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peanut butter s'mores bars recipe

Peanut Butter S’mores Bars Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 9 reviews
  • Author: Heather Mubarak
  • Prep Time: 15 min + chill time
  • Cook Time: 25 min
  • Total Time: 40 min + chill time
  • Yield: 16 bars 1x
  • Category: Bars & Brownies
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

These peanut butter s’mores bars have all of your favorite summertime flavors stuffed into one easy and dangerously delicious cookie bar. Put these bars on repeat all summer long!


Ingredients

Units Scale

1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, browned and chilled

1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1/4 cup (30 g) finely crushed graham crackers

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup minus one tablespoon (38 g) granulated sugar

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter {not all natural}

1 large egg, room temperature

1 large egg yolk, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

5 ounces marshmallow creme (about 3/4 jar)

1/2 cup roughly crushed graham crackers


Instructions

To brown the butter, place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until butter has melted. Continue stirring often as butter begins to foam and crackle. Do not leave the butter unattended at this stage. Stir the butter as it sizzles and after about 4-5 minutes, bits of golden brown butter solids will fall to the bottom of the pan. The crackling sound will stop and the butter will be aromatic and amber in color. Carefully pour the butter into a heat safe bowl and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill until the butter becomes more solid, about 20 minutes. The butter should be soft, not liquid, but not too solid.

While the butter chills, crush the graham crackers using a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Alternatively, you can place the graham crackers in a large plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, crushed graham crackers, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

When the butter is chilled, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sugars and peanut butter. Cream the mixture together on medium high speed for 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.

Add the egg, followed by the egg yolk, mixing completely before adding the next. Add the vanilla and combine well.

Add the flour mixture, in two additions, mixing on low speed until just a few streaks of flour remain. Do not over mix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and stir in 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes.

When the cookie dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper, covering the bottom and all sides. Allow the ends to hang over by about 2 inches for easy removal of the bars once baked.

Place about 3/4 of the cookie dough (just eyeball it) on the bottom of the pan and use your hands to press it into the edges and level the top.

Use a spoon to dollop the marshmallow creme on top of the cookie dough. With an offset spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the marshmallow creme evenly over the top.

Sprinkle the roughly crushed graham crackers over the top of the marshmallow creme. Add the remaining chocolate chips, distributing evenly.

Use your hands to flatten bits of the remaining cookie dough and place the dough on top of the graham crackers and marshmallow creme. Leave some open space in the pan for the marshmallow creme to peak through when baking.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the edges are set. For a gooey cookie bar, bake for 23-25 minutes. For a firmer bar, add an additional 2 minutes to the baking time.

Remove the pan from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

 


Notes

**This recipe was originally posted in May 2021.

Store tightly covered in a cool, dry place for up to 4 days.

May be frozen.