S’mores Brownies
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Even though we’re inching closer to September and a bounty of apples, pumpkin, fall baking, jeans and hoodies, and football, there are still quite a few days of summer left to enjoy. And nothing is better on a warm summer evening than a s’more. Spearing a big marshmallow on a chiseled stick, holding it over an open flame until it’s engulfed and blackened, and then smashing it between chocolate bar-lined graham crackers. Then taking that first ooey, gooey, sticky, charred and smokey bite. It’s the essence of summer and makes us all feel like we’re carefree kids again. Running through the cool evening grass barefoot, chasing after lightning bugs and not having a care in the world.
I’ve been wanting to make s’mores brownies for quite some time, and finally got around to it recently. I started (as I usually do) by checking out some recipes that I had saved and seen online. By and large they consisted of brownies that either had graham cracker pieces and marshmallows mixed in, or had marshmallows and graham crackers sprinkled on top. Neither was what I was looking for. I wanted the classic s’mores setup: graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker.
So I fashioned these after the Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars, except that I added a graham cracker crust to the base, then instead of merely melting the marshmallows in the oven, I broiled them so that they got that nice characteristic s’mores char, and finally topped everything off with big pieces of graham crackers nestled into the marshmallows.
Now, be warned. These are not all neat and fancy. They are messy. Just like s’mores. Ooey, gooy and oh-so-good.
What’s your favorite summer memory this year? I think mine is sitting outside on summer evenings with my boyfriend, cool beverage in hand, and battling each other at Risk (yay board games!).
One year ago: Peach Pie Tartlets
Two years ago: Arancini: Italian Rice Balls
Three years ago: Black-Bottom Cupcakes
Four years ago: Parmesan Chicken & Rice[/donotprint]
S'mores Brownies
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 3 cups (252 g) graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- ¾ cup (170.25 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the Brownies:
- Chewy Brownies recipe
- 1 bag mini marshmallows
- Additional graham crackers, broken into pieces
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan. Line the pan with foil, leaving some overhang, and then butter the foil; set aside.
- 2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt, mixing well. Add the melted butter and, using a fork, toss until the entire mixture is moist. Dump the graham cracker mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing it into an even layer. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- 3. Meanwhile, prepare your brownie recipe. Pour the brownie batter over the cooked graham cracker crust, spreading it into an even layer. Bake the brownies according to the directions.
- 4. As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, switch the oven to broil. Pour the bag of mini marshmallows onto the brownies, covering it in an even layer. Pop the pan back in the oven for a few minutes. Keep a close eye on them - you want them to start to char so you get that s'mores flavor, but don't want to completely burn them.
- 5. As soon as the pan comes out of the oven, top the marshmallow layer with the pieces of graham cracker, pressing down slightly so that the pieces of graham cracker get nestled into the marshmallow.
- 6. Cool completely and then cut into squares. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Hi! I made these and they were quite good, however the graham cracker crust was very crumbly and basically fell apart- where did I go wrong? :(
I would like to make these ahead of time, could I freeze the brownie base and then finish off with marshmallows when defrosted? Or could I freeze with marshmallow topping? I need about 200 brownies. Thank you. Love your recipes.
Hi Meri, I would freeze just the brownies and then do the marshmallow topping once thawed. Enjoy!!
When you meant one bag of marshmallows, how many grams do you mean?
Is unsweeten chocolate 80% dark??
Is semi-sweet chocolate 60% dark???
Thanks!
Hi Lauren, One bag of marshmallows is usually 10 ounces. Unsweetened chocolate is 100% dark. Semisweet is usually somewhere between 50% to 70%.
I made these last week for the first time and they were perfect!!!! I found no faults in the recipe at all and it ended up looking exactly like the picture so I’m so happy! I’m about to make them again now….
I should note that the last step should NOT be skipped! These brownies are so much more enjoyable either at room temperature or chilled! It will be hard to wait because they’ll smell AMAZING and they’ll look AMAZING and the way the marshmallows are fluffy is AMAZING. But TRUST ME, it’s worth the wait❤❤❤.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I tried something different and it totally paid off!
Wayyyyyy to much graham cracker. You can’t even taste the brownie. I would suggest only 2 C of cracker crumbs…maybe even 1 1/2. And I think a bag of chocolate chips should go in the brownies. Plus, the broiler really might dry out the brownies and crust if you don’t under bake them a little…maybe only bake the graham crackers for 8 minutes, and take out the brownies when the toothpick comes out a little dirty! Definitely omit the crackers on top.
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I tried this and it turned out sooo great with the exception of broiling the marshmallows. What I would recommend is cutting into bars before you add the marshmallows and then melting the marshmallow in the oven at 350 until they brown a bit on top.
I made these this weekend to take to dinner at a friend’s house. Oh my – seriously amazing. Thanks again for being my go-to-website for new and delicious recipes!!
There was a recipe similar to this one on here a year or so ago. I can’t seem to find it, it was called smokes cookie bars. I saved the recipe to a note, but have since changed phones. My family really loved them, and would love to have them again. If you have it on here and I’m just not finding it please point me in the right direction, if not would you care to share the recipe if you still have it ?
Hi Tiffany, I don’t have any s’mores (I assume that’s what you meant? not smokes?) cookie bar recipes, so you might be thinking of another blog. These are the other s’mores bars recipes on the site:
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2012/06/20/golden-grahams-smores-bars/
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/2011/01/20/smore-nut-bars/
Awesome, just awesome! I asked a friend to make these to bring to my wedding last weekend, backyard cookout theme. There were a smashing success. They looked fabulous too! Many, many requests for the recipe! Thanks for posting this recipe! It will be in the frequently baked recipe pile!
holy shit.
wanting to make these right now and can’t believe i’m out of foil! have you had success without it? i’d hate to have these yummy brownies “stuck” in the pan!
Hi Nicole, You could also use parchment paper. It’s just really easy to use foil or parchment to lift brownies out of the pan.
I love your blog.
I am always baking because of you!
I can not wait to try this one but I have a small problem – I don’t have a broiling option on my oven – what to do now?
Hi Meg, If you have a kitchen torch you can use that to brown the tops of the marshmallows. If you don’t have a torch, you can just pop the pan back in the oven for about 5 minutes – it will puff the marshmallows, they just won’t have that char. Unfortunately the only way to get it is with open flame.
I made these this week and they are amazing! I’d been wanting to make something s’more related for so long, but I kept putting it off. Once I saw this post, I knew the time had come! :) Your photos are beautiful! I had a really hard time photographing these for my blog post. Thanks for the recipe!
These are gorgeous! I made them today and waiting for them to cool takes an eternity. God they’re pretty though. They turned out perfectly, thanks so much for the recipe. I’ve always loved s’mores and this is exactly what I needed since I couldn’t have authentic campfire s’mores, the toasted marshmallows add something really special. Thanks again! :)
I love smores and these look a great summertime treat!
I’ll take messy, ooey, and gooey ANY day of the week!
These brownies look incredible… S’mores are one of the few redeeming things of summer, if you ask me! :) Otherwise, I’m just counting down the days until I can do some pumpkin baking.
You never cease to amaze me. These look UNREAL!!! Can’t wait to try them!
I made a s’mores brownie, too, this past week with four layers in it. You got the nice roasted top for the marshmallows on yours.
Love s’mores! I can’t wait to try these.
Ours have barely been out of the oven 30 minutes and we’ve already been back for seconds. Seriously…one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten!!! The burnt marshmallows, all gooey and squishy, take these to another level. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I’m always so envious of your photos! What do you use for your lighting? Do you use an external flash? Photoshop? No matter how much I fiddle w Photoshop I can never quite get nice lighting in my photos.
Hi Julia, Thank you! I actually don’t use any artificial light – no external flashes. I take all of my photos right next to a really large window that lets in lots of natural light. I will use a white foam board from Michael’s to bounce light back onto the food, and that’s it. I use Adobe Lightroom to edit my photos, and sometimes I need to adjust the white balance, but for the most part unless it’s very late in the day and the sun is already going down, I don’t need to do much fidgeting. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much! I already see a vast improvement in my photos!
I really like the incorporation of the graham cracker crust in these! I’ve seen a lot of s’mores brownies but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them quite this way before.
I love your prelude to the recipe … sweet & perfect!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com
These look fabulous and I love how messy and gooey they are! I have to admit though, I am definitely ready for fall. :-)
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. They look fabulous!
Oh my goodness! These look so delish…and addictive!
Be still my brownie loving heart.
I LOVE the brown you achieved on the marshmallows….to me THAT’S what would make them taste like s’mores! Bravo!
Looks so divine!
Oh. My. YUM! These look divine! Can’t wait to whip up a batch, thanks for posting the recipe!
Hi
Should I melt the butter completely or have chunks along with melted?
Thanks
Hi Julie, Melt the butter completely.
Ohhh myyy gooooddd! I need these in my life immediately!
Those look heavenly!!!!!!
I think I could eat the entire pan:)
I have been craving some s’more action for a long time…. I’m not a huge brownie fan, but these just might have to be made!
If it was neat then it wouldn’t be as delicious! The messier the better!
Oh dear Lord in heaven, do those look good!
These are so perfectly toasted!! I want to eat the whole pan!
You’ve captured a component that is too often missing from s’mores treats and for me make them nothing but faux. The fire. Without some charred marshmallow taste then there is nothing s’moreish about a cookie or a bar at all; it’s simply a graham/chocolate/marshmallow dessert.
Looks perfect.
Perfect combo!
Love s’mores everything. I can’t get enough of that tasty trio!
Love the large pieces of graham cracker in this recipe. They look great.
These look UNREAL. I love the marshmallow addition!
I just fainted. LOVE.
I am ready for fall weather, but not ready to let go of s’mores. Any way we can incorporate them until Christmas? Use peppermint marshmallows or something?
It would be tough to have just one of these….they look so very good.
yesterday i caught myself daydreaming about apples, cinnamon, pumpkin, butternut squash…..but i still have so much summer baking to do!
Fabulous! and no campfire necessary! What a fun treat for a picnic lunch!
These sound delicious! I still want more s’mores treats before summer ends!
yum!! and what a perfect summer memory, my guy and I battle over scrabble :)
These look amazing!
I actually had the same idea for s’mores brownies: I wanted mine to be more in the traditional form. I haven’t posted mine yet (nobody told me it was national s’mores day! I totally lost out on an opportunity to make a yummy treat!) but they look kind of like yours.
I just wanted to tell you how much I love your blog: the pictures AND the recipes. I’ve made many things from your blog and each one has been incredibly delicious.
Thanks!
-Miriam
These look fantastic! Great way to have s’mores without a fire!
I am such a sucker for anything s’mores…I’m getting fat(ter) just by looking at the picture!!!
If I didn’t have a slice of cake in front of me right now, I’d be licking the screen :p
These look sinful. I just can’t get enough s’mores lately. So good.
Oh man, now I don’t know what to make this weekend! I was going to make the peanut butter chocolate chip bars but this looks yummy too!