Ultimate Deep Dish S’mores Pie

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Gradually pour in melted butter, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Press crust evenly over bottom and up the sides (you want it to reach almost the very top of the pan) of a 10-inch springform pan. Make sure that crust is well compacted—I recommend using the bottom of a glass as it really helps bind and compact the crust together.

Bake crust for 11 minutes (if your oven is on the hotter side, bake for 10 minutes). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once crust has completely cooled, make the ganache filling.

For the ganache filling:
Place chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, whisk heavy cream, espresso powder, and butter to combine. Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until cream comes to a simmer.

Pour cream and butter mixture over chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, whisk mixture until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Pour half of ganache over bottom of crust, spreading to distribute evenly, then place in freezer to chill while you make the meringue (set aside remaining ganache).

For the Swiss meringue:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 3 egg whites and ¾ cup sugar. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure bowl does not touch water). Whisk until mixture reaches a temperature of 160°F or until sugar is completely dissolved and egg whites are warm to the touch, about 3–5 minutes.

Transfer bowl to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed for 5 minutes, or until stiff peaks form and mixture is thick, glossy, and marshmallow-like in texture, adding in ½ teaspoon vanilla extract halfway through mixing.

Remove pan from freezer. Place meringue over the top of the chilled ganache; remove a little over ⅓ cup and discard.

Spread meringue evenly over ganache, then pour remaining ganache over the top of the meringue, using a rubber spatula to lightly spread and distribute evenly. Cover pan with plastic wrap (making sure plastic does not touch ganache). Place in fridge to chill 3–4 hours, or until ganache is firm.

When ready to serve, make another batch of meringue, repeating the previous instructions for the Swiss
meringue and using the remaining 3 eggs, ¾ cup sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract.

Remove pie from fridge, remove and discard plastic wrap, then gently remove rim of pan. Spread meringue evenly over the top of the pie and use the back of a spoon to create peaks, if desired. Use a kitchen torch to toast the meringue to your desired level of toasty and serve immediately.

Leftover pie can be stored in fridge for 1 day.

Note: For the ganache, instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can also substitute bittersweet, milk, or even a mix of bittersweet and semi-sweet, using a 2:1 ratio.