Growing up, I never went camping so making actual s’mores was more of a stove top burner experience . I still enjoy a good s’more every now & again but I personally don’t really like the ratio between the chocolate bar & the big marshmallow. Then everything changed with the invention of the s’mores bar!

A few summers ago, I tried the s’mores bars that Starbucks started selling at their cafés. It was all downhill for my diet and wallet from there . I began searching for recipes to replicate these bars because purchasing them for $4 a piece was getting too expensive and they weren’t available year-round. At the time, I didn’t find what I was looking for so I experimented & came up with this delicious, not-too-sweet version of the ultimate summer BBQ dessert.

To break it down into the 3 layers, it is 1. graham cracker crust + 2. chocolate ganache + 3. slightly roasted marshmallows in that order. Enjoy!

Anna’s S’mores Bar Recipe

Ingredients

• 4.5 graham full cracker sheets or 12 crackers
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 10 oz mini marshmallows

Yields: 20 bars

Directions

Graham Cracker Crust

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place graham crackers in zip top bag & crush into crumbs. Rolling pin method works great. Pour crumbs into medium bowl.
3. Melt stick of butter. Pour onto crumbs & add sugar. Combine well to coat throughout crumbs. Mixture will look slightly wet.
4. Line 9×13 baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper. (Parchment paper works great so you can lift the entire bar sheet up once set to cut into bars.) Pour graham cracker mixture into prepared baking pan & spread evenly throughout. Some use the bottom of a flat measuring cup to press firmly down. I prefer to use a rubber spatula to get a flat crust.
5. Bake for 7 minutes.
6. Cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Pour heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over the stove & immediately turn off once cream starts to boil.
2. Add in bittersweet chocolate. (I use baking chips so it doesn’t need extra prep. If using a baking chocolate bar, cut into small pieces/chunks before adding to cream.)
3. Stir until chocolate is completely melted & the mixture is a smooth consistency.
4. Cool completely.
5. Once cooled, pour over graham cracker crust & spread into even layer.
6. Refrigerate at least an hour or until ganache firms up. (To speed things up, I put in freezer for 30 minutes.)

Marshmallow Layer

1. Turn on oven broiler to high.
2. Place the mini marshmallows into the top layer of the sheet. (I used to spend a long time lining each marshmallow so the flat sides were on the top & bottom throughout the entire pan but got lazy & realized that it’s still just as delicious & much easier to pour the entire bag onto the pan & spread evenly. It definitely looks better if you line them individually so it’s up to you ). Be sure to fill in any gaps… you don’t want to see too much of the brown chocolate after you put the marshmallows on top.
3. Place onto top rack of oven for ~2 minutes. You want to watch this step carefully as the marshmallows could start to burn quickly! I typically put into oven with the door shut for the first minute. Then I open the door & shift the pan around for about another minute to get a nice even browning on all the marshmallows.
4. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes to an hour. Once all layers are set, cut into bars/squares. (Pro tip: use a long bread knife & spray the blade with some cooking spray before cutting. Wipe off about every 2-3 cuts & re-grease to prevent chocolate getting onto marshmallow layer.) Enjoy!

That’s it! It’s a very simple recipe but does take a bit of patience for each of the 3 layers. I will aim to add some pictures for each of the layers the next time I make it. It is a huge hit with my kids, especially because they can help with the lining the marshmallows.

Please try it & comment on how it came out!

I’d like to see you s’more

The Three P’s

My son & I joke all the time that he has 3 all-time favorite foods AKA the Three P’s: Pretzels, Pancakes & Popcorn. This is the snack trio that he can eat in massive quantities in a short period of time. In the pretzel category, he can consume at least a couple cups of the pretzel snacks every day but he especially loves soft pretzels as well. I am also a big fan of soft pretzels so this is one of those recipes that I can make over & over.

I have tried a few different recipe variations but this is my go-to. I love this one because it is so versatile: you can do the classic sweet version by sprinkling with cinnamon sugar or plain butter + salt or making the perfect burger pretzel bun.

My Favorite Soft Pretzel Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active yeast
• 2-6 tablespoons brown sugar (depends on whether sweet or savory)
• 4 tablespoons butter (room temperature)
• 4.5-5 cups all purpose flour (divided)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• Topping options: 2 tablespoons melted butter, cinnamon sugar, sea salt, Parmesan + garlic, anything you want

Yields: 12 pretzels

Directions

1. Heat milk to ~110° F. If using Stand Mixer (SM), pour milk into SM bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top of milk & whisk together. Let rest 5-10 minutes until yeast has bloomed/activated.
2. Add brown sugar, butter, 1 cup of flour & salt to milk mixture & stir until well blended. If using SM, use the hook attachment & mix in remaining 3.5 cups of flour. Knead mixture until a ball forms. Mix in up to an additional 1/2 cup of flour as needed (dough should be soft but not sticky).
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap & allow dough to rise in warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).*
4. Preheat oven to 450° F (425° F for pretzel buns).
5. Punch dough down. Divide into 12 equal pieces. Cover dough with towel while not in use. Roll each piece into long rope (~33″ long) & twist into pretzel shape or buns.
6. Bring to boil water & baking soda & turn off heat. Fully immerse pretzels into water mixture.
   1. If making buns, boil shaped dough for 2 minutes (turn after 1 minute for each side).
   2. Score a cross on the top of each bun
   3. Brush with egg wash (1 beaten egg + 1 tsp water or milk)
7. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet
8. Sprinkle sea salt (if savory).
9. Bake for 7-11 minutes until golden brown
   1. Bake for 15 minutes at 425° for pretzel buns.
10. Remove from oven.
11. Brush with melted butter & cinnamon sugar (optional).

* How to shorten proof timing in half using a microwave: If you’re short on time, I found a hack that will help the dough rise sooner (also helpful in colder temps): Add a cup of water into a microwaveable glass or measuring cup. Set & run microwave for 1 minute. Transfer pretzel dough to a microwave-safe bowl & cover with plastic wrap. Once the cup of water has heated up for a minute, add bowl of dough into microwave. Turn on microwave for another 15 seconds & leave inside for 30 minutes without opening the door so the heat stays inside.

Some Inspiration: