It’s peak S’mores Season now but with this S’mores Brownie recipe, you can channel that campfire beachy feeling all year round! I’ve tinkered with this recipe so many times, and my kids have been bombarded with various s’mores brownies all summer. No surprise, this makes them ridiculously happy.

I’ve made this with marshmallows, with store bought fluff and homemade fluff and I have to be honest, the homemade fluff is my favorite. The fluff recipe I followed is from The Kitchn and while I’ve literally never purchased or cooked anything with corn syrup before, it was worth it to make this fluff myself. Once I bought that and a candy thermometer, the fluff recipe took 20 minutes from start to finish.

Once the fluff was made, I went to work on the brownies. The base of the brownie recipe is one that I can make in my sleep at this point. It’s a tried and true favorite around here. To assemble the S’mores Brownies, I add half the batter to the bottom of a lined 8x8 pan, add a layer of graham crackers and top those with the remainder of the batter. The batter is thick, so using your fingertips to spread the batter on top of the graham cracker layer is best. (see the full recipe below)

Once you’ve spread that evenly, it’s time to add the marshmallow fluff. I used just under 1 cup of fluff in each batch, but you can use more or less depending on how “fluffy” you like your s’mores. I like to sprinkle the top with graham cracker crumbs for two reasons: it makes the graham cracker flavor come through more and it makes these easier for my kids to hold.

Another alternative is to swirl in the fluff with the top layer of brownie batter. Both methods are equally delicious!

Once these are baked, let them cool completely before cutting them with a super sharp knife. I prefer to serve these in small sizes, so an 8x8 pan makes 25 brownies for us.

S’mores Brownies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
heaping 1/4 teaspoon flaked salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup ap flour (sub with oat flour to make gluten free)
6 full graham crackers, divided
1 cup marshmallow fluff (I used this recipe but you can purchase this already made)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add cocoa powder and salt and stir until all lumps are gone. Stir in vanilla, eggs and flour and mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and thick. Spread half of the batter into the pan.

Add one layer of graham crackers on top of the batter. This will use 4 1/2 graham cracker sheets. Crumble the remaining 1 1/2 graham crackers into a small bowl and save for later.

Add the remainder of the batter to the top of the graham crackers and use your hands or the back of a spoon to spread evenly on top.

Top with marshmallow fluff and finally graham cracker crumbs.

Bake for approximately 28-33 minutes or until the brownies have set. Let cool completely on a rack. Cut into 25 squares and watch them disappear.

If you simply can’t decide between S’mores Brownies and traditional s’mores, put together a platter! If you make these and post them on social media, don’t forget to tag @lalalunchbox and #lalalunchbox

We kick off the start of summer every year with s'mores around a campfire on Memorial Day weekend. And though my kids absolutely love s'mores, we usually never have them after that.

It's kind of a shame really. S'mores are basically the unofficial summer dessert, so why do we limit it to just once? I'll tell you why: campfires are a rare treat for us. No campfire, no s'mores.

Until now.

This year on Memorial Day weekend, I did something unexpected: I bought a container of fluff. My kids were flummoxed. I've never bought fluff in all my years as a parent. But somehow in the grocery store, I got the idea to combine fluff with brownies, and this recipe came into existence.

Everyone cheered. But I still had a ton of fluff leftover. What to do? I set out to create a s'mores recipe that didn't require a campfire. It worked! My kids have been happily having s'mores parfaits all summer for the first time ever. Do they have that toasted marshmallow flavor? Nope. But no one seems to be complaining.

The first step to making these s'mores parfaits is to make the chocolate pudding. I've used Ghirardelli 72% cocoa squares, which have a deep cocoa flavor and are dairy free. I added avocado to make it super creamy and plant-based milk to keep it dairy free. Because fluff is so sweet, and graham crackers are also usually sweet, I didn't want to overdo it and add sugar. I wanted the chocolate flavor to ground this dessert. The creaminess of the avocado tempers the bite of the cocoa, and lightens the flavor overall, making this a universally loved dessert around here.

As an aside, I've been loving a yogurt called White Moustache recently, and they come in little 8 ounce glass jars. I keep the jars and use them for a million things, and these s'mores parfaits are just one example. An 8 ounce jar makes this dessert perfect for sharing, as it's quite large for just one person. Of course, you can modify the size of the container that you use.

You can also use chocolate chips in place of the chocolate squares. Be sure to use chips that are high in cocoa content - I recommend 60% or more - to maintain the balance. I've also used the ghirardelli 60% cocoa squares with great success here, which yields a lighter cocoa flavor.

All you'll need to make this parfait is a blender. If you don't have a microwave to melt the chocolate, use a double boiler and melt it old school on the stove top.

The trickiest part of putting it all together is layering the graham cracker crumbs, chocolate pudding and fluff. The fluff is the hardest part, because quite frankly, it's sticky, so you'll be either rinsing your hands a lot, or licking them! And even if you don't master the layering on your first go, I guarantee that you'll have a good time licking your fingers!

Ingredients
10 ghirardelli 72% cocoa squares, melted (or 3/4 cup chocolate chips, at least 60% cocoa)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup milk or plant milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup (heaping) marshmallow fluff

8 full rectangles of graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

2 8 oz glass jars

Berries, for garnish

Makes 2 8 oz parfaits, (serves 4 total)

Method
1. Melt the chocolate. I used my microwave on high for about one minute and stirred until everything was melted and uniform.

2. Combine melted chocolate, avocado, milk, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and salt in a blender. Purée on high for about 30-60 seconds until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides to make sure all ingredients are included.

3. Crush graham crackers, either with a cuisinart or the old fashioned way (like I did) in a bag using a rolling pin. Make sure the bag is closed so that crumbs don't go flying everywhere!

4. Separate the graham crackers into four approximately equal amounts. Use the first two piles to line the bottom of the two glass jars. Use the back of a spoon to pat down.

5. Carefully spoon in some chocolate pudding on top of the graham cracker layer. Pat down.

6. Next add about a heaping 1/8 cup of marshmallow fluff to each cup and use your fingers to pat down as much as possible.

7. Repeat each of those layers until the cup is filled and refrigerate for at least an hour.

8. Garnish with berries (and/or flake salt) and serve.

These lasted beautifully in my refrigerator (covered) for two days, and I was happy to see that the fluff stayed ooey and gooey, just like in a s'more.

You can pretend it's summer all year round with this recipe, so when it's the dark of winter and you need a little sprinkling of summer, whip these up!

S'mores Brownies

S’mores Brownies

Dairy Free S'mores Parfaits