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.
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 Style Dessert
Just sprinkle your chips and marshmallows…
Then mix up your meringue, which is just brown sugar and egg whites…
Then spread that all over the top…
What you’ll get is a gooey cookie bar topped with a light, crunchy meringue topping.
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.
Just forget that they’re called Mudhens 🙂
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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Mud Hen Bars
- 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
- 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
- Preheat 350°
- Spray a 9×13 baking pan lightly with cooking spray
- In a large bowl cream together butter, granulated sugar, 1 whole egg plus 2 yolks and vanilla until smooth.
- Add in flour, baking powder and salt and mix until just combined. Spread in prepared pan.
- Top with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows.
- 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.
- Spread on top of chocolate chips and marshmallows.
- Bake 30-35 minutes until top is golden brown.
- 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
Whoa – these look stunning!
I’ve wondered about that name. But they sure look tasty!
I love Mud Hen Bars!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! These look fantastic!! 🙂
I’ve heard of these before, but have not made them. Your photos and description definitely make me want to change that, though! That meringue on top looks like a great texture contrast. Yum!
…sorry I misspelled your name. ;(
Sheely, you are too funny! The name doesn’t bother me at all, and I simply can’t get over that crispy top!!
Shelly—Have you seen the Pumkin Spice cream cheese they have out now? Aldi has it but Philly Brand has it out in the regular grocery stores I see. It taste like pumkin cheesecake straight from the container! I had a hard time not just sitting down with a spoon and polishing it all off!! But I keep thinking it would be great in a fall dessert…but what?? Have you seen it/tried it? Any ideas??
WHAT?! Oh my word that sounds insane! Must got to the store now and investigate 🙂
Yes. Run. Go find it. Buy two. One to eat with a spoon. One to make something out of. It’s really great on a toasted cinnamon crumpet too.
I’ve never heard of these before! But I need them in my life. Anything with meringue, I am there.
Love these Shelly! I always look forward to your posts!
I love mud hens! And I love Christy’s cookbook 🙂