The Almost Queen Release Week Pt 2: A Fantastical Pie Recipe

The All's Fair in Love & War S'more Pie

An Alys Murray Creation

One of my favorite ways to decompress after a long day of brainstorming or writing is baking! There is nothing better than putting my story aside and picking up a rolling pin so I can make some delicious treat to reward myself for all the work I did during the day….or so I can let my hands focus on one thing while my mind fixes all of the story problems I need to work through.

Because of that, every time I write a book, I create an original pie recipe to go with it! I try to capture the spirit of the book in every pie, so when you taste that first bite, you really get a sense of what the story is like! Books, after all, help you imagine hearing, seeing, and touching everything on the page. The pies help you taste and smell it, too!

So, for The Almost Queen, I created the….

The All’s Fair in Love and S’more Pie

Inspired by the dark and sweet notes of Ellara and Terran’s love story – as well as the campfires that accompany them on the journey where they fall in love – this take on a Smore’s pie is sure to be the perfect pairing for a long afternoon of reading!

Bon appetit!

A Non Graphics Version for Clarity:

Instructions:

There are three components to this pie. A graham cracker crust at the bottom, a chocolate-caramel filling in the center, and a marshmallow icing to top the whole thing off!

Graham Cracker Crust:

Combine 10 sheets of graham cracker crumbs (about 1.5 cups) with 5 tablespoons of melted butter and ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Then, press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie tin. Leave to settle while you construct the rest of the pie.

Chocolate Caramel filling:

Look, I love baking, but I especially love baking when it’s as simple as possible. What you’re going to do here is combine 2 cool-whip tubs with 1 box of dark chocolate jello pudding mix and 1 cup of cold whole milk. Make sure to do this gently, incorporating the chocolate completely.

Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your pie.

Marshmallow Icing:

I’m a simple woman. Sometimes, I just want to sit on my kitchen floor and eat marshmallow fluff out of the jar with a spoon while crying about a cute baby elephant gif I saw on twitter. Because of that, marshmallow icing is one of my go-to toppings, and it’s so great here!

Soften ½ cup of butter, and whip it until it’s soft. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and then combine with almost an entire jar of marshmallow fluff. (There are 7.5 ounces in every jar; this recipe calls for 7 ounces of marshmallow fluff. As a result, you have an extra .5 ounces to snack on!) Combine until it resembles a fluffy icing texture!

To assemble:

Pile the chocolate filling into the pie shell, and top with a heavy layer of salty caramel sauce and your marshmallow icing.

Once constructed, leave it in the fridge for 2-4 hours to totally set! Feel free to brûlée the top of the icing with a torch for an extra level of smoky goodness, but don’t throw this one into the oven or broiler! It’ll turn into a soupy mess!

Once the pie is set, dig in and enjoy! This pie is best served with a sweet and salty enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance and a big cup of tea!