It’s summertime.  That means the hot weather brings cookouts with campfires… and s'mores.  And who doesn’t love that traditional combo of graham cracker, marshmallow, and Hershey’s chocolate all gooey and melted.   

Well, let’s take this idea one step further…

Lately, I have seen desserts that use the ingredients in a s'mores. Used in cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and bars.  

Now, this is not your ordinary drop cookie.  This cookie is baked over a graham cracker, topped with a chocolate bar, and then cut into squares.  A s'mores cookie bar, if you will.

The process is a little messy and it takes a little bit more time than just dropping a spoonful of cookie dough on a baking sheet.  But it is soooo worth it!  These are just too darn cute to look at.

My baking tips:  Bake the graham crackers for 5 minutes before you top with cookie dough.  The baked graham cracker will stand up to the cookie on top and will not get too soft.  After you bake the cracker alone, you scoop the cookie dough on each cracker and press it down and bake for 5 more minutes.   You will then press the hersheys in the cookie and bake some more. 

 It’s okay if it looks like one big block of a smore’s cookie at the end because you will cut them into neat little squares when it is cooled.

S'mores Cookie Squares

•  11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour
• ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 4-5 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces (depending on how many you place on top each square)
• 1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares
  
  

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper.  Lay out graham crackers (broken in half) side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). I used 1 ½ packages of crackers on on baking pan and the rest of the package on another pan.  Bake the crackers alone for 5 minutes and let cool.

- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

- In a mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.

- Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for about an hour.

- Using a cookie scoop, place dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. I averaged about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough per graham cracker square as seen in the picture above. Press down slightly with fingertips.

        

- Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want (I placed 2 pieces on each cookie)

- Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges.  The dough will all run together and most likly come over the edges of the graham cracker so you won’t see the bottom.  That's ok!  

- Let cool completely!! This is very important!  You can lift cookies on the parchment to a wire rack to cool.

- For clean cutting make sure cookies are completely cool and cut with a sharp knife.  This will allow you to cut off the burned edges and create clean-cut square cookies.  You can make them as big or small as you like.  I made mine the size of one graham cracker half.  

 Serve cold or warm.  I store them in the refrigerator because I like them best chilled.  

They are decadent…but totally worth it.