These S’mores dessert bars start with a baked layer of a graham cracker infused cookie dough, then topped with milk chocolate & marshmallows! The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for them to completely cool so you can cut into them, but I do highly recommend trying at least a corner of them when they are still warm and gooey 🙂
Now that summertime is getting closer and closer, both on the calendar as well as the weather forecast, it is time to start talking s’mores. There is no better summertime flavor profile than graham crackers, milk chocolate, and marshmallows. But this version requires zero fires to be built in your backyard to enjoy them!
What is in S’mores Dessert Bars?
What makes these bars a bit different than others out there is that they use a cookie as their base instead of a graham cracker crumb base, which only falls apart when you try to serve it. But to keep the important graham cracker flavor in this dessert, it does include graham cracker crumbs in the cookie dough before baking.
The next layer is nothing but pure milk chocolate heaven…but the giant 7 oz sized bars since we want a thick enough chocolate layer to be in balance with the cookie layer. If you can’t find giant sized ones at your store, just buy the regular sized ones and double them up.
And of course, what would a s’mores dessert bar be without a generous helping of marshmallows? And of course, you have to toast them under the broiler in your oven for the full campfire effect!
Can I use marshmallow fluff instead?
We aren’t fans of marshmallow fluff in the Jones home, but if that is your jam, absolutely you can use it. Just know that they will be sticker on the top than using mini marshmallows.
Another option to use marshmallow fluff is to press 2/3 of the cookie dough into the bottom of the pan, layer on the chocolate bars, then the fluff, and crumble the remaining 1/3 of the cookie dough over the top of the fluff. Then bake them all together, adding about 3-5 extra minutes to the baking time.
Tips for success with S’mores Dessert Bars
- Don’t over-bake the cookie layer. If anything, go for a bit under-baked so they are chewy and moist.
- If your chocolate doesn’t melt all the way after the 10 minutes, just place the whole pan in the still warm oven to finish the job.
- The 6-8 hour cool time on this recipe may seem excessive, but if you want to be able to cut and serve them as bars, the chocolate has to completely firm up again. Yes, you can use a fridge to speed up the process.
- When broiling the top marshmallow layer, use the top rack of your oven and watch them very closely. Just like on a campfire, they can go from barely brown to on fire in a blink of an eye!
- Always scoop out a corner of these bars while they are still warm and enjoy a few bites 🙂
Looking for more great S’mores desserts?
S’mores Tacos 
S’mores Dip
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Print
Layered S’mores Dessert Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
A simple yet delicious summer dessert bar with all the best s’mores flavors!
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 full sized graham crackers, finely crushed
2 (7 ounce) giant Hershey’s milk chocolate bars
2 cups mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 9×9″ baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Beat together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and graham cracker crumbs. Stir until combined.
- Spread the dough into the bottom of the pan and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Do not over-bake or they will be dry.
- Place chocolate bars on top as soon as the pan comes out of the oven and allow the chocolate to melt completely, about 10 minutes. Spread evenly and sprinkle on the marshmallows. Place under the broiler until the marshmallows turn golden brown.
- Let cool completely, about 6-8 hours before cutting into bars.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 419
- Sugar: 27 g
- Sodium: 211 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 36 mg
Keywords: dessert bar recipe, summer dessert recipe
These were just amazing! I’ll have to be careful not to eat the whole pan 🙂
★★★★★
When I change the 1x to 2x then to 3x, the only ingredient that changed was the amount of butter. Same pan size etc. I was hooing the 3x would be enough for a 9×13 pan. Please advise. Thx
Hey Mary. Yes, the multiplier feature of the recipe card only changes the amounts of ingredients, not the instructions. I would think a double recipe would give you a 9×13 inch pan.
Hi! I am excited to make these bars this weekend.
Could you confirm that “6 full sized” graham crackers = 6 full sheet graham crackers? Graham cracker serving sizes can be confusing. Appreciate your help 🙂
Hi Beth! Yes, I am referring to the 6 rectangular graham crackers, the ones that can be broken into two squares. Great question 🙂
Thank you so much, Carole! Can’t wait to make these 🙂