S’mores are amazing. Building a campfire to have one? Less amazing. Enter s’mores bars. A buttery graham cracker crust gets layered with chocolate chips and marshmallows, then baked until the marshmallows turn golden and the chocolate gets all melty. No skewers. No flames. Just pure, sticky, chocolatey perfection in bar form. Cut them warm for maximum goo or cool for clean slices. Either way, gone in minutes.
Makes one 9×9 pan (9-12 bars).
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment paper.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt until sandy.
- Press firmly into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Layer It Up
- Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the warm crust.
- Scatter mini marshmallows all over the chocolate.
- Top with optional chocolate chunks for extra gooeyness.
Bake Until Golden
- Return pan to the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
- Marshmallows should be puffed and golden brown on top.
- Watch closely near the end—they go from golden to burnt fast.
Cool (Or Don’t)
- For gooey, messy, eat-with-a-spoon bars: cool for 10 minutes, then dig in.
- For sliceable bars: cool completely at room temperature (about 2 hours).
- Lift out with parchment. Cut into squares.
Summary
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 23 minutes | Cooling (optional): 2 hours | Total Time: 35 minutes to 2.5 hours
Yield: 9-12 bars
Difficulty: Very Easy (no mixer needed)
Storage Notes
How to Store:
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The crust stays crunchy, but marshmallows will lose some puff.
Pro Tip for Next-Day Goo:
Microwave a bar for 8-10 seconds to bring back that fresh-from-the-oven marshmallow pull. Serve with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate dessert.
Freezing:
Freeze uncut bars in the pan, tightly wrapped, for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. Texture changes slightly, but still delicious.
Make Them Pretty:
For picture-perfect bars, broil the top for 30 seconds at the end of baking. Watch like a hawk—burnt marshmallows are sad marshmallows.
