Growing up I used to eat Golden Grahams like they were going out of style.
Oh, how I loved them so.
The sweetness. The crunch. The texture.
Everything about them was perfect.
But up until this recipe I had never really cooked with them.
Or baked with them.
But since I love Bars in all variations and varieties…
From Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough & Marshmallow Stuffed Rice Krispie Bars (No Bake)
To Nutella & Peanut Butter Graham Bars with Chocolate Frosting (No Bake)
To my love of White Chocolate in Bars
White Chocolate Vanilla Marshmallow Cake Bars – 4 Layers
It was about time I make use of Golden Grahams in bars
I combined the GG’s with fluffy marshmallow creme, more sugar sweetened condensed milk, two kinds of chocolate chips and baked it all.
Baked smores bars
Deep Dish style
My childhood spent as a Brownie and a Girl Scout also ingrained in me a deep love of smores.
And who said you need a campfire and sleeping on rock hard ground to make smores?
These bars are sticky
And this is a really rich and really sweet dessert
If you’re the type of person who frequently says things like, “Oh, that’s way too sweet for me” then don’t make this dessert.
It just leaves more for the rest of us
And this is a messy one!
Your hands will get super sticky
Or you can be a cheater and use silverware.
I was pretending I was a Girl Scout eating smores around the campfire when I was eating these. Totally messy and sticky and loving it.
Thankfully I was indoors and wasn’t getting any mosquito bites while sitting around the campfire waiting for my marshmallows to perfectly roast.
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Deep Dish Double Chocolate Golden Grahams Smores Bars
5 c Golden Grahams cereal (if you like drier bars, use 6 c of cereal)
one 7-oz. jar marshmallow creme
one can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c white chocolate chips
1 c chocolate chips
+ 1/3 c white chocolate chips for sprinkling on top prior to baking
+ 1/3 c chocolate chips for sprinkling on top prior to baking
Directions:
Place marshmallow creme, condensed milk, and vanilla extract into a large bowl and stir until well combined. Add the cereal, 1 c white and 1 c chocolate chips, and stir to combine.
Take mixture and press into a foil-lined 9 x 9 pan (you can use a bigger pan, i.e. 9 x 11 or 9 x 13 but the bars will not be as thick and deep dish style) and I highly recommend using foil-lined. You cannot imagine the sticky mess you are creating. Use foil.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/3 c each of white and dark chocolate chips before baking
Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes for very gooey bars with a runnier filling
Or
Bake closer to 25-30 minutes for more solid and less runny/gooey bars (I like runny, messy, marshmallow dripping everywhere smores so I baked for 18 minutes)
Allow bars to cool before slicing and serving.
Store at room temp or the fridge.
You can freeze these and keep them on hand for months Pull one or two or a half dozen bars out of the freezer as needed and allow to come to room temp before eating, about 20 minutes.
Notes:
If you don’t like Golden Grahams, use another cereal.
If you don’t like white chocolate, omit it. And use more dark/milk chocolate if desired.
To make these vegan, use vegan white chocolate and vegan marshmallows for both the marshmallow creme portion as well as the added marshmallows. Use full fat coconut milk sweetened with agave for the sweetened condensed milk. Use a vegan-friendly cereal.
To make them gluten free, use GF cereal and read the labels if you are extremely gluten sensitive for the marshmallow creme and other ingredients.
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A Visual Guide
Marshmallow Creme + Sweetened Condensed Milk + Vanilla
Add the marshmallows + white chocolate chips+ chocolate chips + cereal
Press into your foil-lined pan, sprinkle more chips on top, & bake
Cool, Slice, & Serve
These were so easy
And sweet!
And crunchy but not too crunchy
All that sweetened condensed milk and marshmallow creme softens the cereal, creating an authentic smores filling
Even if it is a little messy and splooges everywhere. Just like real smores.
Creating smores with graham cereal rather than graham crackers was a win for me
These bars combine the best of so many worlds:
Golden Grahams
White Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Marshmallow Cream
Sweetened Condensed Milk
They are messy, but messy is good
You can store them in the fridge/freezer and the filling will be more solid, but as they come to room temp (or fresh baked straight from the oven) the filling is runnier and messier
Melted marshmallow fluff + a can of sweetened condensed milk = smores “sauce” (bake longer or use the higher called for amount of cereal if you don’t like sauce but I love it)
And be prepared to speed dial your dentist from all that sugar you just ate. Blame it on the Girl Scouts.
From my last post, lots of you are big Mango fans. Me too, as I counted the many ways.
Questions:
1. Do you like Smores? When was the last time you had them?
If you say no, you don’t like smores, I don’t believe you.
The last time I had official campfire-made smores was probably about 10 years ago at a beach bonfire. Has it really been 10 years since I’ve had an official campfire-roasted marshmallow?
You know the kind where you get too impatient to twirl that stick around any longer on the fringes of the fire and end up just sticking it right into the fire and then blowing off the flaming ‘mallow and eating it. Black char, burnt sugar, some slivers of tree stick and somehow can’t wait for the next one. Those are memories, I tell you!
2. Any childhood cereals you loved? Do you still eat them or like them?
Capn’ Crunch, Cocoa Krispies, Rice Krispies, Chex, Clusters, Mutligrain Cheerios, Kix, I could go on and on. I grew up on cereal! Loved it.
Ate it for breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. Not on the same day though.
As a mom now, I know why breakfast-for-dinner happened every once in awhile in my house growing up. Some nights pancakes or waffles, eggs, and Cheerios were what we had.
I haven’t had many of the cereals I listed in years because I am gluten sensitive and although I am less sensitive overall, there are still foods I really need to limit and watch or I just feel awful and it’s no “treat” is worth feeling awful for days over.
I’ve been enjoying these bars but am mindful not to overdue it because of the gluten. I may make these with a GF cereal that’s similar to Golden Grahams but for this recipe, I just had to have the original GG’s.
Good thing Cocoa Krispies are made of rice, not wheat. As my wheels turn for what to make with those. Maybe a version of these.
3. Best thing you ate or did all weekend?
The great summery weather, time with Skylar, and sharing these bars with her has rocked!
P.S. If you’re just catching up on posts from the Friday, here are mine:
- They’re Back
- Disses & Kisses
- Meaning of Organic
- Talking Myself Out of It
- Friday Faves
- One Day Ahead & Mugs
Have a great week ahead!
These look so delicious! Golden Grahams was one of my favorite cereals growing up, so I can’t wait to try these:)
Its been entirely too long since I’ve had smores too! Not quite 10 years, but maybe 3? or 5? Too long! I’m looking forward to a few fall campfires.
Um, I think all I have got to say is wow. Those look absolutly INSANE. I used to eat cheerios with cranberry juice like they were going out of style when I was a kid! But I was never really that into cereal. I liked cinnamon buns and toast and jam way more! Did you ever have cinnamon spread? It was basically hydrogenated margarine with cinnamon, sugar and chemicals. And it was SOOOOOO good.
growing up i used to put the thickest layers of butter/marg on bread as well as cinny/sugar. so yes, very familiar :) I still do it..not on bread though. And usually with coconut oil now!
Haha, yeah! I used to do margarine and peanut butter sandwiches! YECK!
what a fabulous idea and post, averie. your sense of humour just cracks me up!!!
“be prepared to speed dial your dentist from all that sugar you just ate” – > a gem!
what a zany idea for squares…so out there that it’ll work. nice work on the recipe!!
i ADORE cereal and love “kids'” cereal – i have to watch the gluten a bit, too, so eat gf cereals more often, but i tell you, nothing beats cap’n crunch some days!
smores: have not had them since childhood. i associate them with campfires and have not sat around one of those in eons, either!
i am glad you tell me you like my jokes, thank you :) makes me feel less like a goofball knowing i made at least one person laugh!
Oh wow these look AMAZING! If these are the photos you had to retake, they look great so it was definitely worth the extra effort :)
yes, these were the ones. this set of photos is NIGHT AND DAY from Round 1. Which were totally un-useable. Thanks for remembering that little detail :)
Oh my gosh I’m making these pronto! I’ve been waiting for a recipe of a bar with ALL of my favorite ingredients! I love golden grahams! They have an organic version that is awesome as well!
didnt know that about the organic version. good to know.
see my thoughts about organic from 2 days ago
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2011/08/meaning-of-organic.html
probably not too much healthier but hey, they’re trying :)
lmk if you do make these!
oh my that looks ridiculously good! seriously wish I could grab some out of the computer screen
I never like s’mores – but am not a chocolate girl so that makes sense. When I was a kid, my fave cereal was Apple Jacks. I’d eat that until my mouth was just raw.
i forgot about , cinn toast crunch, lucky charms, and apple jacks, some of my all time faves! apple jacks..there is nothing like those on earth! they dont taste like apples but they sure are good!
I haven’t had smores since girl scouts!! So, high school. lol I was a girl scout til my freshman year of college. :) My favorite childhood cereals were grapenuts, cheerios and smart start..I was a weird one. :) Your sweet treat recipes and pictures always look amazingg!
not weird, just healthy! :)
i actually go for total raisin bran-ish, really healthy cereals OR total sugar fest.
I love smores and any type of sugary kid cereal — fruitie pebbles, count chocolua, cinn toast crunch, lucky charms, you name it and I’ll eat it.
I’d like a big scoop of your smores in a bowl covered in milk and eaten like cereal — sounds like heaven to me!
i forgot about , cinn toast crunch, lucky charms, and apple jacks, some of my all time faves!
Hah, you said “splooges!” Oh man, I cannot remember the last time I had an honest-to-goodness s’more—these bars look fantastic!
Growing up, I loooved Crispix. Golden Grahams was another favorite—it’s all about texture. These days, I tend to prefer shredded wheat, though I’ve been digging Puffins lately.
In preparation for the hurricane, I went to ride it out at my parents’ house, and my mom and I made a ton of roasted veggies and a pesto pasta salad. There was also a lot of good wine involved. We ended up not losing power, though. Being thankful for electricity made this morning’s breakfast (oats with cocoa, chia seeds, banana and cottage cheese with berries on top) taste extra good!
glad you’re safe from the storm!
Puffins. havent had in about a year. Must buy those again !
Wow, these look insanely delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever had Golden Grahams. Seriously, what is wrong with me? LoL
are you serious?! GIRL!! It’s like saying you’ve never had Coca-Cola..it’s just one of those things you HAVE to try!
YUM! My friends and I “invented” peebsmores on a camping trip one year-peanut butter s’mores! They’re divine. I haven’t had any s’mores this summer, but we usually get together around the fire at least once a summer and do them! I’ve been craving them but I haven’t been able to find vegan marshmallows in any stores around here!
WHen I was little I loved sugary cereal. Frosted Mini Wheats and Frosted Flakes? Yes please. Actually, I liked corn flakes doused in sugar better because then you had sugar at the bottom of the bowl. And Cap’n Crunch Berries! I didn’t get into Golden Grahams until college, but boy I loved them then! I was a Cinnamon Toast Crunch girl prior.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch – me too! and your peebsmores sound amazing!
Rob and I finished off our last pound of scallops from Anderson Seafoods. This time I sauteed them with thin strips of zucchini and smothered them in hollandaise sauce. Soooo good! Wah, now the scallops are all gone! It was great while it lasted. But I still have the albacore steaks in the freezer.
you got lots of meals out of it…good!!
the recipe- finally! thanks for pointing out the vegan options. it looks like you served them with a sauce, they look so drippy!
I have had smores once, before going vegetarian, and I only thought they were “ok”. Also I am not a big fan of cereals (that is mostly bc while growing up we only had oatmeal and cornflakes), though I loved staying at my grandparents house and eating crunchy nutty cluster cereal (I can´t remember the name ;)).
I had a weekend filled with party, laughter and friends- totally worthy the lack of sleep :D
have a great week, too!
Melted marshamallow + sweetened condensed milk is what you’re seeing
I thought so ;)
btw, just spotted your new header and it looks great!!
I want to cry, these look so good. seriously. (NOM)^10