to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Place the bowl over the simmering water but don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the simmering water.  The heat will melt the sugar and pasteurize the raw egg whites.  The mixture is done on the double boiler when the sugar is completely dissolved.  Carefully dip a clean finger in and feel for any sugar crystals. When the sugar crystals are completely dissolved, remove from the double boiler, add a teaspoon of vanilla, and beat into a glossy, opaque sweet marshmallow creme.

The creme will hold still peaks.

Spoon those gorgeous stiff marshmallow peaks over the graham cracker crust. Top with a very exciting amount of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks.

Take the remaining 1/3 of cookie graham cracker dough and press it into rough coins. Arrange the dough coins across the top of the chocolate. Leave some seams where the marshmallow creme and chocolate chips peek through. They’ll bake up rustic and irresistible, really.

Bake until golden across the top, until the chocolate has melted, and the marshmallow has oozed just so.

Allow the bars to cool for an hour (this is really difficult, I know) until you can reasonably lift the bars from the pan and slice.  I like to pop the pan in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before slicing just to get some clean cuts.

Moon Pies are typically a cookie sandwich, but look how gorgeous they are as bars! Gorgeous, gooey and easy friends – that’s the Mardi gras vibe this year.

Grab and RC Cola. These moon pies make fantastic treats.

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This recipe is inspired by Sally’s Baking Addiction and my love of Mardi Gras Moon Pies.