August is National S’more Month, which makes it one of the most delicious months of the year.
While s’mores aren’t difficult to make, not all of us have a campfire readily available. Some of us live in areas that have “fire bans” or “no burn days” … it’s tragic, I know. Then again, building a fire seems less exciting when it’s already a thousand degrees outside.
Luckily, there are ways to get your s’more fix while keeping cool. These extremely easy to make, no-bake (i.e., MINIMAL HEAT) s’more bars. You make these babies in the microwave, which means you don’t have to endure any extra heat – no stove, no oven, no fire, no outside. Just sweet, delicious s’more goodness in the comfort of your air-conditioned home.
For these bars I used a recipe that melted the chocolate with the marshmallow, but I think my usual recipe of s’more bars that mixes chocolate chips in at the end is actually better. Luckily, these are so easy to make that you can make them both ways and judge for yourself.
No-Bake S’more Bars
- 8 cups (1 box) Golden Grahams cereal
- 6 cups (1 bag) miniature marshmallows, reserve 1 cup
- 1½ cups chocolate chips*
- ¼ cup light corn syrup
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
- Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper or plastic wrap; set aside.
- Place the cereal in a large mixing bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine 5 cups of marshmallows, chocolate*, light corn syrup and butter. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until the mixture is completely melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the melted mixture over the cereal and, using a buttered spatula or wooden spoon, gently stir until all of the cereal is coated. Stir in the additional cup of marshmallows (and chocolate, if you didn't melt it with the marshmallows)
- Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking pan. Butter your hands and press the mixture evenly into the pan, pushing it down into a flat, even layer. Cool for at least 1 hour at room temperature (refrigerate to speed up this process).
**READ THE TIPS BELOW**
*You can either melt the chocolate with the 5 cups of marshmallows, or stir it in with the last 1 cup. Make sure you use a REALLY BIG BOWL and REALLY STRONG ARMS for stirring.
*These can also be made on the stovetop, just like you would make regular rice krispy treats, melt it all over low heat, and then stir in cereal and mix-ins, and pour into pan and spread.
*These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, but good luck with that.
