These really are the BEST S’mores Bars! Chocolate, peanut butter, and marshmallow sandwiched between two layers of a graham cookie crust. Everyone’s favorite summer snack (S’MORES, please!) in dessert bar form!
Best S’mores Bars
We just can’t stop thinking about these s’mores bars. *wipes drool off of face*
Featured comment
5 stars. One of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I made them for Father’s Day and everyone went crazy for them. THEY ARE AMAZING.
Justine
Real question here: how are you not already making these? Are you now?! Okay, we’re almost two sentences in, it is definitely time that you get straight to these gems with gooey marshmallow and melty chocolate squanched between two graham-cookie layers and a secret swath of peanut butter sneaking throughout. Hello, hi. We’re in love.
And you DID in fact read that right, the base of these bars, and the only thing you’ll need to make from scratch, is the graham cookie dough. What?! Yes, GRAHAM COOKIE DOUGH.
And it is definitely as good as it sounds.
We love a dessert bar situation here in our neck of the woods and these bars are pretty next level. So. So. Good.
In This Post: Everything You Need For S’mores Bars
- Watch How to Make This Recipe
- Ingredients You Will Need for S’mores Bars
- Let’s Make the Very Best S’mores Bars
- We Love Summer Desserts! See?
- S’mores Bars: Frequently Asked Questions
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
Ingredients You’Ll Need For S’Mores Bars
The nice part about these babies is there is absolutely no campfire on the ingredients list! You’re going to whip up that magical cookie dough and then it’s just s’mores stuff from there! Here’s what you’ll need:
For the cookie layer:
- butter
- white & brown sugars
- egg
- vanilla
- baking powder, flour, salt
- graham crackers, crushed into crumbs
For the s’mores-ing:
- peanut butter
- chocolate bars
- marshmallow creme
Let’s Make The Very Best S’Mores Bars
Again, no requirement to go camping here! But like, if you want to camp, you could just bake these at home, bring them along and enjoy staring endlessly into the campfire flames with no gooey mess and no hot marshmallow sticks required. What a win!
- Cookie layers: Make your cookie dough. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment and press 1/2 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Lift out the parchment with the dough on it and set it aside – this will be your top cookie layer. Then repeat that but leave this layer in the baking dish.
- Assembly: On top of your bottom cookie layer, stack the chocolate bars, then peanut butter, marshmallow creme, and place your other cookie layer on top.
- Bake: Bake until golden brown on top. Let cool completely for best serving results. Or just dive right into that beautiful mess.
ARE YOU EATING THEM YET? We’re honestly impressed if they’re not already in the oven. Sure, we get it, you need the directions but also…GRAHAM COOKIE PEANUT BUTTER MARSHMALLOW CHOCOLATE OH MYYYYY.
Long Live Summer Desserts
Nobody wants to have just one s’more. Everybody wants many and here’s the answer to your prayers. A whole pan of that s’mores goodness. They’re such a great answer to any summer gathering. Perfect to bake up and take to a potluck, or bring them up to the lake for cabin weekend. You could, again, skip the actual mess of s’mores while camping and just do these. Or a fun alternative to cake at a bday party!
Or, what a lovely special treat to maybe take over to a friend who just had a baby. (Honestly, that could be tricky…it’ll be tough for them to split attention between the baby and these guys. S’mores always win.)
Let’s just say, if you can resist these, you are tougher than tough. But also, people might question whether you are a real live human or not so…may as well dive in.
S’mores Bars: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you recommend getting clean slices without all of the filling coming out?
For best serving (i.e. the cleanest slices), I recommend chilling in the fridge overnight. They hold together really nicely and cut into very clean bars when completely cool. The bars pictured here have been resting at room temperature for a few hours, which is why the marshmallow creme looks awesomely gooey. Also delicious, just a little harder to eat.
Should I use creamy or crunchy peanut butter for these bars?
While the peanut butter is optional, it does make these bars pretty next-level. I’ve used both smooth and crunchy in this recipe. Melting the peanut butter makes it a little easier to spread over the chocolate, and if your peanut butter gets mixed in with the marshmallow creme, that’s totally fine.
How should I store leftover bars?
Leftover bars should be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Best S’mores Bars
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Description
These really are the BEST S’mores Bars! Chocolate, peanut butter, and marshmallow sandwiched between two layers of a graham cookie crust. Everyone’s favorite summer snack (S’MORES, please!) in dessert bar form!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 6 graham crackers, crushed into crumbs (1 graham cracker = 1 rectangle)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- two 4–ounce chocolate bars (the extra big, extra-thick size)
- one 7-ounce jar of marshmallow creme
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cookie Base: Beat the butter and both sugars. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the graham cracker crumbs.
- Make a top layer: Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Lift out the parchment with the dough on it and set it aside – this will be your top cookie layer.
- Assembly: Line again with parchment and press the remaining dough into the bottom of the pan. Layer with the chocolate bars, peanut butter, and marshmallow creme. Gently flip and place the prepared top cookie layer onto the top of the bars and peel the parchment off the top.
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Resting Time: For the cleanest slices, I like to let the bars rest for 4-6 hours or give them a bit of time in the fridge so they can solidify enough for a clean cut! More info in the notes.
Notes
In the first 1-3 hours, the bars will be warm and gooey. They are delicious for eating in a bowl on your couch! But not ideal for a potluck or event because they are gooey and messy.
After 4-6 hours of resting, the melty layers of the bars will start to set and solidify. You can speed up this process by popping the bars in the fridge, and once they are set, you can get nice clean slices and they work great for sharing! I initially worried about the marshmallow layer getting too hard or sticky in the fridge, but I’ve never run into that issue. In fact, I usually store the leftover bars (the very few that are left) in the fridge and the marshmallow layer stays soft!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: s’mores bar, smores bar, summer dessert, dessert recipe, peanut butter s’mores
More Summery Desserts To Crush On
- Raspberry Crumble Bars (soft, buttery, and so delicious)
- Golden Grahams Bars (made with just FIVE ingredients)
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars (just as extreme as they sound and they’re so good)
June 29, 2021
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Ok, I’m sold. I’m getting my hands on some of that Land O Lakes European butter. I actually appreciate the higher milk fat….my doctor just told me I need to be eating more fat, specifically these types of fats. So off I go to nag my husband to go get the groceries and this is totally on the list. And yep, these bars look phenomenal.
I made these and they were delicious!! Camping tip- make them in a disposable foil pan and then when you bust them out during your trip you can warm them back up directly on the fire. Also a cake size disposable foil pan fits perfectly into a gallon size bag.
Dang, now I need an event to bring these to! They look amazing! Smores are my absolute fav, and PB with it?!? Yah, totally cheat worthy…
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!!
Gemma
http://www.fadedwindmills.com
wow, these look heavenly and now I’ll also be having a cheat summer.
O.M.G. These look like the best thing ever! I’m thinking they would be great to make for our road trip this month. Would you suggest storing them in the fridge? Oooooh or frozen might be better after driving thru the desert.
Yes! I LOVE them frozen. Just give them 2-3 minutes to thaw out enough so you can bite into them, and boom! so good.
Welp, I now know what I’m bringing to the lake this weekend! These look amazing! And that means I don’t have to try slow roast marshmallows for my kids who refuse to eat burnt marshmallows!
Lake life is the best life. Especially with s’mores bars!
Looks delicious! What type of chocolate, semi-sweet? Dark?
I use regular Hershey’s milk chocolate and think it’s perfection — it replicates what I would use in a normal s’more.
I would like to substitute regular marshmallows for the marshmallow creme, as I have a hunch it might hold up better at room temperature. What is your opinion?
Hmm, I don’t know! I think it could work for sure, just not sure whether or not it would hold up better at room temp. If you try it, let us know! 🙂
Hi Jeri! Wondering if you tried these with regular marshmallows or not? If so, any tips? I have so many regular marshmallows I need to use up!
I would love to know if anyone has tried it with regular marshmallows. If not I’m going for the popcorn cake!! 😉
REALLY????????????????
Melted regular marshmallows with a lil butter and vanilla bean paste. Works great! So good! Also substituted DF butter!
I used mini marshmallows instead of fluff and it turned out great!
How many MARSHMALLOWS??? AND these are very sweet so what chocolate can you use instead of the standard milk??? (chocolate)
Please respond today.
I always use mini or halved marshmallows and I love the texture when they cool.
How many MARSHMALLOWS??? respond today pls. 5-29-23.
Hi, Carol! We haven’t tested this recipe with regular marshmallows, only marshmallow creme, so it’s hard for us to say a quantity of regular marshmallows. Let us know if you try it out!
I turned regular marshmallows into fluff by microwaving 2/3 bag of large marshmallows with 1-2 tbsp corn syrup and stirred it up. Perfect!
Sounds delicious, Genevieve!
I love how you gave homage to a midwestern classic, this looks so yummy! You had me at marshmallow cream;)
Idea time! How about peanut butter cups in place of the chocolate bar and melted peanut butter?
I was thinking the same thing! I love to use the large peanut butter cups instead of chocolate with s’mores. It takes my s’mores game to a whole new level!!!
LOVE that idea.
AMAZING! I will be making these tomorrow to bring to our lake cabin for the holiday weekend and I’m sure they will be the hit of the party! Happy 4th of July weekend Lindsay!!
Thanks Mercedes! you too!
This looks amazing! Perfect for this weekend. And yes — I agree. Isn’t peanut butter great with almost anything?!!
A holiday weekend at the cabin is begging for these!
Yes! that’s the next thing I need… a cabin! 😀
I just keep looking at this over and over…these look amaaaaaazing! I can’t wait to try them! 🙂
These look delicious! Pinned them.
The very first thing I looked for was if there was peanut butter! I had s’mores awhile ago that used a Reese’s peanut butter cup instead of just regular chocolate and it was amazing!
I’m developing s’mores puppy chow right now (I have a lot of puppy chow recipes on my site…they seem popular) .
YES – my sister and I once made s’mores with chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter, chocolate, and toasted mallow… ahhh, so good!
wow these look AMAZING! i can’t believe i haven’t had a smore yet this year…and now i can have a whole pan of them. and yes. ALWAYS peanut butter!
As always, you have shoved an insanely amazing recipe in our faces ….and we’re good with that! But may I just add that as I was reading your words, I noticed a bit of playfulness, and it sounds like you are getting your spark back. Of course, we all knew your light was never extinquished, but coming through that dark time, it’s so good to see that fun-loving brightness again!
Thank you Renate! What a kind comment. ❤️
How much is one graham cracker in this recipe? One square or the two squares together to make a rectangle?
One sheet, so a rectangle. 🙂
Would it be possible to include how many grams or ounces of graham cracker crumbs in the future? I can buy boxes of crumbs here, and it would also eliminate confusion
Yes!! I would love this info too! The graham crackers that I get have 4 smaller rectangles perferated in the large rectangle and I was unsure if you meant 6 of the smaller rectangles or 6 of the larger sheets of rectangles. So I guessed!! LOL. Would love to know the proper amount to use!!
Made these tonight: Holy crap these see good! I almost didn’t add the PB but definitely glad I did. I try not to make sweets but every now and then, I’ll see a recipe that I need to make and this was one of those! I thought I’d take them to work tomorrow but now I’m not sure I want to share! I would like to know how regular marshmallows would hold up.
I’m the same! Not a ton of sweets in my life lately but daaaang, these needed to happen! So glad you liked them. And I thought the same thing about regular marshmallows – if you give it a try, let us know how it works for you!
That looks so amazing! I be that smells so good. I need to try this European butter 🙂
I like those bars because they use a type of vegan butter or margarine that I know everyone likes! Yum! 😊
Yes, try it! I discovered it last year and love it in baking recipes!
Oooh!!! Yummy!!
I want these. And I like the peanut butter idea!
These looked irresistible so I made them tonight! I just realized I forgot the brown sugar but it didn’t even matter – they still taste phenomenal. I used my offset spatula to push the dough into place and that worked well. Now I’m trying not to eat all these bars at once…
The struggle is real!!
Yes, these do look so amazing, I just want to run to my kitchen and make a batch right now. Seriously, I’m drooling. Sound like a great idea for taking to parties/ social gatherings but I don’t think they would last long enough to get to said gathering because I would end up in a stuffing-them-into-my-mouth-like-there’s-no-tomorrow kinda situation 😱
I feel ya James! 🙂
Those layers!! Yum!
Ohemgeeee!!! I made these today and it took everything in me not to eat them until I got to my party. I made them without the peanut butter because I’m just not a huge pb fan. So, so good!! Will be making again for sure!!!
I’m so glad! Thanks Colleen!