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
These look amazing! I attempted to make these tonight…but I didn’t look at the recipe clise enough. I used 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites in the batter & then I only had 1 egg left for the topping:( still looks great, I hope it they turn out!
My mother’s been baking these since I was a kid (many decades ago!). Here they’re called Halfway Bars. In place of the marshmallows we had a cup of chopped walnuts mixed with the chocolate chips, and the brown sugar meringue really gives it THE taste. I’m going to add some marshmallows the next time I make them–sounds exquisite!
I read this and was sort of on the edge about making them, but I decided to go ahead and try it despite my concerns. They turned out great! I’m only 12 but I love trying new recipes, and this is one of my new favorites 🙂
I am SO glad I found your website!
Not only do you have THEEEE most delicious sounding things posted, you are hysterically funny!
I keep reading through just to read your commentary! It is late where I am right now, I am home all alone, and it is good thing, because I am lughing maniacally, my family would think I am crazy!!
Mary-Anne
ON, Canada
I made a pan of these for my daughter’s dance team, and one for the office – they are irresistible! The meringue was gooey the first day, crunchy the next. Both were great.
I, too, hate birds . . . Or I should say ‘am scared of birds’.
These look delicious, can’t wait to try them! If shortening is not available where I am, what would you suggest using instead? More butter?
Yes, I would sub in butter!
I made these last night. Nothing should taste this good!They are dangerously addictive. The only thing I changed is I used a stick of butter instead of the shortening/butter the recipe calls for because I didn’t have shortening.The texture was gooey; the meringue gave it crunch. It is truly divine!Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I live in Toledo, Ohio. Our baseball team is the Toledo, Mudhens! Our mascots are Muddy and Mudonna, large yellow birds! I wish they served something like these bars in our stadium!
I would much rather be a Heather than a Jan!!
Me too 🙂