Mud Hen Bars

These Mud Hen Bars are gooey, chewy and delicious chocolate marshmallow bars topped with brown sugar meringue! They’re some of the most delicious dessert bars ever!

Mud Hen Marshmallow Dessert Bars Recipe

Sometimes names can be deceiving.

Haven’t you ever met a person and been like, yeah…your parents SO should have named you Jan and not Heather?  Or Brody and not Chuck? It happens.

Same thing happened with these bars. They’re called Mud Hen Bars. Which is basically the grossest name ever. Mud is not tasty…Hens are all pecky and whatnot… And the google told me a “Mud Hen” is a gross marsh bird that lives in swamps and other wetland-type areas.

Well, I am not a bird-fan in general.  They scare me.  I mean, they can fly.  Think about it. AND Mud Hens are not only birds, they live in swamps.  Swamp birds.  Could there be a worse type?

But defying all laws of logic I made these Mud Hen Bars. They sound gross. But they aren’t. They’re exactly the opposite.

Image of Gooey Mud Hen Bars

This Mud Hen Bars recipe is really easy.

What is a Mud Hen Bar?

The best way to describe Mud Hen Bars is they are is a kind-of cookie base, topped with chocolate chips and marshmallows with a yummy brown sugar meringue spread all over the top.

How to Make This S’mores Dessert

Just sprinkle your chips and marshmallows…

Image of Chocolate Chips and Marshmallows

 

Then mix up your meringue, which is just brown sugar and egg whites…

Image of Meringue for Mud Hen Bars

 

Then spread that all over the top…

Image of Spreading Meringue over Marshmallows

 

What you’ll get is a gooey cookie bar topped with a light, crunchy meringue topping.

Image of Mud Hen Bars in the Pan

They are really like nothing else I’ve ever had…

Such a cool combination of textures.  They might not be pretty, but they are tasty.

Close-up Image of a Mud Hen Bar

Just forget that they’re called Mudhens 🙂

Image of Mud Hen Bars Stacked on a Plate

This Mud Hen Bar recipe was originally published on my site in 2012. I have since updated some of the pictures and slightly tweaked the recipe. Enjoy!

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Image of a Stack of Mud Hen Bars

Mud Hen Bars

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 6 reviews
  • Author: Shelly
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 24 bars 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These Mud Hen Bars are gooey, chewy and delicious chocolate marshmallow bars topped with brown sugar meringue! They’re some of the most delicious dessert bars ever!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 whole egg + 2 eggs, separated
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed

Instructions

  1. Preheat 350°
  2. Spray a 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray
  3. In a large bowl cream together butter, granulated sugar, 1 whole egg plus 2 yolks and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Add in flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Spread in prepared pan.
  5. Top with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
  6. In a clean mixing bowl with whisk attachment on your mixer, beat the 2 remaining egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes on high.
  7. Fold in light brown sugar and stir until combined and there are no lumps.
  8. Spread on top of chocolate chips and marshmallows.
  9. Bake 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown.
  10. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares

Notes

store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 179
  • Sugar: 20.6 g
  • Sodium: 61.4 mg
  • Fat: 7.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 27.8 g
  • Protein: 2.3 g
  • Cholesterol: 33.4 mg

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132 comments on “Mud Hen Bars”

  1. To eliminate the ad: close thru google, screen shot and print. I have to do this with most recipes. This one definitely worth it.

    Preheat 350°
    2) Spray a 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray
    3) In a large bowl cream together butter, granulated sugar, 1 whole egg plus 2 yolks and vanilla untill smooth.
    4 Add in flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Spread in prepared pan.
    5 Top with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
    6 In a clean mixing bowl with whisk attachment on your mixer, beat the 2 remaining egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes on high.
    • Fold in light brown sugar and stir until combined and there are no lumps.
    8 Spread on top of chocolate chips and marshmallows.
    9 Bake 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown.
    DX
    10 Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares






  2. J in Seattle

    Love the recipe, however like other reviews the cookie dough is still raw after cooking for 35 minutes with top perfectly cooked. Using a different recipe I would make this again, but bake cookie dough first for 20 minutes, take out and add chocolate chips, marshmallows and special topping and then bake for another 30-35 minutes.






  3. The ‘Mud Hen’ our Toledo Mud Hens are named after is also known as an American Coot and is a cute black/gray duck with a white beak. With that coloration in mind, I’m thinking of making these with a brownie bottom. And I really like chocolate!

  4. The Toledo Ohio AAA. baseball team is the “mud hens”. This recipe was created by a local Toledo person to promote the team. (They try to make the mud hen look cute as their mascot. )

  5. Shelly Golding

    We’ve had this recipe in our family for years. It’s called Chocolate Halfway Squares. Very good!

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