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Giant Toasted S’mores Pie + Contest!

This Giant Toasted S'mores Pie is built on a graham cracker crust, a slab of chocolate ganache, rich chocolate pudding and meringue topping. | Crumb Kitchen

This Giant Toasted S’mores Pie is built on a graham cracker crust, a slab of chocolate ganache, rich chocolate pudding and meringue topping.

 (This post was sponsored by Flipp for their ‘Flipp Year of Savings’ campaign, and I’ve been financially compensated for my involvement. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and I only work with brands I trust and love!)

I’m not going to lie: I have an addiction.

TO SAVINGS.

Could you tell? After all, this is a budget-friendly dessert blog. Today’s Giant Toasted S’mores Pie may look like a million bucks, but it’s actually quite affordable to make at home. (I promise!)

If you know me, you know that I love coupons and price matching. I have very happy memories of my 11-year-old self clipping coupons not because anybody asked me to, but because I wanted to. Saving has always been a passion of mine.

That’s why I was so excited when Flipp reached out to me. For those not in the loop, Flipp is a free shopping app that collects all your local weekly circulars (grocery and others) so you can easily plan your shopping, find the best deals and save more money each week. You simply search for an item and you’ll see where it appears in almost every grocery circular in your area, what the price is and what store it’s from. Simply click on it to ‘circle’ the item, and show the cashier when you’re paying for your groceries.

I’ve been using their app for almost a year when they got in touch, ever since—and I swear this is a true story—a kindly but perhaps lonesome elderly gentleman came up to me at 7 a.m. in my local grocery store and spent 10 minutes explaining what Flipp was and how his wife had downloaded it onto his smartphone.

It was adorable, and also very helpful. After that, I downloaded the app and have used it almost every week when I plan out my grocery hauls.

Something I’ve been playing around with for the past few months has been Flipp’s newly updated Shopping List features.

Do you ever write down an ingredient or two on your fridge shopping list and end up forgetting it when you go to the store? With Flipp’s Photo List feature, you can take a photo of your hand-written list with your smartphone and it automatically uploads it to the app, populating your e-shopping list with your items. (Check out the photos below for my Giant Toasted S’mores Pie to see it in action!)

Store Mode is another great feature that sorts your list items by grocery store aisle at your local store. (Really!) While not every store has been inputted into the app yet, in my area there are lots of choices, including a major grocery store a five minute drive from my house.

Finally, their last new feature is Sync, which for anyone who has roommates, a significant other, or family members shopping for your pantry too, is a god-send. I hate to reinforce stereotypes here, but Alex knows that I am the self-proclaimed Queen of the Supermarket. I know where every item in the store is located and what constitutes a good or bad price.

Alex, on the other hand, is not a fan of grocery shopping and his #1 goal is getting out of there as quickly as possible. By syncing my grocery list with his Flipp account, he can see what I’ve gotten at the store and what he needs to pick up. No more forgotten lists or missed Facebook messages with “GET MILK!!!!” This is my top pick of the new features, by far.

You might be wondering, how much can I save? I always do a ‘budget breakdown’ section at the bottom of all Crumb Kitchen posts, but I’ll be doing something slightly different today in addition to that. To make today’s Giant Toasted S’mores Pie, I inputted all of the ingredients necessary into Flipp and went to the grocery store to buy what I didn’t have. This is how much I saved from the items I needed:

  • Dark chocolate chips: $1.50 per package
  • Granulated sugar: $0.50 per bag
  • Eggs: $0.12 per dozen
  • Butter: $1.00 per pound
  • Jello-O pudding mix: $0.51 per package
  • Almond milk: $1.00 per carton

Total: $4.63 saved!  For only a few items, that’s significant savings. When I do my weekly grocery shop for my two person household, which often includes blog recipe ingredients as well, I can often save anywhere from $10 to $25 just using Flipp.

Want to do the same? The Flipp app is free and available for iOS and Android. To download Flipp visit the App Store or the Play Store and share how much you saved!

Now, onto today’s dessert! This is a show-stopper of a treat, one where you can blow the minds of your guests by quite literally blow torching the dessert. This Giant Toasted S’mores Pie is summer in a pie, with the added sophistication of tasty layers like chocolate ganache and meringue.

While this isn’t a 15-minutes-and-you’re-done type of dessert, it’s so worth it. You can get a taste of buttery graham cracker crust, rich chocolate ganache, creamy chocolate pudding and sweet and toasty meringue in one bite. Where else can you get that?

If you don’t own a creme brûlée torch, I’m told you can carefully broil meringue in your oven on high heat, though I haven’t tried this myself for this Giant Toasted S’mores Pie. If you’re a fan of baking and cooking, I’d urge you to get a creme brûlée torch from your local kitchen supply store or craft store. Being able to burn things in a positive, constructive way is FUN.

Thanks to Flipp, I have a giveaway for you lovely readers. Enter below to win a $50 grocery gift card and Flipp calendar by using the Rafflecopter form. And get saving! (Open to Canadian residents only, excluding Quebec.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out CK on Instagram! If you try out one of my recipes, tag @CrumbKitchen so I can see your delicious creations.

Total Cost = $5.79 (Budget breakdown below recipe)

Giant Toasted S'mores Pie
 
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This Giant Toasted S'mores Pie is built on a graham cracker crust, a slab of chocolate ganache, rich chocolate pudding and meringue topping.
Author:
Serves: One 9-inch pie
Ingredients
Crust
  • 6 tbsp. salted butter, melted (measure before melting)
  • 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
Chocolate Ganache
  • 4.2 oz. (about ¾ cup) dark chocolate, chopped
  • 3 oz. heavy whipping cream
Chocolate Pudding
  • 1 pkg. dry Jell-O chocolate pudding mix
  • 1.5 cups cold milk*
Meringue Topping
  • 4 cold egg whites
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray; set aside.
  2. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Stir to break up any chunks of unmelted butter. Pour in graham cracker crumbs and mix until it resembles wet sand.
  3. Press crumbs into pie crust with the back of a spoon, pressing the crumbs halfway up the sides of the pie plate. Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes.
  4. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, then transfer to the fridge with a kitchen towel underneath for 15 minutes.
Chocolate Ganache
  1. Just before crust is to be taken out of the fridge, prepare the ganache. Heat cream in a small microwave-safe bowl on high for 40 seconds to 1 minute, or until cream starts to bubble. Add in chopped dark chocolate and whisk together, slowly at first, then vigorously to ensure all chocolate chunks are melted.
  2. Pour ganache into the bottom of the cooled crust, using a spoon to spread evenly. Place in refrigerator and start working on the pudding layer.
Chocolate Pudding
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk Jell-O pudding mix with cold milk until very smooth and no lumps remain, about 1-2 minutes. Remove pie plate from fridge and pour pudding on top of the ganache layer, spreading evenly.
  2. Cover lightly with plastic wrap, ensuring it doesn't touch the pudding, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1.5 hours.
Meringue Topping
  1. After pudding layer has chilled, prepare the meringue topping. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add egg whites, salt, cream of tartar and vanilla extract and mix on low until mixture starts to turn cloudy.
  2. Add small increments of sugar to the mixture while the mixer is running, and slowly increase the speed. Once all of the sugar has been added, ensure the mixer is on the highest speed and let combine until the "stiff peak" stage has been reached. You'll know by the glossy texture of the meringue and when you stop the mixer and hold up the whisk attachment—the meringue should keep it's shape completely and not droop down at all.
  3. Remove pie plate from the fridge and immediately scoop meringue onto the top of the pie evenly. Using an offset spatula or a spoon, gently swirl the top of the meringue into peaks.
  4. To torch the top, use a creme brûlée torch and carefully cook the top of the meringue. (I haven't used the oven method, but I hear you can carefully broil the top on high heat to get a similar effect.)
  5. Serve immediately or within 2 hours.
Notes
* I used original-flavoured almond milk, but any type of milk works.

Meringue topping adapted from The Kitchn. Crumb Kitchen original recipe.

Budget Breakdown

6 tbsp. salted butter = $0.37
1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs = $1.20
4.2 oz. dark chocolate = $1.00
3 oz. heavy whipping cream = $0.35
1 pkg. dry Jell-O chocolate pudding mix = $0.99
1.5 cups cold milk = $0.96
4 egg whites = $0.60
Pinch of salt = $0.01
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar = $0.04
1 tsp. vanilla extract = $0.07
1/2 cup granulated sugar = $0.20

Why it’s Cheap

By using ‘pre-made’ items like graham cracker crumbs and pudding mix, which are often on sale, you can save a few pennies and a lot of extra time.

Make it More Budget-Friendly

If you only have unsalted butter on hand, use that and add in a pinch of salt to the crust mixture. For the dark chocolate, any type works—chips, chunks, or chopped chocolate bars. Any type of milk can be used, including non-dairy types, as long as it’s the original or sweetened varieties. Finally, visit your local bulk food store to buy a small amount of cream of tartar if you don’t want to buy an entire container at the grocery store.

Want more? Check out the recipes below!

Pretzel Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

Pretzel crust topped with a chocolate peanut butter mousse and dollops of whipped cream fill this Pretzel Peanut Butter Mousse Pie. | Crumb Kitchen

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Bites

These Dark Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Bites are bursting with rich cheesecake taste, tart cranberry, and sinful dark chocolate drizzle. | Crumb Kitchen

Rich Chocolate Pecan Pie

This rich chocolate pecan pie is a sweet treat for the whole family this Thanksgiving. | Crumb Kitchen

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Yay! Another Flipp user! I find it’s great for dairy and meat, usually the more expensive items. 🙂

  4. I use coupons. also cause i shop at Super target, they accept manufacturers and target coupons stacked so i save money along with using cartwheel

    • I agree, the new features are great. I find anything to make grocery shopping easier is good in my books. 🙂

  9. Oh my goodness… this pie may have been (relatively) cheap to make, but it still looks like a million bucks. I am such a sucker for any pie that’s topped off with gorgeous swirls of toasted meringue. It’s like an instant upgrade to first class!
    As for how I save money, I’m notorious for stocking up on pantry staples when there’s a good deal at the store. My husband used to complain when I’d come home with six boxes of granola or four pounds of butter because the store had a really good sale, because he’s the type of guy who waits until he really needs something to go out and buy it… but then he had to buy regular-price butter one day, and I never heard another complaint. 😉 I also sometimes go into the grocery store without a specific recipe in mind, and then decide what I’m making based on what’s on sale.

    • Aw, thanks Isabelle! <3 I figure people can taste the difference in homemade food, and for less than $5 (where you'd probably find a similar pie for $10-15 at a bakery) it's a steal.

      And OMG I think our SOs are the same person. 😛 I'm just like you, I'm the queen of stocking up, while my boyfriend only gets things when it's absolutely necessary. Oh boy. Well, we'll be good when the apocalypse hits, that's all I'm saying.

  10. Ok, I use Flipp already but had no idea they had all these features. I use Flipp for price comparisons already and I know when something is a REALLY good deal (ie. so good I need to stock up) I think I’ll be spending a bit of time on my app later today.
    Thanks for sharing!!

    • Yeah, they’ve added some great ones recently, eh? Love getting the sales. 😉 Happy bargain hunting, Diana!

  15. I need this app! I’m so picky about getting a bargain (like walked an hour for $1.99 pineapples picky).

    Also, this recipe is on point. Gorgeous images! I’m drooling.

    • Haha I feel you! This way, you can go to your local store (if they offer price matching, of course) and pick up a cheap pineapple there! Though getting a nice walk in doesn’t hurt sometimes. 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Hilary!

  16. I had never heard of this Flipp app till today…will be sure to check it out. Usually, I hop from one grocery store to another with flyer in hand. I’ll have to rethink my shopping strategy! As for this pie it’s so pretty and I adore toasted meringue on any dessert?

    • Oh Marisa, this will save you so much time and money! My parents would do the same every Saturday morning and flip through all the circulars, highlighting the good deals and going to 2-4 stores. But this way you can go to one store (albeit one that has price matching, make sure to call ahead and ask). Saves on gas and time. 🙂

    • Yes! My local grocery store is a Real Canadian Superstore, which offers both price matching (many stores don’t) and PC Plus points…double the savings! Thanks for stopping by, Mel. 🙂

  20. Ooh, I love this pie! And the tips below on how to save even more money.

    I use Flipp al the time so that’s also how I save on my grocery bill