Simply S’mores Bars

Once a month we’re featuring a new family-friendly dish from the Hatfields for our Kids Can Cook section. The dairy-free teen cooking star is Katherine and this week she and her mom, Sarah, have whipped up the easiest sweet summer treat, s’mores bars! Sarah has the pictures and details for us …

Alisa has been sharing a lot of delicious chocolate treats lately (like healthier Dirt Pudding Cups and Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes!), and I wanted to get in on the fun. Our family loves s’mores and s’mores-inspired treats. Just the other day, my youngest son made s’mores bites at his grandmother’s house by simply dipping large marshmallows into melted chocolate and then into graham cracker crumbs. They served them on toothpicks–very fancy! But a longtime favorite recipe of ours is these S’mores Bars.

If campfires aren’t allowed where you live or if you’re looking for an easy treat for end-of-the-year school parties, these s’mores bars are perfect. They don’t heat up the kitchen, and the simplicity of the recipe makes an easy cooking project for even your littlest helpers. Breaking graham crackers into bite-sized pieces is fun, as is decorating the bars with chocolate pieces. Older helpers, such as Katherine in this case, can be in charge of the hot marshmallow / margarine mixture and chopping the chocolate.

These bars can be made vegan with vegan grahams and marshmallows, and they can be made gluten free with gluten-free graham crackers. We used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks for the chocolate in this batch for allergy-friendly bars.

Special Diet Notes: S’mores Bars

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and optionally soy-free (watch your ingredients!).

As Sarah notes, vegan marshmallows and grahams can make these s’mores bars vegan and vegetarian, or you can opt for gluten-free graham crackers. Note that strictly vegan graham crackers can be hard to find as most brands contain honey. Nonetheless, there are a few surprise generics out there – alternately, you can make your own!

Simply S'mores Bars

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

This recipe is modified from one we found on a box of graham crackers many years ago. We think these taste a lot like crispy rice treats but with graham crackers!

Author: Sarah and Katherine Hatfield

Serves: 16 s'mores bars

Ingredients

• 36 graham cracker squares (two sleeves; optionally gluten-free or vegan)
• 3 tablespoons dairy-free buttery spread or non-hydrogenated margarine
• 10 ounces marshmallows (1 package; optionally vegan)
• 2 ounces dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chunks

Instructions

1. Break the graham crackers into bite-sized pieces.
2. Melt the buttery spread or margarine in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
3. Add the marshmallows and stir constantly until melted.
4. Remove from the heat.
5. Stir in the broken graham crackers.
6. Gently mix until the cracker pieces are evenly coated.
7. Spread the mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan.
8. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate on top.
9. Lightly press the chocolate into the graham cracker mixture with wet or greased hands.
10. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
11. Cut into 16 bars using a sharp knife and serve.
12. Refrigerate any leftovers.

3.5.3229