Since 2014, the most popular fall recipe on the blog has been Spooky S'mores Bars - s'mores cookie bars made with ghost Peeps. And for good reason, they are freaking delicious.
This year, I decided to take that recipe and tweak it just a bit for Dia de los Muertos.
Dia de los S'MORES-tos Bars are festive layered cookie bars with a thick cookie base, melty chocolate center, and roasted Peeps Marshmallows on top.
The Peeps I used for these are Skull Peeps that I actually found in the check-out line at Michaels! (I bet they're on sale now!) You can also get them - tomorrow - from Amazon!
How to Make Dia de los S'MORES-tos Bars!
The cookie crust is made with butter, oats, and brown sugar. It's thick and tender and an excellent base for chocolate and marshmallow. Mix and bake - then let cool.
Here's the cookie base pre and post-bake.
Under the chocolate layer is a thin layer of Nutella. This is an update from the original recipe...and really, you can never go wrong with a little Nutella.
Next up are the chocolate bars. Hershey Bars are a classic for s'mores. You can go with a fancier chocolate bar, but why mess with perfection?
The Peeps get placed on top last. Here's the deal: you'll need to put them on UPSIDE-DOWN. It sounds counterintuitive, but trust me. The faces will melt off, and while scary, it's not what we're going for.
Once the Peeps are placed, you'll pop this under this broiler just briefly.
When the marshmallow tops have set up, use food coloring pens to decorate the skulls for Dia de los Muertos.
TIPS for Making Dia de los S'MORES-tos Bars:
- if making ahead, wait until the day of serving to decorate with food coloring pens,
- to store, cover loosely with a piece of waxed or parchment paper,
- keep cooked bars away from anything steamy or humid, like a boiling pot of pasta water or an open window,
- if the marshmallows become sticky on top, place back under the broiler (on low) for 30-45 seconds,
- room temperature bars can be warmed slightly with a kitchen torch!
Dia de los S'MORES-tos Bars
YIELD: 12
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
BAKE TIME: 19 minutes
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons Nutella
4 full-size milk chocolate bars, such as Hershey's
12 skull-shaped marshmallows, like Peeps
Preheat oven to 350. Butter an 8x8" pan. Line with one sheet of parchment paper, pressing into the corners or two strips, letting the ends overlap. Butter the parchment.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt.
Beat the butter and sugar together. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour mixture until combined.
Spread into the prepared pan, smooth the top evenly, and bake until done, about 18-20 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, spread on the Nutella, leaving about 1/2-inch border. Cover with the chocolate bars, breaking up the 4th bar to cover the cookie base completely. Top with 12 skull-shaped marshmallows. (Place them face down, as the faces will melt under the broiler.)
Move the top oven rack to the second-highest position (closer to the flame can cause the parchment to burn). Set the oven to Low Broil. Place the bars in the oven for 1-2 minutes until the chocolate is melty and marshmallows are golden. Rotate halfway for even browning.
Let cool, then use the food coloring pen to decorate. Lift out of the pan using the parchment overhang. Cut into bars using a large knife or bench scraper that has been lightly coated in oil and wiped of excess. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Store, lightly covered with a sheet of waxed paper or parchment at room temperature.
If you'd like another Dia de los Muertos treat, please check out this decorated cookie tutorial!
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