S'More Bars

Let's be clear that this is not a post about a S'More Bar (as in S'More Buffet) like we discussed last week.  This post is about S'More Bars (as in bar shaped cookie).

As happens pretty often, I had a bunch of leftovers from the S'More Bar... graham crackers and Hershey bars.  I also had some mini marshmallows in my cupboard.  Had they been big marshmallows I probably would have just made more S'Mores.  The minis were a curve ball and prompted me to go searching for a recipe for S'More bars. 

I found a lot of bars matching that description but most didn't strike my fancy.  They either had a cookie base that had some graham crackers ground up in it which would not have used up enough graham crackers to get them out of my pantry or they used marshmallow fluff instead of actual marshmallows which was not on the leftover list.

When I saw this recipe, I knew it was perfect.  I was very intrigued by the fact that graham crackers line the entire base of the bars.  I wondered what would happen to them when they got covered up with a mess of chocolate chip cookie dough and baked.  I thought they might get mushy - but that didn't happen.  They stayed crisp and formed perfect base for this tasty bar.

Of course this wouldn't be a S'More bar without marshmallows.  I took the liberty of adding a lot more marshmallows than the recipe called for.  I'm glad I did - the more marshmallowey the better.

Also topping these are broken up Hershey chocolate bars.  Because they're just pressed into the top of the dough you can still see the shape of the bar and the words "Hershey" printed on each one.  I love that!!

So, these are pretty awesome.  I really liked them as did my nephews and coworkers.  CA even said he liked them and he doesn't even really like S'Mores (I know!).  They definitely have that S'More flavor without the need for an open flame.  I think what makes the difference is that there is a little bit of cinnamon in the cookie batter - it really changes up the flavor and makes it more S'Morey....  I'm positive that's a word.

S'more Bars
Adapted from Life Made Simple


Ingredients
11 T Butter at room temperature
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups Mini Marshmallows (divided)
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
4 Hershey Bars, broken into squares
2 sleeves Graham Crackers


Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silpat.

In a medium bowl combine flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed (1-2 minutes).  Add the eggs one at a time to butter mixture, gently beating after each addition.  Add vanilla and mix.  Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined.  Add 1 1/4 cups of mini marshmallows and the chocolate chips to the mixture and mix by hand until incorporated.  Chill mixture in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

Take graham crackers and lay them onto the prepared sheet pan.  They should cover the entire sheet and cookies should be tight and touching - break the crackers apart if necessary to cover the entire sheet.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, place one ball of dough onto each cracker.  Use your hands to smoosh the dough down so it fills in the gaps (wetting your hands a bit helps it to not stick to your hands).

Place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove and press Hershey's bar pieces and the remaining 3/4 cups marshmallows into the top. Return the pan into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until dough and marshmallows being to brown, making sure the dough is cooked through.  Remove from oven cool completely before cutting into squares.

Enjoy!
Julie