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With a buttery graham cracker base and melted chocolate, these S’Mores Bars are one of the easiest (and most portable) dessert options out there!
When our friends Amber and her hubby Joe (+ their 3 amazing kiddos) moved near us in San Antonio, we got together 1-2 times a month for dinner. Amber/Joe cooked, Austin tossed giggling boys up in the air, I played arts & crafts with their oldest, and then we’d all sit down to eat together. After dinner, Amber would bring out a thoughtful dessert, the kids would each grab their serving, and then they’d head to bed while us 4 adults stayed up late listening to music and playing a board or domino game. These were some of my favorite nights, and you know, as much as I love exploring new restaurants, I’d still choose those evenings in over getting dressed up and going out. You just can’t beat a home-cooked meal, baby “night night” hugs, and games with friends that go too late into the morning hours because we’d keep upping it with, “best 2 out of 3 … now 3 out of 5 …etc.” This was back before our own baby arrived, so our late nights out have slowed way, way down. Thinking back on these sweet memories, one of my most FAVORITE nights over at their house involved Amber introducing me to a new sweet treat.
I still remember the first time I had these gluten free s’mores bars. Amber (an amazing cook who is also responsible for these fajitas) had these s’mores bars (the ole camping favorite in bar form!) sitting on the counter. At first glance, I thought it was a baking project just for the kids (like dirt worm pudding or birthday cupcakes). I asked her about them and her eyes lit up (she loves s’mores, too). “They’re S’MORES BARS!” I hadn’t ever seen one before, so she explained further, “you take a graham cracker, douse it in butter, cover in chocolate, and then roast marshmallows on top.” Essentially, they’re the easiest, tastiest way to get your s’mores fix without sitting by a camp fire!
A bit of drool fell out. I needed one immediately, and goodness gracious they were delicious. I spent the rest of that evening sneaking back into her kitchen under the guise of grabbing “another glass of water” so that I could sneak another one of these delicious smores bars. My generous friend shared her recipe and I’ve been making these bars ever since. They are SO EASY, my friends, and SO TASTY.
Ingredients for S’mores Bars
It’s almost hard for me to believe how incredibly delicious such a simple, 5-ingredient (and one of them is optional!) dessert can be. Do not underestimate these simple s’mores bars, y’all! In fact, jot these ingredients down on your grocery list ASAP:
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Gluten-Free Graham Crackers – you’ll need one box, and truthfully, even if you’re not gluten-free, I think these graham crackers are the way to go. They’re thicker than normal graham crackers and make a great base for the bars.
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Butter or Ghee – we’ll drizzle the melted butter right over the graham crackers for an irresistible buttery graham cracker crust. If you’re dairy-free, know that you can easily use coconut oil as a substitute for the butter.
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Chocolate Chips – what are s’mores without chocolate?! You’ll need 1 cup of chocolate chips – feel free to use dark or milk chocolate (these are our favorite!).
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Marshmallows – a s’mores bar must! You’ll use one 10-ounce bag here. You can use regular or mini marshmallows, though mini will be a bit easier to cut – these are the ones we use and love!
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Coconut Sugar – the coconut sugar (or brown sugar, if you’d prefer that) is totally optional, but adds a really nice touch to the bars. You’ll need 2 tablespoons!
How to Make S’mores Bars
Ready for the easiest dessert ever? Seriously, when you bite into these bad boys, you’re going to be shocked at how *delicious* they are even though they required such little effort to make! Here’s how you’ll whip these layer bars up:
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Prep – first, preheat oven to 400°F, and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Make + Bake the Crust – place the graham crackers on the parchment paper (leave them whole…don’t crumble them!), and drizzle with the butter, ghee, or coconut oil. Sprinkle with single layer of the coconut sugar (if you’d like), and bake the graham crackers for 5 minutes.
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Melt the Chocolate Chips – while the graham crackers are baking, melt the chocolate chips using one of the two methods below:
Double-Boiler Method: place the chocolate chips in a medium-sized glass bowl that can rest on top of a pot without falling in. Fill the pot with a couple of inches of water, place the bowl of chocolate over top, and bring the water to a boil. Use a spatula to constantly stir the chocolate until it’s melted and smooth. Microwave Method: place the chocolate chips in a medium-sized glass bowl and microwave it in 20-second increments, stirring well between each spell, until they’re melted and smooth. -
Assemble – once finished baking, let the graham crackers cool to room temperature, then pour the melty chocolate on top, spreading the chocolate out into an even layer. Lastly, place the marshmallows on top of the chocolate.
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Bake Smores Bars – bake the assembled s’mores bars for 3-5 minutes – keep an eye on the bars, so that the marshmallows brown, but don’t burn!
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Let Cool + Serve – once your baked gooey marshmallows are browned, remove the s’mores bars from the oven, let cool, then serve and enjoy!
How to Store S’mores Bars
These bars have become one of my go-to desserts that I make when we’re having a BBQ or when we’re headed to a potluck-style dinner, and one of the reasons for that is because they can be made in advance and are EASY to store. Store these bars in an airtight container (these are our favorites!) on the counter for up to 5 days.
I hope you enjoy these bars as much as we do! I also hope that one day they’re associated with wonderful memories of family time.
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Ingredients
- 1, 8 ounce box graham crackers we used these for gluten-free
- 1/3 cup butter or ghee melted
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar optional
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1, 10- ounce bag mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place graham crackers on parchment paper and line them up into a rectangle, then drizzle with butter. It is ok if they are slightly uneven. Sprinkle with the sugar (if you like). Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from oven. If you are using gluten-free graham crackers, they will take longer to brown, so bake them for 8-10 minutes instead.
Melt the chocolate chips via one of the two methods below:
- A. Double-boiler method: place the chocolate in a medium-sized glass bowl that can rest on top of a pot without falling in. Fill the pot with a couple of inches of water, place the bowl of chocolate over top, and bring the water to a boil. Use a spatula to constantly stir the chocolate until it’s melted and smooth.
- B. Microwave method: place the chocolate in a medium-sized glass bowl and microwave it in 20-second increments, stirring well between each spell, until it’s melted and smooth.
- Let the graham crackers cool to the touch then pour the melted chocolate chips on top, spreading it out into an even layer. Lastly, place the marshmallows on top of the chocolate.
- Bake for 3-5 minutes, watching closely until marshmallows are browned. If the marshmallows still aren’t browning at the 5-minute mark, switch the oven to broil and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until toasted. This will ensure that the graham crackers don’t overcook.
- Remove from oven, let cool, then serve!
Just for You
Dessert Recipes
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Christina says
If you make them in advance, should we just store in a container on the counter?
Amber Link says
Yes, that will work!
Michele says
These look delicious! I’m curious as to what the purpose of the butter is before placing the chocolate? Does it prevent the crackers from drying out? I’m making these for a potluck this week and was wondering. Thanks!
Amber Link says
They turn the graham crackers into more of a crust instead of just plain graham crackers and keep them held together!
Michele says
Made these last night, and they turned out really tasty! Of note, regular graham crackers will burn terribly at this temperature! Had to run out and get another box! I also used the broiler sparingly to achieve a nice toast to the marshmallows, although I watched it like a hawk so they didn’t burn also. Live and learn 🙂 thanks for sharing the recipe!
Amber Link says
Oh gosh good to know about the regular graham crackers! Gluten free baked goods are notorious for not browning easily. I’m so glad they worked out in the end!
Brooke says
Just made these with regular graham crackers and they burned TERRIBLY. Need to go buy another box!
Brandi Schilhab says
Oh no!!! Gluten-free baked goods have a much harder time browning, so you may need to lower the temperature and time if you’re using regular graham crackers. So sorry about that, Brooke!
Meg says
Made these for a cookout this weekend and everyone loved them!
Laurie Armistead says
Hi, I enjoy your website and book. I find it frustrating however, to have to scroll through so many photos of the food to actually get to the recipe directions. The S’mores had 6 photos of virtually the exact same thing. Could you consider reducing redundant photos by 1/2?
Thanks!
Linda B says
I agree with the frustration. This one has a “Jump to Recipe” button close to the top. Easy to scroll right past but nice shortcut.
Amy says
Quite possibly the most delicious dessert I’ve ever made, and by far one of the simplest! So Yummmmy! The crust has a crunchy toffee quality, too!
Jaime says
Quick question! I am dairy free… any suggestions for a replacement for the butter? I find that I don’t tolerate ghee either…
Amber Link says
I would sub either coconut oil or palm shortening if you have it on hand along with a little pinch of sea salt!
Lisa says
Has anyone tried to make these with butter flavored coconut oil? Any dairy is a huge no-no for me.
Ashley R Rudolph says
Love this!! Portable s’mores! They were a hit at our 4th of July BBQ! I substituted Ghee for the butter (5 T.) I didn’t melt the chocolate chips (enjoy life brand) before putting them on the graham crackers either. The crackers were still a little warm, so the chips melted and then melted a little more when I put the marshmallows on and in the oven. They were perfect!!
Veronica says
Can you please be more specific on how to melt the chocolate chips. I tried to make this today and it was a disaster. The chocolate chips did not melt very well and hardened quickly.
Amber Goulden says
Hi Veronica, I’ve added in melting instructions for you!
Sarah Glover says
The pictures make the graham crackers looked crumbled, but the recipe doesn’t say anything about that… which way is best?
Jenna says
I had the same question!
Brandi Schilhab says
We made them just as the recipe reads! Enjoy!
Jenna says
Ended up making them last night and crumbled them. I wouldn’t recommend, they don’t hold up. They are still delicious though, next time definitely will keep the cracked whole!
Jill says
What size baking sheet? And do you use the whole box of graham crackers, not crumbled just lay them out as rectangles?
Brandi Schilhab says
Yes, you’ll use the whole box, Jill! A 13×18 sheet pan should do the trick. You can also work in batches if you have smaller sheet pans. Enjoy!
Tricia says
Oh no! I just made these with regular graham crackers, baked at 400* for 10 min and they totally burned! What happened?? Oops.
Amber Goulden says
I’m so sorry Tricia! We just updated with instructions for regular graham crackers, the GF ones take longer to bake!
Patricia B. says
These are so easy to make and have been devoured by kids, teens and adults. Feels like you’re near the campfire when these are being eaten. Very quick dessert with just a few, easy and inexpensive ingredients. Love it!
Brandi Schilhab says
YES! We’re so glad you love these, Patricia…thank you!!
Bianca says
These bars are quickly becoming my summer go-to treat for BBQs, potlucks, or even company for dinner! It’s always a big hit and so easy to make too – I always have everything on hand to make it!
Melissa Guevara says
That’s great, Bianca! We are so glad they’re a hit! Thank you for taking the time to share with us. -Team FF
Danielle Crofut says
I had so much fun making these with my 4 year old! A perfect bake to do with kids. And also they were totally delicious!
Melissa Guevara says
Aww, we love to hear that, Danielle! Thank you for sharing with us. -Team FF