there's something so delicious about s'mores. I think it has a lot to do with the textures. crunchy, chewy, melty...they all just work. they are the perfect representation of summer treats. besides, who can say no to pools of chocolate and gooey marshmallows? not me, friends. I've been trying to get a blog post on s'mores up since last year. lots of delicious tries. none that really hit the mark. until now. these s'mores tahini cookie bars are all my favorite flavors combined into one! they are:
- nutty + sweet
- crunchy + chewy
- chocolatey
- melty marshmallowy
- hand held
- all the delicious flavors of the OG summer time treat...with a twist!
these bars are s'mores baked into a tahini chocolate chip cookie. they will definitely be on repeat for me all summer long. who am I kidding? they'll be on rotation all year long!
give me the ingredients!
- graham crackers
- semi sweet chocolate chips
- marshmallow creme, aka fluff
- all stuffed in between my: tahini chocolate chip cookie recipe
its only taken me years (oh, my) to get my tahini chocolate chip cookie recipe up on the blog. so, while it's part of a larger recipe, i'm happy to finally have it published somewhere other than instagram!
marshmallow creme (fluff) vs. regular marshmallows
I researched which one would work best. depending on the recipe, the answer varied. so...I tried them all. yep, three (four, five...who's counting) batches!! the first two times I made these, I used jumbo and then regular marshmallows. sadly, the jumbo ones never fully melted. the mini ones completely dissolved. the marshmallow creme (aka, fluff) was the one that made the cut! the marshmallow fluff gave the bars the texture, taste and appearance of melted marshmallows.
other ways to make these s'mores tahini cookie bars
one of the big benefits of testing these bars (several) times was trying all the methods. they all use the same base cookie recipe. the key differences are listed in each method.
cast iron skillet
this method is perfect for making a skillet cookie! the recipe can be followed exactly as written for the ingredient preparation. to assemble:
- press ⅔ of the chilled tahini cookie dough on the bottom and up the sides of a 10-12" cast iron skillet. I love using this one but any brand you have on hand works, too. (if you don't have a cast-iron, I would advise making these as a cookie bar.)
- add big dollops of the marshmallow creme on top of the cookie dough. roughly spread the creme along the bottom to the edges
- sprinkle chocolate chips over the marshmallow creme
- sprinkle roughly crushed graham cracker pieces on top of the chocolate chips and creme
- evenly spread pieces of the remaining tahini cookie dough on top. this should look almost like putting flat biscuit dough over a cobbler. the filling will be visible in some areas and covered in others
- bake in 350F (preheated) oven 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and edges are set
gluten free
this can be made gluten free by swapping the all purpose flour. when i do this, I prefer to use a 1:1 substitute. King Arthur Flour or Bob's Red Mill . when using a GF flour for baking cookies:
- use 1 ½ c (300g) instead of 2c all purpose (300g)
- chill the dough
- bake on parchment
- use mix ins (like chocolate chips, nuts, etc)
- bring ingredients to room temperature
- to make this completely GF, use store bought or make your own graham crackers
try these summer other ready desserts
- sumac roasted strawberry layer cake
- strawberry rhubarb tahini crisp
- triple chocolate lavender brownies
s'mores tahini cookie bars
Equipment
- electric beater
- 9X13 pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ c all purpose flour
- ¼ c finely crushed graham crackers
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ c packed brown sugar (275g)
- ¼ c granulated sugar (55g)
- ½ c brown butter, cooled to softened butter (113g) (10tbsp unsalted butter, reduced to 8 tablespoon or sub with ½ c softened butter)
- ½ c tahini, well stirred (113g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ⅔ c chocolate chips, divided
- 7 oz jar marshmallow creme or Fluff
- ¾ c roughly crushed graham crackers
Instructions
- To prepare browned butter, place butter into a sauce pan over medium high heat. Butter will melt and begin to foam. Using a whisk, stir constantly. Foam will subside, brown bits will form at the bottom and the butter will have a nutty smell. Remove from heat, pour into a heat proof bowl and cool for 15 minutes to room temperature. Transfer to the fridge to chill an addtional 20-30 minutes. Butter should be soft, but not cold in order to cream. If it has turned cold, bring to room temperature for 10 minutes. Alernatively, prepared browned butter the day before. Bring to room temperature before baking, along with all the other ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, finely crushed graham crackers, baking soda and powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, with paddle attachment, cream together the browned butter, sugars and tahini until light and fluffy (~5 minutes). Add in eggs and yolk one at a time, beating well after each. Add vanilla and beat again for about an additional minute.By hand, using a spatula, add dry ingredients to the wet ½ at a time. Mix until JUST combined. Fold in ⅓ c chocolate chips. Loosely cover the dough in plastic cling. Place dough in the fridge to chill for one hour.
- Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes. Line a 9X13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 1-2" of an overhang on the two longer sides. This "sling" helps to remove the bars from the pan after cooling.
- Roughly divide the chilled cookie dough into thirds. Reserve about ⅓ for topping. Evenly press ⅔ of the chilled dough along the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Scoop even dollops of marshmallow creme, or fluff along the chilled dough. A spoon dipped in hot water can help. Spread the marshmallow creme evenly along the bottom. Top with 1 c of semi sweet chocolate chips (or hershey bar pieces for a more classic touch). Top the marshmallow creme and chocoate with roughly crushed pieces of graham crackers. Top everything with the remaining ⅓ of the chilled dough. This will not completely cover the top of the bars. Instead, scoop dough into your hand. Press it into a flat disk and place around the pan. This is similar to topping a fruit cobbler with biscuit dough. This is done so the filling pushes through. Top with the remaining ⅓ c chocolate chips if desired. **For more solid looking bars, use ½ dough for the base and ½ for the topping. Try to press the pieces of dough together, covering all the filling.
- Bake in a 350F oven for 25-32 minutes or until golden brown with set edges pulling slightly from the edge of the pan. At 25-28 minutes, the edges will be baked and the center will be slighlty underbaked. This is my prefered way. For more well baked bars, bake 28-32 minutes. Cool pan on a cooling rack for 45-60 minutes. Bars are cool enough to eat at 30 minutes, but they will not be firm enough to lift out of the pan until closer to an hour. Using the sling, remove bars from the pan, slice and enjoy!
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Make sure to tag me on instagram @olivesnthyme. For more delicious dessert ideas follow me on pinterest
make sure to tag me on instagram @olivesnthyme. for more delicious dessert ideas follow me on pinterest.
Steph says
These look AMAZING! If I wanted to leave out the tahini for those that don't like it, could it simply be left out or would it need to be substituted for something else?
Megan says
Hi! You could add an additional 10tbsp unsalted butter to be browned for a total of 226g (1c) browned butter. Enjoy!
Bhavna Lee says
Does Marshmallow fluff have gelatin? If so, is there an alternative that you know of?
Megan says
Hi Bhavna,
I think this depends on the brand. I would double check by reading the ingredients label. When in doubt, I would look at ordering a vegan marshmallow fluff from an online retailer.
Maya says
Would it be best to warm this dish back up if I'm making it the day before for a gathering? What do you recommend?
Megan says
Hi Maya,
If you need to bake it the day before, know that the crunch from the graham crackers won't be as pronounced. You can always make the dough the day before and chill in the fridge (wrapped in plastic wrap). This makes preparing the cookie bars the day of faster. If you really need to make the whole dish the day before- bake it, cool it to room temperature and wrap the dish in plastic wrap. Heat the cookies (in the dish) on the warm setting in your oven to melt the chocolate. I think flavor wise, it will still be delicious either way. Although, I do still recommend trying to make it the day you plan to serve it. Let me know how they turn out!
JuliaMary says
These cookie bars are absolutely amazing. AH--MAZING! I thought they were going to be tricky because of all the steps, but it actually came together really well. And it's so delicious. We can't stop eating it!
Megan says
Thanks for the amazing review Julia! Im so glad everyone enjoyed the bars!