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.
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!
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! ★★★★★”
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 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I LOVE this recipe but my marshmallow that isn’t covered by the top always melts into my bars. Any tips or tricks?
Hi Stacey! What brand and you using for the marshmallow fluff? We recommend using Jet Puffed or Marshmallow Fluff!
These are so good! And way easy. I actually made 1 1/2x’s the graham cracker layer to make the crust thicker on the bottom.. and then used mini peanut butter cups AND chocolate chips! So good. I cut it into pieces and froze half of the bars. Great to have in the freezer when you want a little treat!
Omg omg omg these were amazing! Am I delusional to think they aren’t *that* unhealthy since there’s only one stick of butter? (On the other hand, it’s impossible to eat just one…)
Made these to bring to a friend’s BBQ and they were a huge hit! I find with a sticky dough like this a scrap piece of parchment about the size of your hand makes for a great barrier as you squash the dough into place w/o your hand getting all gummed up. I even squished bits of dough in said parchment before placing on the top layer.
These were so easy to put together and so tasty! We ate almost the whole batch in one go. I know it says to wait until they’re cooled to cut but we ate them warm (no patience in this house!), and though they fell apart a bit, it was worth it! So so good. What a fun summer treat, totally worth turning the oven on in this heat!
Hi Sally, Graham Crackers are very hard to find here in Australia, I have heard that digestive biscuit can be used as a replacement in some recipes, do you think they would work in this S’mores recipe?
Would love to bake this.
Thankyou, Sue
Hi Sue, we haven’t tested it but that should be a perfect swap!
Make these every summer and they disappear fast. I’ve learned to double the recipe!
To say I love this recipe is an understatement! My family requests these at least once a month and I feel like I know this recipe by heart with the sheer amount of times I have had to make these, to the point I have to double for a 13’x9′ pan to keep up with demand! A top notch recipe.
For a little change up, I replaced the graham cracker with blitzed Nilla Wafers – also a crowd pleaser!
Can I use salted butter will the recipe still come out the same?
Hi Sam! You can use salted butter and reduce the added salt to 1/8 tsp. You can read more on the differences between salted and unsalted butter in baking if you’re interested.
I bake A LOT and try a lot of recipes but this is a keeper!!!!! PERFECTION!!!! Easy to follow, watched video and used hints…. Found if I lightly wet my hands I could spread the “commercial” marshmallow fluff pretty easily to even out…. Thank you for an awesome addition to my favorites!!!
Can I make this with a graham cracker crust bottom and use the crumbs in the recipe for on top?
Hi Elianna! That would require some testing to get right. We recommend sticking with the recipe as written for best results!
Unique and so very yummy! Surprisingly lightweight, not dense like most cookie bars. I made the homemade marshmallow creme. It was so much easier to spread than the purchased stuff. I used dark chocolate chunks instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips which I suspect cut down on the sweetness. Very popular at yesterday’s 4th of July BBQ! Will definitely make again.
I wanted to love this recipe, but just didn’t. It tasted very much like a regular chocolate chip cookie to me, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but i was hoping for something more.
The recipe was easy enough to make, but too sweet for me. I might make again for kids some time, but not for me.
Hello, can these be made and frozen with the homemade marshmallow creme? I saw on the instructions for the marshmallow creme you shouldn’t freeze it as it.
Hi Bella, yes, you can freeze these baked bars with the marshmallow creme. It’s just not ideal to freeze on its own and then use as a topping at a later date.
i used gluten free flour and they tasted wonderful.
Easy to make and I love the 8×8 size, although I had to explain to my husband that we should get 16 servings out of the pan and not the 4 he was intending to have! I didn’t measure the marshmallow fluff- basically used a little over half of the 7 ounce container. I cut back to 1 cup on the chocolate chips and next time I will do 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 milk chocolate. Really, a great bake!
Hi!These we’re fantastic!Is it possible to put dollaps of peanut butter on top of the fluff before the final layer?
Hi Kathy, you can certainly give it a try! Let us know how it goes.
I was so excited to try this recipe but I was disappointed in the finished product. The amount of chocolate was over powering. I couldn’t taste the graham or marshmallow flavor at all. My marshmallow layer seemed non existent even though I used more then the recommended amount. I used Sally’s homemade fluff recipe. Where did I go wrong?
Hi Meagan, thank you so much for trying these s’mores bars! You can absolutely reduce the chocolate chips next time, which would certainly bring out the marshmallow and graham flavors a bit more. For the marshmallow, I wonder if the bars were over-baked and therefore the marshmallow simply began to melt and disappear into the graham cookie dough. I do find that the marshmallow at the very top (that is not covered with cookie dough) doesn’t disappear or melt as much. Anyway, thank you again!
Delicious and so easy to make! To make spreading the dough and fluff easier, I sprayed some veggie oil on my hands and spatula. Will make again for sure!
This recipe has been a huge hit but every time I make it the marshmallow fluff that is covered by the crust melts into the bars. Is this normal or is there a way to prevent it from happening g?
Hi Stacey! It shouldn’t melt into the cookie bars – Are you using marshmallows or marshmallow fluff? Marshmallows will melt into the cookie dough – make sure to use marshmallow creme/fluff.
I’ve made these a number of times but I like to do a few things differently. I like to put the Graham cookie layer all on the bottom and then bake it alone for half the time. Then I add mini marshmallows and the chocolate chips and bake it for the second half of the time. Comes out super yummy and I don’t have to deal with the fluff.
Amazing!! They turned out perfectly and I’ll make these often! Perfect summer time dessert! I also made the homemade fluff which was super easy and delicious! Just make sure to only make a half batch of that (which she disclaims in the instructions but I overlooked that part)
Was a great hit!, a good crowd pleaser. It was sticky to work with but definitely comes together in the end. I used store bought marshmallow creme, worked nicely! Easy and quick to make. Thanks Sally!
I have an idea to make a cookie, top it with a marshmallow, broil and then top with a Hershey’s Kiss. I think your recipe with the added graham cracker crumbs would be perfect. Do you think I can scoop the dough to make cookies? How long do you think I would need to bake them? Thanks for your help.
Hi Debbie, You can use this cookie dough and follow the assembly and baking directions (including chilling the dough) for these S’mores chocolate chip cookies. Feel free to use a Hershey’s Kiss instead of melted chocolate on top. Enjoy!
Delicious! This is already our new favorite! Love your recipes; every time I make something from your site it is devoured and I get asked for the recipe. Thank you!
Love this recipe, although I use half of the chocolate chips. Speaking of chips, you’ve omitted adding the chips in the directions so I assumed it’s done after the flour mixture is added.
Hi Naija! See step 4 for directions on layering in the chocolate chips. So glad you love this recipe!
I really wanted to love this recipe, because I’ve loved everything else I’ve made so far (white choc cranberry cookies, gingerbread oatmeal, skinny raspberry cheesecake bars, I could go on and on). But these were way too sweet. And the flavors weren’t as balanced as I would like, since the fluff melted into the graham cracker layer and there wasn’t much chocolate. I want to try again, but this time I’ll reduce the sugar in the graham cookie and bake it alone, melt choc chips over that, then put fluff on top so I can torch it. Will report back with results!
Update: I took the bars into work and they disappeared in a flash. So while they weren’t my favorite, they certainly were a crowd-pleaser!
If you make your own marshmallow frosting you can control the sweetness more. And you can use dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips.
I’ve made this a bunch of times and love it! My daughter got a TON of plain hershey bars trick or treating, could I use these in place of chocolate chips in this recipe?
Hi Daryl, you could chop up the bars and use them instead, though they will be sweeter than semi sweet chocolate chips.
FABulous recipe, Sally! I have tried for over 30 years to make a really satisfying s’mores-type dessert, and since making these blondies, I feel like I’ve reached the goal! I can’t wait to try making them with the homemade marshmallow creme!!
Your video shows two sticks of butter and the ingredient list only specifies one stick which is a half a cup please specify is it one or two sticks of butter or did you cut a stick of butter in half for the video?
Hi Linda, the butter in the video is one stick cut in half.