Graham's S'mores Cookie Bars

A close-up of smores bars cut into squares, topped with melted chocolate pieces and toasted marshmallows on a wooden surface.

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Prep Time15

Cook Time28

Cooling time20

Total Time1 3

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 346kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Equipment

parchment paper

Ingredients

For the dough:

1 cup butter 2 sticks, melted
1 cup brown sugar packed
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda in a separate bowl
2 teaspoons hot water in a separate bowl
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 3/4 teaspoon table salt)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
10 graham crackers full sheets
5 (1.55 oz bars) Hershey's chocolate bars
40 regular marshmallows (a little more than half a 12-ounce package)
6 regular marshmallows to top the bars
ice cream or cold milk for serving, optional

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
Line a 9×13 inch metal pan with parchment paper. Tuck it into the corners and fold the edges. Or, you can grease the pan with butter or nonstick spray.
In a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons hot water. Stir it together and set aside to dissolve.
Melt 1 cup of butter. Add to a stand mixer bowl, or any large bowl.
Add 1 cup packed brown sugar and 2/3 cup granulated sugar to the butter. Beat well until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Add one egg. Beat well, scraping the sides.
Add the second egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla.
Add in the baking soda and hot water that you dissolved earlier. Beat all of this into the butter, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom, and then beating again for at least 1 minute.
Add 2 and 1/3 cups all purpose flour but don't stir yet. (Make sure you spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level it off so that it's even. Do not overpack your flour.)
Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 teaspoon kosher salt (use 3/4 teaspoon table salt if that's all you have) into the flour. Use your teaspoon to mix the dry ingredients together a little bit, making sure there are no lumps.
Turn the mixer on low and beat until there are still a couple streaks of white flour. You want to stop mixing when the flour is not quite all the way incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom and stir it again for a few turns.
If your dough is still quite warm from the melted butter, wait 5-10 minutes until it cools some more. You can speed this up by sticking it in the fridge. (If you add the chocolate chips to hot dough, the chips will melt as you stir them in, not what we want)
Add 1 cup chocolate chips and mix until just barely combined. Don’t over mix, or you will get tough cookie bars! Scrape the sides and mix one last time.
Add 10 graham crackers in a single layer to the bottom of the prepared 9x13 inch pan. Break up the graham crackers as necessary to get as much coverage on the bottom of the pan as you can. This is your crust!
Scrape about half of the dough into the pan, right on top of the graham crackeres. This can be tricky! Add the dough in pieces all the way across the pan, not in on giant lump. (see photos) Use a rubber spatula to help you spread it out. Press the dough into the corners and make it flat all across the top of the graham crackers.
Add about 40 regular size marshmallows on top of the dough. This is about half of a 12-ounce package. Use your hands to press the marshmallows into the dough.
Top the marshmallows with 1-2 bars of Hershey's chocolate that have been broken up into squares. Use your hand to press them into the dough.
Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to distribute the remaining dough evenly across the top of the marshmallows and chocolate. Use a rubber spatula to spread the dough in between and on top of the marshmallows and chocolate. It doesn't have to be perfect, see photos. I like to leave a few marshmallows peeking through.
Top the dough with 1-2 bars of Hershey's chocolate, broken up into squares.
Bake at 325 degrees for 27-30 minutes. The bars will be golden all the way across the top. The marshmallows will have melted completely, raised up over the top of the dough, and started to brown and crisp.
Testing for doneness: When you shake the pan, the center should not look sloshy or liquid-y. These bars do not set up completely in the oven, so some jiggling in the center is normal. The BEST way to test for doneness is to see if the bars are fully brown on the edges, and pulling away from the pan.
Use scissors to cut 6 marshmallows in half. Once you have taken the S'mores Bars out of the oven, immediately add the remaining 6 marshmallows, cut size down, so that they have time to melt while the pan is hot.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1-2 bars of Hershey's chocolate (broken up into squares).
It's important to let these bars cool completely, if you want to slice them to eat with your hands. Lift the cooled bars from the pan using the parchment paper, then use a sharp chef's knife to slice the bars, wiping the knife clean in between slices.
If you are planning to eat these bars right away, let them set up after taking them out of the oven for about 10 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars, making sure to cut the graham crust on the bottom. Then use an offset serving spatula to lift the bars onto a plate or bowl. It will be quite soft and oozey.
Top each serving with vanilla ice cream and Chocolate Sauce! If you don't have ice cream, serve with a glass of milk!
Store leftovers right in the pan. Cover the top tightly with plastic wrap. The bars will stay fresh on the counter for 4-5 days, but will start to dry out over time.
Freeze bars by wrapping the cooled pan with a few layers of plastic wrap, and then a layer of foil. Or, place cut bars on a lined baking sheet, flash freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer to a freezer ziplock bag. Thaw frozen bars on the counter until soft.

Notes

I haven't tested this recipe with mini marshmallows, but I'm sure it would work just fine! Use about half of a 12 ounce package.

Nutrition