Gluten-Free S’mores Bars

Soft, chewy gluten-free s’mores bars made with gooey marshmallow and melty chocolate between two layers of gluten-free graham cracker cookie bars.

Is there anything more perfectly summer than s’mores?

The combination of crispy graham cracker, gooey marshmallow, and melted chocolate is so nostalgic and delicious, I always get the craving when the weather warms up! Since it’s WAY too hot around here to roast marshmallows in the summer (90+ degrees in the evening is just still too hot!), I get my s’more fix with s’mores treats, like these easy gluten-free s’mores bars!

Gooey marshmallow and chocolate get tucked between two layers of chewy graham cracker cookie. This yummy recipe channels all the nostalgic flavor you crave, in an easy-to-eat cookie bar that doesn’t require any campfire-building skills. (Ha!)

Don’t worry, the ingredients are still straightforward and simple! Here’s what you need to get started…

Simple Ingredients To Start

• Softened Butter. You’ll cream softened butter with the sugar from teh graham
• Brown Sugar. Using dark brown sugar will play up the molasses notes in graham crackers, but light brown sugar is also delicious!
• An Egg. A room temperature egg helps maintain the creamed texture of the butter and sugar.
• Vanilla. Plenty of vanilla extract adds a beautiful layer of flavor.
• Gluten-Free Flour. I love keeping things simple with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Our favorite for all our cookies, brownies, and bars is this one from King Arthur. (Make sure the blend you use contains xanthan gum!)
• Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumbs. One secret for that graham cookie flavor is to use crushed gluten-free graham crackers for part of the flour in the cookie bar layers. Works like a charm! We’re using Pamela’s, but you can check out all the best brands of gluten-free graham crackers here.
• Baking Powder. For a little bit of puff in the cookie bars.
• Kosher Salt. To balance those flavors. If you using fine table salt, reduce the amount slightly so your recipe doesn’t trend salty.
• Marshmallow Fluff. I prefer fluff over mini marshmallows because you get a more gooey, delightful texture. We tried these gluten-free smores bars with Kraft Marshmallow Creme and Fluff brand marshmallow fluff. Both were delicious, though Fluff is our favorite if you can find it!
• Chocolate! I love using semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips for a fun cookie bar look, but if you want to be more “authentic” to actual s’mores, feel free to use a chopped chocolate bar, like Hershey’s. Both ways are delicious!

How To Make Gluten-Free S’mores Bars, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions and tips in the recipe card below!

1. Preheat & Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper or foil. (I prefer parchment paper so I don’t scratch my pan)
2. Cream The Butter And Sugar. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine softened butter and brown sugar. Cream for 2-3 minutes, or until smooth and fluffy.
3. Add Egg & Vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
4. Add Dry Ingredients. Scrape down the edges of the bowl and add gluten-free flour, gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined and no dry patches remain.
5. Pat Out The Cookie Base Layer. Take roughly 2/3 of the graham cracker cookie dough and pat or spread out into your prepared baking dish. The dough will be sticky, so take your time here to get it into an even layer. An offset spatula is the easiest way to make it smooth and even! (It’s ok if it’s not perfectly 2/3 of the dough, just do your best.)
6. Spread With Marshmallow. Next, spread the marshmallow fluff over the bottom layer of cookie dough and spread into an even layer.
7. Sprinkle With Chocolate Chips. Then, sprinkle the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate over the marshmallow layer as evenly as you can.
8. Add The Top Layer. With the remaining 1/3 of the graham cracker cookie dough, take small dollops of dough and pat them out to an even layer in your hand. Spread these little flattened dollops over the top of the marshmallows and chocolate chips. There won’t be enough dough to cover everything, so just space out the dollops the best you can. (This lets some of the marshmallow peek through later–so yummy!)
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-28 minutes, or until the dough is just set and starting to turn golden brown. It may seem jiggly when the pan wiggles (this is the gooey marshmallow layer!) As long as the top looks set, it’s probably done!
10. Cool Completely. For best results, let the s’mores cookie bars cool completely before slicing into bars. (Note: These are fairly gooey like traditional s’mores, so the best way to get clean cuts is to chill the bars in the refrigerator first. They’ll cut much easier & neater cold!
11. Store leftover cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature 2-3 days, in the refrigerator 4-5 days, or in the freezer up to 2 months.

FAQ + Tricks For These Cookie Bars

How To Get Neat Cuts. S’mores bars are delightfully gooey (just like real s’mores!), but you CAN still get clean, neat cuts! The secret is to chill the bars before cutting them. When the marshmallow is cold, it cuts better!) Then, you can set the cut bars out at room temperature for a few minutes before serving and they’ll regain all their ooey gooey loveliness!

Make Sure You’re Gluten-Free! Be sure to use gluten-free graham crackers and gluten-free marshmallow fluff  to keep this s’mores bars recipe gluten-free. We use Pamela’s most of the time, but we did a big taste test of gluten-free graham cracker brands you can check out to find other brands!

Can I Make These Dairy-Free? These gluten-free smores bars should work just fine dairy-free, as long as you use dairy-free substitutions. You can swap in vegan butter (I do not recommend coconut oil or other oil here), dairy-free chocolate chips, and a graham cracker that’s also dairy-free. (Marshmallows and marshmallow fluff are naturally dairy-free!)

Can I Use Mini Marshmallows Instead? Not for this recipe. Marshmallows will create pockets, and get overcooked during this process. Marshmallow fluff or marshmallow creme will stay soft and gooey, which is what you’re looking for in this recipe.

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