S'mores Bars with Jaca
No campfire required for these s'mores bars — all the gooey, chocolatey, toasty-marshmallow magic of a classic s'more baked into a soft, chewy graham cracker cookie bar you can cut into squares and hand around at any summer cookout. A buttery graham cracker cookie dough gets pressed into the pan, layered with marshmallow creme and chocolate chips, then topped with more dough so the marshmallow and chocolate peek through the cracks as it bakes. Our version swaps the brown sugar for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount — 1 1/2 cups of granular Jaca in place of 3/4 cup of conventional brown sugar — so the bars bake up just as sweet and chewy with no added sugar and no aftertaste. Allulose creams right into the butter like conventional sugar and browns beautifully, just a touch faster, so keep an eye on the oven near the end. For a fully reduced-sugar batch, reach for sugar-free chocolate chips and an allulose-sweetened marshmallow creme. Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (8 tablespoons (113g), softened to room temperature)
- 1 1/2 cups Jaca (allulose), granular (replaces 3/4 cup of conventional brown sugar at the 2x ratio — no added sugar and no aftertaste)
- 1 tablespoon molasses (optional, for the deeper brown-sugar flavor allulose alone does not provide)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g, spooned and leveled)
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (120g, about 8 full-sheet graham crackers)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (180g; use sugar-free chips to keep the bars fully no-added-sugar)
- 1 heaping cup marshmallow creme (store-bought Fluff or homemade; do not substitute whole marshmallows)
Sweetener Used
1 1/2 cups granular Jaca Allulose
Replaces: 3/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides so you can lift the bars out later. Set aside.
- 2
In a large bowl with a handheld or stand mixer, cream the butter and granular Jaca on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until light and combined. If using the optional molasses for that brown-sugar depth, add it now. The mixture will not pack the way brown sugar does, but it creams smooth.
- 3
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. The mixture may look slightly curdled — that is fine.
- 4
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and beat on medium speed just until a soft, sticky dough forms.
- 5
Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan in an even, thin layer — the dough is sticky, so use your hands and do not worry about perfection.
- 6
Spread the marshmallow creme evenly over the dough layer, then scatter the chocolate chips on top.
- 7
Flatten the remaining dough into thin pieces and lay them over the chocolate chips. You will not have enough to fully cover it — that is the charm, letting the marshmallow and chocolate peek through the cracks.
- 8
Bake for 22 to 28 minutes, until the top is lightly golden. Jaca caramelizes a little faster than conventional sugar, so start checking at 22 minutes and loosely tent the pan with foil if the top is browning too quickly.
- 9
Place the pan on a wire rack and cool the bars completely — they firm up as they cool.
- 10
Lift the bars out using the parchment overhang and cut into 16 squares. Wipe the knife between cuts for the neatest edges.
Pro Tips
- Bring the butter and egg to room temperature first so the dough creams smooth and bakes evenly.
- Jaca caramelizes a little faster than conventional sugar — start checking at 22 minutes and tent with foil if the top browns too fast.
- Use marshmallow creme (Fluff), not whole marshmallows — marshmallows melt away and leave craters, while the creme holds its shape in the oven.
- For a fully no-added-sugar batch, use sugar-free chocolate chips and an allulose-sweetened marshmallow creme.
- Cool the bars completely before cutting — warm bars are too gooey to slice cleanly, and a hot knife wiped between cuts gives the neatest squares.