These vegan gluten-free s'mores bars are a sweet summer dream. Gooey dark chocolate and chewy marshmallows are sandwiched between layers of sweet graham cracker cookie crust. These s'mores cookie bars take the classic campfire treat to portable new heights!
July has been filled with friendly vacations and precious family time. Between a friend trip to Bend, Oregon and a family trip to Galena, Illinois, it's been a month of cherished downtime and sweet summer laughter.
The trip to Galena was something we'd been planning since our family trip to Colorado three years ago. Nine of us made the 2–3 hour drive from Chicago(ish) to Galena for several days of relaxation, chit-chat, nightly board games, s'mores, ghost tours, wine tastings (wine-tasting-watching for me), and a boating day on the Mississippi. Nearly all the aforementioned activities were checked off the list as we paved our way through nearly a week of vacation...
...except for s'mores.
We had set aside one night in particular for a bonfire and planned to toast up some s'mores, but a wicked thunderstorm rolled in and rained downpoured on our parade.
And when I say "downpoured," I'm talking sideways rains, greenish-black skies, wild lightening, thunder claps that'll make a calm person leap into the air... the works. Unless we wanted to roast marshmallows via lightening strike or over the uneven warmth of the electric stove in the vacation rental kitchen, there was simply no way to make s'mores happen that evening.
However, have you heard what happens when you mention s'mores to a pregnant lady?
She. can't. stop. thinking. about. s'mores.
Like ever.
Or at least not until she has one some.
Thus, in honor of our s'mores free vacation, I bring you vegan gluten-free s'mores bars. Let's give it up for that nasty summer storm for making this recipe happen...
These s'mores bars will make you forget all about the "real" thing.
In this delightfully portable twist on the campfire classic...
Graham crackers are replaced by two soft, tender layers of graham cracker cookie crust.
A rectangle of Hershey's is replaced by two entire bars of whichever non-dairy dark chocolate your heart desires.
Standard marshmallows are replaced by gelatin-free vegan marshmallows.
To assemble the goodness, a layer of graham cracker cookie dough is packed into a square pan. Then, it's topped with those two delectable bars of dark chocolate. The chocolate is topped with heaps and heaps of vegan marshmallows. And the final touch? Another layer of graham cracker cookie dough.
Give it all a gentle pat 'n' press. Then, pop that beaut in the oven and bake for a speedy 20 minutes.
Now, for the only bummer part of these vegan gluten-free s'mores bars: the wait/cool time.
While it's mighty tempting to slice right into this pan of s'mores dreaminess straight out of the oven, trust me when I say you'll want to wait until it's completely cool. Unless, of course, you've got a thing for hot, gooey, sticky messes.
I recommend letting it cool at room temperature for about 45 minutes and then transferring the pan to the refrigerator or freezer to expedite the cooling process.
Once the bar is completely cool: Slice, slice, slice. Savor, savor, savor.
These vegan gluten-free s'mores cookie bars are nothing short of amazing.
Are they the healthiest treats ever to grace this blog? Umm, no. Are they some of the richest and most delightful? YES. 1000% yes.
Vegan Gluten-Free S'mores Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups coconut sugar
- ½ cup virgin coconut oil, at room temperature*
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups oat flour
- 2 ¼ teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 3 tablespoons filtered water
- 2 (3.5-ounce) bars non-dairy dark chocolate
- 1 ½ cups vegan mini marshmallows
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the coconut sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla on high speed for 1 minute.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, and sea salt. Place within reach of the mixer.
- With the mixer off, add the water to the coconut sugar mixture and start beating while slowly adding the oat flour mixture. Beat for 30 seconds, or until the dough pulls together into large, moist mounds as it moves around the mixing bowl. When you first add the dry ingredients, the dough may be dry and crumbly; however, just keep beating on high—the finished dough will look and feel similar to Play-Doh. If the dough is still dry and crumbly after beating for 30 seconds, add more filtered water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue beating until it pulls together.
- Divide the dough in half. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the lined pan. Then, grasp the edges of the parchment paper and lift out pressed dough. Set aside.
- Line the pan with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Press the remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Top with the chocolate bars, breaking or chopping into pieces if needed to evenly cover the surface. Then, top with the mini marshmallows, evenly spreading them over the surface of the chocolate. Finally, very carefully top with the reserved cookie dough layer, removing the parchment paper and then gently pressing and compacting on top of the marshmallow layer.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the top layer of dough is golden brown and just beginning to show soft cracks across the surface. Cool completely**.
- Once completely cool, slice into bars*** and serve.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
These make me forget about classic s'mores! They're kind of begging to be reinvented in my opinion ;) I'll take one of these beauties over stale graham crackers and Hershey's chocolate any day!
Thanks, Ashley!! :)
This looks fantastic! I'm hoping to make it for my camping trip this weekend... do you think homemade marshmallows would work in this recipe? Thanks in advance!
Thanks, Terra! I think homemade marshmallows will work just fine—just can't say for certain without having tested the recipe that way. Enjoy!
Thanks, Ashley! I'll let you if I give them a try!
I've always been one of those people that could take 'em or leave 'em with s'mores but THESE look amazing! I've got to try them.
Thank you!
Oh my goodness, these look so YUM!! I want one right now haha! I love that they are gluten free. I love food and eating clean and healthy is crucial to me so I am loving your blog! Thank you so much for sharing!!
xxo -Amber
Touched you're enjoying the blog, Amber! Thanks for sharing your kind words and feedback. Enjoy! :)
omg! these look so yummy and perfect for Fall!
Thanks, Cristina!!
These bars look delicious!!
Thanks, Bethany!
i LOVE smores and still haven't had one this summer yet! (should be a sin!) this would be a great way to fulfill that summer bucket list item :)
My husband's business had a staff bake-off and spouses were allowed to enter. I made these bars and won third place! Pretty good considering I was up against many non-vegan/glutenous treats - and I owe my success to you. Thanks for such a delish (and award winning) recipe. :)
I have made them twice and will make them again and again, they are nothing short of amazing, easy to make and absolutely delicious. Everybody who tried them agreed. I cut them into mini bars, but then of course I always had at least two ;-)
So, so happy to hear you're enjoying the recipe so much, Lenka! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your thoughts. Happy baking! xo
I am making these this upcoming weekend and can't wait to try them! Would this also work with all purpose flour in place of the oat flour?
Thank you!
Hi, Kristina! I haven't tested these bars with all purpose flour and therefore don't recommend making the swap. If you're having trouble finding oat flour in the store, you can make homemade oat flour by processing old-fashioned rolled oats in a food processor for about 4 minutes, or until ground into a fine flour. Hope this helps and enjoy!
I am going to try making these. What I need to know id how the hack can you take and 8x8 pan and make 24 bars. I usually cut them into 4x4 and make 16 bars. How do you get yours so tiny?
Hi, Wendy! They're quite rich, which is why I recommend cutting them smaller (6 x 4) but please, feel free to cut them to whichever size you prefer! Enjoy!
Can you try this with another gluten free flour? We don't eat oats.
Hi, Cindy! I have a hunch that all purpose gluten-free flour will likely work just fine, but I can't say with absolute certainty since I haven't tested it that way myself.
I just made these for an event at my synagogue (needed something vegan, gluten free and nut free) and they were a smash hit! They were all gone very quickly and everyone kept telling me how yummy they were. I’ll definitely be making these again!
So happy to hear this, Shira! Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know—means so much. :)