Graham cracker and brown sugar cookie dough sandwiches a thick layer of marshmallow creme and plenty of chocolate chips in these undeniably delicious s’mores cookie bars. They’re chewy, soft, and gooey and have been one of the most popular dessert recipes on my site. They’re a hit wherever I take them and these days I love using homemade marshmallow creme instead of store-bought.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
One reader, Michele, says: “These were amazing! I made two batches for an outing this weekend and they both were devoured! Thank you so much for such a perfect s’mores bar, the prep was simple and the bake time was spot on for me. I had several request for the recipe. I love your blog! ★★★★★”
It’s like… why not just eat a s’more? Do we really need a cookie bar that’s s’mores flavored? The answer is yes. Real s’mores, in all their sticky, messy, campfire-fresh glory are obviously a special treat. But here we get to enjoy those same exact flavors in convenient travel-friendly form and with a thicker, softer graham cracker base. We don’t even need a crackling campfire to set the ambiance! A win-win-win.
S’mores Cookie Bars Details
- Flavor: S’mores is a very popular “flavor” that isn’t going out of style. From no bake s’mores cake to s’mores brownie cupcakes and s’mores brownie pie, the combination of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers can be used in many different ways. (Heck, I’ve even served up s’mores chocolate mousse and s’mores rice krispie treats before!) Today’s layered s’mores cookie bars combine the same trio of flavors and while the marshmallow creme and chocolate are obviously irresistible, readers always love the buttery sweet graham cracker cookie enveloping it all.
- Texture: If you haven’t tried them already, be prepared for a medley of textures. The graham cookie portion is soft, chewy, and a little crumbly. The marshmallow creme is gooey and if you use my homemade recipe, it has a slightly crisp meringue-like texture on top. (That’s probably my favorite part of it all!)
- Ease: I do not consider this a challenging recipe, but assembling the bars takes a little bit of effort. The cookie dough is quite sticky, so don’t be afraid to use your hands to spread it evenly into the lined baking pan. The marshmallow creme is equally sticky, but just remember that the layers don’t have to be beautiful or perfect. Do your best and trust the oven to bake it all together nicely for you!
4 Layers to Love in These S’mores Bars
- Graham Cracker Cookie Bar
- Marshmallow Creme (store-bought “Fluff” or homemade)
- Chocolate Chips
- Graham Cracker Cookie Bar
Just so you are extra prepared, let me show and explain how these treats come together. To make these s’mores cookie bars, start with a basic butter-based cookie dough but swap some of the flour with graham cracker crumbs. Spread 2/3 of the graham cracker cookie dough into the bottom of a pan—it will seem like a very thin layer, but the cookie bar portion puffs up in the oven. Top with marshmallow creme, chocolate chips, and then the rest of the graham cracker cookie dough. Have you ever made homemade marshmallow creme before? It’s like making Swiss meringue buttercream only without the butter. Gently cook egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar together before whipping with vanilla extract. It’s similar to traditional “7 minute frosting”, but doesn’t contain corn syrup or water. And it tastes even creamier and fluffier than store-bought Fluff.
One important note about the marshmallow layer: Do not use marshmallows in lieu of the marshmallow creme. The marshmallows will melt into the dough, disappear, and create unpleasant looking “craters” in the finished bars—you won’t really even taste them. Use marshmallow creme because it stands up to the oven’s heat. Save your marshmallows for a batch of rice krispie treats or hot cocoa cookies instead!
Success Tip: There isn’t enough dough to completely cover the marshmallow and chocolate chips, but that’s the charm of it all! For the top cookie layer, grab portions of the remaining cookie dough, flatten out like pancakes and arrange on top of the chocolate chip layer. You get to see the marshmallow and chocolate pop up and peak through all the cracks on top!
This dessert is always fun for summer cookouts and parties, but I’ve served them for birthdays, along side Father’s Day recipes, Mother’s Day recipes, anniversaries, a random Sunday (why not?), you name it. It’s always devoured!
Looking for Summer Desserts?
- Fruit Pizza
- Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- No Bake Cheesecake Jars
- Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
For even more inspiration, head over to our list of 25+ desserts for a BBQ cookout.
Print
S’mores Cookie Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Graham cracker and brown sugar cookie dough sandwiches a thick layer of marshmallow creme and plenty of chocolate chips in these undeniably delicious s’mores cookie bars. Feel free to use store-bought or homemade marshmallow creme. See recipe note if using homemade.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 cup (120g) graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full-sheet graham crackers)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 heaping cup marshmallow creme (store-bought “Fluff” or 1/2 recipe of homemade marshmallow creme)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on the sides to easily remove the bars when they have cooled. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Mixture may appear curdled and that’s ok.
- Whisk the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and then beat on medium speed until combined.
- Press/spread 2/3 of the graham cookie dough into prepared pan. (Doesn’t have to be exact, just eyeball it.) It will be a thin layer and the dough is sticky, so use your hands if needed. Spread the marshmallow creme evenly on top. This will be tricky since the marshmallow creme is sticky, but do the best you can to get an even layer. Layer chocolate chips evenly on top. Mold the remaining cookie dough into flat pieces and layer on top of the chocolate chips, as pictured and shown in the video above. You won’t have enough dough to make one single layer, so some chocolate chips/marshmallow will be exposed.
- Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Cool bars completely.
- Lift the bars out using the parchment paper overhang on the sides. Cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover bars at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: To freeze, cool bars completely. Cut into squares and layer between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then bring to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Homemade Marshmallow Creme: You can use homemade marshmallow creme for this recipe. You only need a half batch, which yields just under 2 cups. Halve all of the ingredients and follow the same instructions. Use 1 and 1/4 cups in this recipe. (Enjoy the rest!)
- Can I use regular marshmallows? No, do not use marshmallows in lieu of the marshmallow creme. The marshmallows will melt into the dough, disappear, and create unpleasant looking “craters” in the finished bars—you won’t really even taste them. Use marshmallow creme because it stands up to the oven’s heat.
- Can I make these in a 9×13-inch pan? Yes. Double the recipe by doubling each ingredient. Bake time is around 35-38 minutes.
- Non-US Readers: If you can’t find graham crackers where you live, you can substitute ground digestive biscuit crumbs instead.
I’m out of all purpose flour, can I use self rising flour instead?
Hi DJ, we don’t recommend it, as self-rising flour contains baking powder and salt, so you would also need to adjust the recipe to account for that.
I had the same problem as a few other readers, the top browned too quickly and the bottom never cooked. I tried covering it with foil and baking a bit longer, but the bottom layer never cooked so I ended up having to throw the bars out, unfortunately.
Hi Brina, did you by chance bake these in a ceramic baking dish? They don’t bake cookie bars as evenly, and I prefer metal or glass.
Hi Sally! I just tried making this recipe and found that the top browned very quickly, I’d say after 15 minutes, I was worried it would burn and took it out of the oven, which resulted in a raw bottom, do you know what I could do to avoid this? Should I cover them once they start browning and keep cooking them? Thank you so much!!
Hi Alicia, yes, you can cover them with foil once they start to brown.
This is AMAZING! Being from New England I know how to spread fluff efficiently lol so I didn’t have much problem. All I had showing was dough and fluff so I assume Sally added those chips in her picture when it came out of the oven for looks. But they were so tasty and easy to make. Definitely would make again!
Hi Sally! I wanted to make this recipe for a barbecue this weekend. Since it’s fall I wanted to incorporate pumpkin into the recipe. I was thinking about reducing pumpkin purée so it’s less watery and then adding some spices and a bit more flour to account for the pumpkin. Curious to hear your opinions and if you think this would work well? Or if you have any other ideas to incorporate the pumpkin in. Thank you! Love your recipes.
Hi Meg, it would definitely take some testing to properly incorporate pumpkin, since it’s so wet. How about adding some pumpkin pie spice to the graham cracker dough? Or, if you want a pumpkin and marshmallow treat, you could try these pumpkin cupcakes with marshmallow frosting instead!
Every recipe of yours that I’ve made has been fantastic! Do you think I can omit the chocolate chips and after baking coat the bars in melted chocolate? I have some special chocolate I love to coat treats with.
Absolutely! That would be delicious. Let me know how they turn out.
Thank you for this one! I’m actually not a big fan of traditional s’mores, but these are delicious! So far everyone who has tried them, has enjoyed them and I’ve been told this an absolute re-do!
I love this recipe! It definitely tastes like a s’more! The recipe is easy to follow and easy to make!
Although I cannot eat them – I tried a sliver and oh my – just like at day at the beach – I did not have enough Graham crackers so I added Biscoff cookies to equal amount in recipe – still thinking about that beach – a favourite in our home now – Thank you
Made this dessert for a group of youth and it didn’t last long. I made my own marshmallow creme which was delicious but I found that the top cookie layer separated from the marshmallow when I cut it. Is there something I should do differently for next time so it doesn’t come apart?
Hi Diane, we’re so glad they were a hit! They can sometimes crumble or separate if over-baked, and also make sure to let cool before slicing, as warm bars can fall apart as well. Hope this helps!
Literally one of the best desserts I have made! Homemade marshmallow texture was crisp at the edges and soft on the interior and graham base and topping had the perfect texture. I used a blend of bittersweet and milk chocolate Ghirardelli chocolate chips which I thought brought a great contrast. Perfect recipe!!!!
Just made them and they’re in the oven. I thought the instructions said to use half of the homemade marshmallow crème, I used a bit more since I like marshmallow, so I probably ended up using 2.5 to 3 cups, oops lol
I didn’t want to try and measure 1 cup of very sticky fluff lol
They melted in our mouths even hours after we baked them! Highly recommend making your own marshmallow creme. We didn’t read to half the recipe, but the double marshmallow worked. Best dish to bring to a BBQ bc it is so easy for the host
I made these for the first time this morning. I made two mistakes. I forgot to add the chips on top of the marshmallow filling. Adding them on top worked out okay though. I also forgot to halve the marshmallow creme recipe and made the whole amount. I used all but about a cup of it. The bars still ended up so delicious. Next time I’ll try to rectify the errors I made but I doubt leaving out 1/2 of the marshmallow cream is necessary.
Made these the other day and they turned out great! I used marshmallow fluff (I was in a time crunch) and it turned out great. Definitely going to make them again and actually make the marshmallow cream from scratch.
I used 1/2 cup sugar not packed, I still found them really sweet, with the marshmallow crème and chocolate chips… they were well received tho and disappeared quickly!
I love this recipe and have shared it with so many friends (of course giving Sally the credit). Such a delicious blend of textures and S’more flavours. I usually skip the campfire S’mores but the chewy blondie like base, offset with the marshmallow and chocolate chips made this recipe a winner for me.
My family LOVED this!!! Even my husband, who initially said that didn’t sound good. Then he couldn’t stop eating them . Thank you! Also, have you ever swapped out chocolate chips for chopped Hershey bars? Just wondering how that would be.
Hi Jessica, so glad everyone loved this recipe! I have tried it that way and it’s delicious, but it’s definitely on the sweeter side, because Hershey bars are sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate chips. So it’s definitely doable, but depends on your taste for level of sweetness!
I made these vegan and they were a hit!
I did made them in a 9×13 pan doubling the ingredients. For the eggs I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. For the butter Earth Balance, the chocolate chips made by Enjoy Life, and for the marshmallow I used Dannies, they are a vegan full sized marshmallow that didn’t melt away but puffed up and the flattened when cooled. The whole family loved them whether vegan or not!
I made these with margarine, rather than butter and they were delish! I will say that mine were pretty under-baked, probably because I baked them in a disposable aluminum pan. They don’t get as hot as real baking pans, so I prob should have extended the baking time. That being said, (while they were a little too soft at room temp, due to underbaking), they were irresistible right out of the freezer!!!