S’mores Cookie Bars
These thick and yummy graham cracker cookie bars ooze with warm chocolate and gooey marshmallow fluff, making the perfect S’mores Cookie Bars. They are incredibly easy to make in your favorite 9 x 13 baking dish.
For more tasty treats, try my Cake Mix Caramel Brownies or these Chocolate Chunk Snickers Bar Cookies.
Calling all s’mores lovers!! Ever since my boys were little, we have enjoyed campfires. And boys, campfires, and s’mores simply go together, am I right? We still have campfires quite often here at home in our fire pit. I’ve got lots of wonderful memories of the times we went camping at the lake, and all sat around the fire in the evening – it was casual, relaxing, and fun. And, of course, every camp fire had to include s’mores!
I love the idea of s’mores cookie bars because they are baked in just one pan, and that’s so much easier than the individual creation of s’mores made one by one. And, because these bar cookies are so thick and rich, you can feed a lot of people with just one batch – always a good thing.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour
- Hershey Bars: We like the bit Hershey bars for this recipe because we like a really thick layer of chocolate in the center. However, if you can’t find those, you can use the candy bar-sized Hershey bars as you’d find at the checkout stand.
- Graham Crack Crumbs: I usually always purchase boxed graham cracker crumbs from the baking aisle at the grocery store, but in a pinch, you can certainly make them in your food processor from whole graham crackers.
- Marshmallow Fluff
- Dark brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter: Soften your butter before making this recipe. You can set it out on the counter for a couple of hours, OR place the stick of butter into the microwave and cook in 30-second increments at 30% power, touching the butter after each one to see if it’s softened.
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract: I love to use pure vanilla extract, but you can substitute imitation vanilla extract.
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
How to Make S’mores Cookie Bars
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Be sure you don’t use full power or you’ll quickly end up with melted butter and this will change the entire texture of your cookies.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with both sugars; add the eggs and vanilla, beating again until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
Step 3: In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the graham cracker crumbs; add to the butter mixture and mix just until combined.
Step 3: Fold a large sheet of parchment paper in half lengthwise so it covers the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment hang over each end. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. Divide the prepared dough in half, pressing one half of the dough over the bottom of the parchment paper that is lining the greased baking dish, pressing the dough out evenly and so that it touches all sides of the pan.
Step 4: Place the chocolate bars on top of the dough in a single layer, side-by-side. Warm the marshmallow fluff in the microwave for 30 seconds. Use a small, long-handled silicone spatula to remove the warm fluff from the container, spreading it over the chocolate bars, making sure to touch the edges on all sides of the baking dish to hold the fluff in place as you’re spreading it.
Step 7: Using your fingers, crumble the remaining half of the prepared dough into small pieces over the marshmallow fluff. Place the cookie bars in the preheated oven, uncovered, on the center rack, and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and nicely puffed.
Step 8: Remove the cookie bars from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Place them on a cooling rack at room temperature for 3-4 hours or into the fridge until cool.
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Step 9: Once cooled, use a butter knife to run along the edges of the pan, gently loosening the cookie bars from the sides as needed. Grab hold of each end of the parchment paper and lift the sheet of cookie bars from the pan, placing it onto a large cutting board. Use a large knife or bench scraper to cut the sheet into serving pieces, as desired.
My Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the parchment paper, or aluminum foil. This is what creates a “sling” of sorts for easily lifting the entire batch of bar cookies from the 9 x 13 pan once they have baked and cooled. Once you’ve lifted the sheet of bar cookies from the baking dish, they are much easier to cut because the sides of the pan are no longer in your way.
- I often cut the cookie bars into squares, then into fingers. This small, elongated portion is easy to grab from a platter and also doesn’t make anyone feel guilty for enjoying a sweet treat.
- I am very partial to serving these cookie bars WARM. However, make sure you chill first before cutting them into squares as that makes the task so much easier to accomplish! If you cut them while warm, the marshmallow cream and chocolate oozes out everywhere and makes a giant mess. To serve the cookies warm (so they are oozing again), place them onto a cookie sheet into a 200 degree F. oven for a few minutes, just until they are warmed through. Or, you can always microwave the cookie bars for a few seconds to reheat them.
Yep. I’d use two 8 x 8 baking dishes – they will work fine and then you’ve got an extra pan of cookies to give away or freeze for later. Or, if you’re giving the cookies as a food gift, you can certainly bake them in foil pans so you don’t need to worry about getting your baking dish back. If you opt to use smaller pans for making the cookie bars, you won’t need to bake them as long, either. When they are golden brown and nicely puffed, they are done!
They sure do. Bake first, then either freeze as an entire sheet of the cookie bars, or cut them into individual pieces, freezing them like that. I always wrap my bar cookies tightly in plastic wrap, then in heavy-duty foil before placing them into a freezer bag to freeze. They will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months with no problem. Just thaw and serve.
Other Easy-to-Eat Desserts
Grab and go desserts are perfect for parties, snacks or just a fun family night at home. We love these Peanut Butter Polka Dot Bars because they are loaded with peanut butter flavor, chocolate and even M&Ms. Apricot Almond Bars are also a decadent dessert with tons of flavor. Or stay traditional with these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.
Golden S’mores Cookie Bars
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Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 4.4 ounce Hershey bars
- 13 ounce container marshmallow fluff
- 1/3 cup milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with both sugars; add the eggs and vanilla, beating again until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1 cup granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the graham cracker crumbs; add to the butter mixture, mixing just until nicely combined.2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Fold a large sheet of parchment paper in half lengthwise so that it covers the bottom of the pan, letting the parchment hang over each end of the pan. Spray the parchment paper with nonstick spray. *Note: These over-hanging parchment paper ends will become your handles for lifting the cookie bars out of the pan after they have baked and cooled – very important! If needed, substitute foil for the parchment paper.
- Divide the prepared dough in half, pressing one half of the dough over the bottom of the parchment paper that is lining the greased baking dish, pressing the dough out evenly and so that it touches all sides of the pan.
- Place the chocolate bars on top of the dough in a single layer, side-by-side.3 4.4 ounce Hershey bars
- Warm the marshmallow fluff in the microwave for 30 seconds. Use a small, long-hangled silicone spatula to remove the warm fluff from the container, spreading it over the chocolate bars, making sure to touch the edges on all sides of baking dish to hold the fluff in place as you’re spreading it.13 ounce container marshmallow fluff
- Using your fingers, crumble the remaining half of the prepared dough into small pieces over the marshmallow fluff.
- Place the cookie bars into the preheated oven, uncovered, on the center rack and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and nicely puffed.
- Remove the baked s'mores bars from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Place onto a cooling rack to cool.1/3 cup milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Once the s’mores cookie bars are cooled to room temperature, place them into refrigeration for 3-4 hours letting them chill.
- Using a butter knife, go around the edges of the pan, gently loosening the cookie bars from the sides where needed.
- Grab hold of each end of the parchment paper and lift the sheet of cookie bars from the pan, placing onto a large cutting board. Use a large knife or bench scraper to cut the sheet into serving pieces, as desired.