If you love the combination of peanut butter, chocolate, and gooey marshmallows, these S'mores Cookie Bars are about to become a new favorite. They have all the flavors of a classic campfire s'more wrapped inside a soft, chewy peanut butter cookie bar that's easy to make any time of year.
S'mores Cookie Bars Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- ⏱️ Bake Time: 25 Minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 16 Bars
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Sweet, chewy, chocolatey, peanut buttery, and gooey
- 🍚 Best Served With: Cold milk, coffee, hot chocolate, or vanilla ice cream
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, up to 3 days in advance
Summarize and Save This Content On
These bars are perfect for bake sales, potlucks, family gatherings, and after-school treats. Every bite is loaded with rich peanut butter flavor, melted chocolate chips, and pockets of toasted marshmallow that make them impossible to resist.
Inspired by our peanut butter blondies and s'mores cookies, these bars are delicious served with a peanut butter milkshake or a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Classic s'mores with a peanut butter twist: Gooey marshmallows, melted chocolate, and a rich peanut butter cookie base create an irresistible combination of flavors and textures.
- Easy and beginner-friendly: Made with simple pantry ingredients and straightforward steps, these bars are perfect for bakers of any skill level.
- Soft, chewy, and delicious: Every bite is packed with melty chocolate chips, gooey marshmallows, and a soft peanut butter cookie texture.
- Perfect for sharing: Makes 16 generous bars that are ideal for parties, potlucks, bake sales, holidays, and family gatherings.
- Enjoy all year long: Get all the nostalgic flavor of campfire s'mores without needing a fire pit, making them perfect for any season.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of baking staples to create these irresistible dessert bars. Most of the ingredients are pantry favorites, making this a simple recipe to prepare whenever a sweet craving strikes.
- Salted Butter: Adds richness and moisture.
- Brown Sugar: Creates a soft, chewy texture and caramel flavor.
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Provides the signature peanut butter flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind everything together.
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the structure of the bars.
- Baking Powder: Helps the bars rise slightly.
- Baking Soda: Creates a softer texture.
- Mini Marshmallows: Add gooey s'mores goodness.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: Provide rich chocolate flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Change the chocolate: Use milk chocolate for a sweeter flavor, dark chocolate for a richer taste, or replace half the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips.
- Add more peanut butter goodness: Fold in chopped peanut butter cups or add chopped peanuts for extra flavor and crunch.
- Make them extra chocolatey: Stir in cocoa powder for a deeper chocolate flavor.
- Classic S'mores Version: Replace ½ cup of the flour with 1 cup of finely crushed graham cracker crumbs for even more authentic s'mores flavor.
- Dress them up for any occasion: Top with caramel sauce, mini M&M's, or festive sprinkles for holidays, parties, and special celebrations.
How to Make S'mores Cookie Bars
These s'mores cookie bars come together in just six simple steps using basic pantry ingredients. Preheat your oven to 350°F and coat an 8x8 inch baking dish in butter or nonstick cooking spray.
Step 1: Cream the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the peanut butter and egg, then continue mixing until smooth and fully combined.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl. Mix on low speed just until a soft dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
Step 3: Fold in the mix-ins. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the mini marshmallows and chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Step 4: Spread into the pan. Transfer the dough to the prepared 8x8-inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. The dough will be thick and sticky.
Step 5: Bake until golden. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set. Avoid overbaking to keep the bars soft and chewy.
Step 6: Cool completely before slicing. Allow the bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. For extra-clean slices, refrigerate the cooled bars for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting with a sharp knife.
Expert Tips
- Use the right ingredients: Room temperature ingredients and creamy peanut butter create the smoothest dough and best texture. If using unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients.
- Mix gently: Mix just until combined and carefully fold in the marshmallows to keep them from breaking apart and disappearing into the dough.
- Prepare for success: Grease the baking dish well, spread the dough evenly, and avoid overbaking to keep the bars soft, chewy, and moist.
- Cool completely: Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before slicing so the chocolate and marshmallows can set. For extra-clean slices, chill the cooled bars for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting.
- Customize and serve: Replace ½ cup flour with 1 cup finely crushed graham crackers for more classic s'mores flavor, and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for the perfect sweet-and-salty contrast.
If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy peanut butter cookie dough bars and peanut butter and jelly cheesecake bars.
Storage Directions
- Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Refrigerator: Store for up to 1 week in a sealed container and warm in microwave for 10 seconds before serving, if desired, to remove chill.
- Freezer: Freeze individually wrapped bars for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Microwave a bar for 10 to 15 seconds for a fresh-baked taste.
- Make Ahead: Bake up to 2 days in advance and store covered.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with your favorite drinks: These rich, chewy bars pair perfectly with a cold glass of milk, a banana peanut butter smoothie, a hot cup of coffee, espresso, or cozy hot chocolate.
- Turn them into an indulgent dessert: Top a warm bar with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate sauce, or a spoonful of marshmallow fluff for an extra-special treat.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature: Serve as-is or warm a bar in the microwave for a few seconds to create a gooey, fresh-from-the-oven dessert experience.
- Perfect for sharing: Arrange them alongside s'mores brownies, cookies, s'mores blondies, s'mores fluff and other desserts for parties, game nights, holidays, and special occasions.
S'mores Cookie Bars Recipe FAQs
They likely need additional cooling time before slicing.
Marshmallows melt during baking, which is normal and helps create the gooey texture.
More Dessert Bars Recipes
If you love dessert bars, here are some delicious recipes you may also enjoy:
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
S'mores Cookie Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup mini marshmallows or chopped large marshmallows will work in a pinch
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark, white, milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or caramel chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and coat an 8x8 inch baking dish in butter or nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy. Add the peanut butter and egg, then continue mixing until smooth and fully combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl. Mix on low speed just until a soft dough forms and no dry streaks remain.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the mini marshmallows and chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared 8x8-inch baking dish and spread it into an even layer. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set. Avoid overbaking to keep the bars soft and chewy.
- Allow the bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. For extra-clean slices, refrigerate the cooled bars for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting with a sharp knife.
Notes
- Use the right ingredients: Room temperature ingredients and creamy peanut butter create the smoothest dough and best texture. If using unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon salt to the dry ingredients.
- Mix gently: Mix just until combined and carefully fold in the marshmallows to keep them from breaking apart and disappearing into the dough.
- Prepare for success: Grease the baking dish well, spread the dough evenly, and avoid overbaking to keep the bars soft, chewy, and moist.
- Cool completely: Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before slicing so the chocolate and marshmallows can set. For extra-clean slices, chill the cooled bars for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting.
- Customize and serve: Replace ½ cup flour with 1 cup finely crushed graham crackers for more classic s'mores flavor, and finish with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for the perfect sweet-and-salty contrast.
Leave a Reply