Soft and Gooey Loaded S’mores Bars — No campfire required for these soft, gooey, rich s’mores bars that are loaded with texture and flavor! The combination of chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows, all suspended in a buttery, brown-sugar based dough, is just magical.
Table of Contents
The batter for these easy s’mores bars is a stir-together, one bowl recipe that comes together in less than 5 minutes before turning it out into a pan and baking. It takes me longer to roast one perfect marshmallow over a campfire than it does to make this s’mores recipe!
The combination of chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows, all suspended in a buttery, brown-sugar based dough, is pure bliss.
If you don’t have anything on your summer dessert menu — including Memorial Day, Father’s Day, 4th of July, or Labor Day — or have no plans to stand around a campfire any decade soon, may I suggest these?
They’re ready from start to finish in under 30 minutes, and will be a hit with friends and family. They are definitely a hit here!
I made the s’more bars for Memorial Day, the 4 th of July and a few times in between. My husband is so excited when I make them and so happy when I put them in his lunchbox. He does share and his coworkers love them too. They are so easy to make. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Maureen B.
Ingredients in Loaded S’mores Bars
To make the bars, I used my easy, go-to blondie recipe that has served me so well over the years, and I adapted it yet again. I love the batter because it’s buttery and made with brown sugar, and it takes on caramel notes while baking.
To make this easy s’mores dessert, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Graham crackers
- Mini marshmallows
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make S’mores Bars
These very gooey s’mores bars are a cinch to make! Follow these basic instructions:
- First, you’ll need to melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Let it cool for a minute or two before adding in the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla.
- Stir the flour into the butter mixture and whisk until just combined.
- Then, add the mix-ins.
- Turn the batter into a greased and lined 8×8-inch baking dish. Bake the bars until they have firmed up in the center and the edges have set.
- Don’t forget to cool them well before serving them!
When adding the smores components to the batter, it’ll appear that there are more add-ins than batter. And that’s fairly accurate.
The abundance of add-ins ensures the bars are taste like taking a big bite of warm, gooey s’mores rather than eating a blondie that has a few marshmallows or chocolate chips added.
A Note on the Consistency of These Bars
These bars really ARE gooey as their name suggests! Over the past decade, I have had readers complain their bars don’t set up. To be honest, I don’t know why since I wasn’t in their kitchen.
As I always tell people, make sure you read the recipe twice before beginning, measure carefully, and bake correctly. However, I’ve had hundreds and hundreds more who have had great success and they leave glowing comments!
But, if you’re not ready for really gooey on the verge of potentially falling apart type of bars that are messy – but oh-so-good – then this may not be the dessert for you.
Baking FAQs
Yes, you may double the recipe and bake the bars in a 9×13-inch pan. However, readers have said that doubling the recipe results in less ooey gooey bars (I’m assuming because they require extra time in the oven).
I prefer using semi-sweet chocolate chips to offset some of the sweetness from the dough and marshmallows. However, you’re welcome to chop up a Hershey’s chocolate bar and throw that in instead.
I used small marshmallows in this recipe, but you can also chop large marshmallows if that’s all you have on hand. Mini marshmallows are also fine but you won’t get as much gooey factor with those.
Storage Instructions
At room temperature: Leftover bars should be stored in an airtight container. They’ll last up to 1 week.
In the freezer: Let the bars cool completely before storing in an airtight container or freezer bag. They’ll last up to 6 months.
Recipe Video
Soft and Gooey Loaded Smores Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 5 full-size graham crackers, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 heaping cup mini marshmallows
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Add the graham crackers and any crumbs on cutting board, marshmallows, chocolate chips and fold to incorporate.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- Bake for about 20 to 22 minutes, or until bars have firmed up in the center and edges will be set. Some marshmallows may have developed a hint of golden color.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More S’mores Dessert Ideas:
Chocolate Chip S’mores Cookie Bars — Between layers of super soft chocolate chip cookie dough there’s chocolate, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs for the most DECADENT smores ever!! So EASY and just 4 main ingredients!!
S’mores Bars — SO EASY, NO-BAKE, just FOUR ingredients, and ready in FIVE minutes!! It doesn’t get any better than that and no campfire required! A hit with kids and adults at parties, potlucks, and picnics!!
Smores Cake — A three-layer, show-stopping cake that everyone will ADORE! Moist and tender layers of chocolate cake along with crunchy graham cracker crusts, sweet marshmallow buttercream frosting, toasted marshmallows, and chocolate bars for a true smores experience!
S’mores Cake — Chocolate cake gets poked all over and soaked in a marshmallow creme mixture before being topped with crushed graham crackers, toasted marshmallows, and hot fudge sauce.
S’mores Brownie Pie — Each bite of the pie is so satisfying and starts with a base of dense, fudgy, rich brownies, topped with melted chocolate chips, fluffy gooey marshmallows, and sprinkled with crunchy bits of graham crackers!
Soft and Chewy S’mores Cookies — Loaded with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers!! The best smores you’ll ever eat and no campfire required!
Peanut Butter S’mores Cookie Pie — A peanut butter and graham cracker cookie underneath gooey marshmallows and melted chocolate!! You don’t need a campfire for these easy and AMAZING smores! Grab a spoon and dig in!
Originally posted August 25, 2013 and reposted July 7, 2023 with updated text.
Seriously. You are the queen of chewy/soft, and gooey bars Averie! I love making bar desserts because they are just so much less timing consuming than most other desserts. And I love this version the most I think. You know I’m a fool for s’mores anything! They look like s’mores on steroids. ;)
And your cornflake marshmallow cookies – totally had forgotten about those!
Yeah those cookies were part of the Milkbar Mondays series. I did maybe 5 posts or so, including Crack Pie which has blossomed to life again :)
These bars – part pantry cleanout, part EASE of making, part seasonal for Labor Day/campfires, and part just…throw it together and hope it works and they totally did!
These look so delicious. What a perfect labor day dessert. We are going to my sister’s house and she has 4 little ones plus my 2 big ones (and the dads, too, of course!) so I bet these would be such a hit. Your photos look amazing. The one that is the official recipe photo (with the title on it) is gorgeous!
Thanks, Michele! Glad you like the photos. I can tell the time of year is changing and the quality of light when I’m taking pictures is changing and I have to be careful b/c things can look dark really fast this time of year!
Your sister’s kids and yours will polish off this pan in an hour. 6 kids and 2 dads – GONE!!!
OHHHHHHHHH MAHHH GAWWWD!
These are getting made, like, as soon as possible!! EEE!
You ask the question, “Who could resist super soft, chewy, gooey bars.” My answer? Who would want to!! These look fabulous!
Lol. I am prewriting another post and I ask the same question about Oreos and M&Ms :)
Can you believe I haven’t had one s’more yet this summer! This has to change! Thanks :)
I will trade you this for those lid-pies you made. Adorable!!! :)
These bars look great girl! pinned :)
thanks & your cookies too – so clever!
Your bars always look outstanding, Averie! I could go for a dozen of these right about now!
Love the lighting in that last picture Averie! These look awesome!
Thanks Mimi! I appreciate it!
Oh goodness – I love that you can make these in 30 min or less! I’m not much of a campfire gal so this here is just perfect for an indoors-gal like me! :)
OMG! These are too much! Perfect for the end of summer. They look great!
Well aren’t these just a little square of Heaven on Earth!?! I love that you just mixed it all in there, which about suits my patience level with s’mores. I, too, prefer the light the darn thing on fire and blow it out method. I just want to eat my s’more, people!
These bars look fab, a perfect way to get my smores fix without the dreaded campfire smell! ;)
I love the ignite and blow method. Then I eat the burned part and repeat.
I know I say this every time I visit, but seriously. Best bars ever!
Well thanks and you can keep on saying it! And I would give you the burned part and take the gooey part. We’d be a perfect team :)
More add-ins than batter — I’m 100% okay with that, ha! I’m a sucker for anything s’mores and I have a feeling I’d put a good dent in these bars. They look so gooey!
Glad you’re on the same add-ins page :)
I never understood those people who said that they couldn’t eat more than one s’more because they were too sweet. I would just look at them like, who are you!?!? I couldn’t eat LESS than one!
Last time I had a s’more was just a month ago. My aunt had a bit too much margarita at my parents’ cabin and insisted we make them. It was balls hot out, and no one wanted to start a fire, so we toasted the marshmallows on the deck, over a Coleman propane stove. It worked!
That story is just CLASSIC! I would have loved to have been there. Campfires or grills keep away the golf-ball size mosquitoes this time of year in your neck of the woods. I bet there were some great stories and tons of fun that night. Margaritas for dinner and smores for dessert sounds like my kind of night!
There were some happy people in my house today after I made these! The recipe works like a charm and is so easy.
I am also making your coconut kefir recipe. I have never had it, but want to try it. It should be ready tomorrow as I started it today.
I would like to try kombucha also. If I were to try a kombucha drink (pre-made in somewhere like Whole Foods), is there a brand you can recommend? This way I can see if I like it.
Thanks!
You made them already?! AWESOME!!!!! I love it when people make my recipes the same day I post them. Thank you! And so glad the recipe worked like a charm and was so easy and you had happy people in your house!
As for the coconut kefir, you’ll love it! And the warmer your house, the sooner it will be done. Summer months are always nice – things are usually ready a bit ahead of schedule :)
Ok so storebought kombucha isn’t really like homemade, at least in my experience. It kind of is, but it’s like the difference between making your own PB and buying it. There’s just a big difference in taste. If you do want to try storebought, I would say any they sell at WFs are fine. From GTs, Syngery, or whatever catches your eye. They also sell them in the regular groc stores here in the refrig cases. If you’ve never had it, the berry flavors mask the true taste of it more than say the ginger-ish or lemon-ish ones do. It’s hard to even describe what it tastes like so I would buy a couple and see. And then know that if you make them yourself, they’ll taste even better :) I have a few posts about it https://www.averiecooks.com/category/beverages/kombucha-beverages