How to Make Layered S’more Peanut Butter Bars
These S’more Peanut Butter Bars are everything you want in a s’more, but in chewy bar form. A soft, chewy peanut butter cookie base is layered with graham crackers and a rich chocolate marshmallow filling, then topped with plenty of marshmallows.
Just one bite into these S’mores Peanut Butter Bars will have you wanting MORE!
After all, that is what S’mores are known for.
These are like super-hero S’mores, they have all the traditional components of the classic, but get kicked up with the delicious flavor of peanut butter.
I will mention that the chocolate marshmallow cream is OUT of the Universe delicious, since I brought up the whole super-hero subject.
Once toasted, the marshmallows puff up and turn beautifully golden, giving every bite that classic toasted s’more flavor. The combination of peanut butter, graham cracker, chocolate, and gooey toasted marshmallow makes these seriously chewy, gooey, and delicious.
These could possibly be just what every super-hero at heart needs to feed our superhuman powers.
Yep, some days we may feel like we’ve been given kryptonite, but some days we enjoy something that is beyond our imaginations. These Peanut Butter S’more Bars are for the super-hero inside us all!
What makes a super hero?
Today…
Well, if you are battling a traffic jam and come out of it not yelling at everyone, I declare you have super-hero status!
If you get through homework hour (or three) with your kids without loosing you cool, you’re a super-hero!
If you get dinner on the table and the kids driven to their activities on time, you WIN super-hero status!
The days seem to get shorter and the to-do lists longer,
no matter what you are doing today,
I think you will enjoy these… and I’m awarding you super-hero status just for putting your best foot forward today!
Melt marshmallows until it’s creamy smooth
then add in the chocolate and VIOLA, you have deliciously chocolaty marshmallow cream,
which just happens to be perfect for these S’more bars!
Press the peanut butter cookie dough into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan,
let the parchment overlap and hang off the edges for easy removal of the bars from the pan.
Press the graham crackers into the peanut butter cookie dough so they stick,
then top the graham crackers with the chocolate marshmallow cream, spread it with a small offset spatula until it’s smooth and even.
That way, when you cut the bars, they will all look uniform.
The baking starts now,
bake for 15 minutes.
Toasting the marshmallows is the final step, but please don’t start doing something else. This is the critical part that you will want to watch carefully.
As the marshmallows heat, they will swell and then start turning golden brown. Take them out of the oven as soon as they are all golden.
If you leave them in too long, they will burn and become messy and sticky and difficult to cut. So for the bars to be easy to cut when they cool, look for that golden color.
Tips on Toasting the Marshmallows
If at 350 degrees after two minutes, the marshmallows don’t turn golden, turn the broiler on high and place the baking pan in the middle of the oven, so that the heat browns them without having them too close or burning the marshmallows. This will only take a minute.
These are chewy and delicious and not only fun to make, but fun to eat!
Peanut butter cookie bottom to the Peanut Butter S’more Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 9 twin graham crackers these will fill one layer in an 8×8 pan
- 36 marshmallows 1-2 package marshmallows (36 for top of S'mores) 18 for marshmallow cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3.5 oz chocolate
Instructions
- line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, leaving the ends long so you can easily lift them out of the pan when they are finished baking
- preheat oven 350 degrees
- Mix peanut butter cookie base:
- In medium bowl mix butter with peanut butter until creamy
- Mix in sugar.
- Add in egg, vanilla.
- Slowly mix in flour with baking powder until blended.
- Spread cookie mixture in bottom or pan evenly
Filling and Topping:
- press the graham crackers into the cookie dough
- Remove 36 marshmallows from the bag and reserve these for the top of the (6 rows x 6 rows)
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix marshmallows (about 28 marshmallows) with two tablespoons butter, until fully melted and smooth.
- Then add 3.5 oz dark chocolate, cut into small pieces so it melts easily. Once the chocolate marshmallow cream is smooth, remove the pan from the stove.
- Pour mixture over graham crackers and spread with a small offset spatula so it's even in the pan.
- Bake at 35 degrees for 15 minutes
- Place the marshmallows with the flat side down on top of the chocolate marshmallow cream mixture. Place in the oven for two minutes, then turn the broiler on high, place the pan on the middle rack and watch carefully as the marshmallows turn a light golden color.
- *if the marshmallows cook too long, they will melt a lot, and they will be more difficult to cut, and the result will be messier and stickier. Remove pan from oven. Allow the bars to cool for 20 minutes
- Lift out the parchment paper so the bars come out smoothly. Place the bars with parchment paper on a cooling rack, and let them cool another 5 minutes.
- ut the bars into pieces.
- I found the easiest way to cut these is to slice in between the marshmallows. So some bars are 4 marshmallows on top, two on top, or one on top for bite-sized portions
Amazing.
Are these miniature or regular marshmallows? The regular bag is only 36 so there would be no extras for the cream. These look delicious and I don’t want to mess them up! Thank you for the recipe.
I may have had a brand that had more marshmallows than 36. I went to check my notes and it looks like 18 for the marshmallow cream and 36 for the top. So I adjusted the ingredient list to call for 1-2 bags (maybe all won’t be used) and adjusted it to give a more specific amount of marshmallow count.
Happy Baking!
How do you store these and how long will they keep? My grandsons will love these.
On the counter the day they are made. Then you can put them in the fridge, as with any baked marshmallow item, I think they are best consumed closest to making them. (that day, the next day) marshmallows get dry and they are not as appealing to me. You can always pre bake the cookie part one day if you want to do the final steps before serving the day of.
Oh my! These look absolutely delicious! Peanut butter and s’mores… what could be better than that!?
Can you please adopt me as a second mom or something? You are beyond amazing. 🙂
🙂 you’re so sweet!
Looks amazing!
These are so perfect, I love how you cut them in bite sized little squares!