No Bake S’mores Bars
Nothing says summer like s’mores! These bars are a quick and easy, no mess, no-bake variation of the classic summertime treat.
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Pairing Suggestions
Campfires | Ghost Stories | Cold Milk
Flavor Notes
Toasted Pecan | Dark Cocoa | Latte Foam
Table of Contents
Why I Love These S’mores Bars
Nutritiously dense, flavorful, no bake s’mores? I’m already sold. Using a kitchen torch is just the cherry on top : )
I focused on balancing flavors, improving texture, and adding nutritional value while developing this recipe. Traditional S’mores are FAR too sweet for my personal palate. I think it comes down to the marshmallows. Still, s’mores pack a wonderful flavor combo – they have a caramel-like toastiness, rich chocolatey depth, and they’re just a little bit nutty. From the graham crackers.
Graham crackers pack a ton of low-value carbs and it’s hard to find a vegan, gluten-free brand. Instead of a graham cracker based crust, we’re using whole rolled oats and heart healthy pecans. To marry the two together, I’ve thrown in medjool dates. The result? Probably my favorite crust recipe to date! It gets even better on day 2 and 3 in the fridge. Not sure why, but I can confirm deliciousness has only improved – we’re on day 4 as I write.
YOU get to control the sweetness level! Traditional marshmallows make s’mores a bit too sweet in my opinion. Instead of subbing vegan marshmallows, we’re using this lovely substitute called aquafaba. This bean water is truly magical, because it whips up into a soft, fluffy meringue just like an egg white would – but without the risk of salmonella! Yay.
Torching the meringue is so incredibly fun, and I highly recommend you invest in a kitchen torch for occasions like these. They’re more affordable than you’d think! You can grab my favorite kitchen torch on amazon with this link.
Ingredients for No Bake S’mores Bars
Whole Rolled Oats: this is the main component of the base layer of these s’mores bars. Oats are filled with fiber, gluten free, and for many, they’re a pantry staple. Make sure you are using certified gluten free oats if you have a strong gluten allergy.
Pecans: I love the flavor profile of a pecan – I’ve always said that pecan butter tastes just like melted graham crackers, so it’s only fitting that we use this nut in particular to add healthy fats to the base of these s’mores bars.
Medjool Dates: truly nature’s candy! The dates serve to both sweeten and bind the base of these bars. Stock up on my favorite brand of medjool dates here.
Dark Chocolate: I personally love using Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate chips! We’re melting them directly into the middle layer of these s’mores bars. YUM.
Black Beans: Ok, don’t be scared. You would never even guess they’re inside. When I told my recipe testers about this little secret ingredient, they were truly shocked. Black beans add volume to the middle layer of these bars. The chocolate layer would be farrrr too rich without them.
Aquafaba: to make the voluminous, pillowy marshmallow meringue, we need two cans of this stuff.
Cream of Tartar: to stabilize the aquafaba marshmallow meringue. This is an important step to ensure the bars last longer without losing volume in the fridge!
Powdered Sugar: use it to sweeten the marshmallow aquafaba to YOUR personal taste. Use the amount I specify below or keep adding tablespoon by tablespoon to your specific taste – the aquafaba takes extra powdered sugar quite well.
How To Make S’mores Bars
Step 1: make the crust
Step 2: make the chocolate layer
Step 3: assemble in baking dish and chill
Step 4: make the marshmallow meringue
Step 5: torch and enjoy!
Make The Crust
The crust is just three simple ingredients: oats, pecans, and dates!
Add them all into a food processor and blend for about 20 seconds, then switch to pulsing. Pulse until a sticky dough forms. If your dates were a little bit dry, you might need to toss in a tablespoon of water to get the dough to come together.
Set the crust layer aside – you’ll need the food processor again for the next layer.
Make The Chocolate Layer
Clear out the contents of the food processor before starting!
Pour just the liquids from a can of NO SALT ADDED black beans into the food processor. We’re going to transform this black bean aquafaba into a fluffy, creamy base for the chocolate layer. Just blend the liquids until they’ve lightened up considerably (see image below).
While the processor is running, we’re going in with the black beans – slowly but surely, to prevent the black bean aquafaba from collapsing. Add the beans one spoonful at a time, and toss in two medjool dates for good measure.
Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl in intervals of 30 seconds. It usually takes me 4 30-second intervals. Be careful not to overheat, or the chocolate will become dry and separate.
Add the melted chocolate to the black beans while the food processor is running.
Assemble The Base Layers
Assembling is honestly my favorite part. So satisfying! Be sure to line your pan with parchment paper because we’ll need to pull the bars out again once they’ve had a chance to chill.
Firmly press that first layer down into the pan, then pour the gooey chocolate layer on top.
How to Make Aquafaba Meringue
Aquafaba whips best when it’s cold, so the first step is to stick your cans of beans in the fridge or freezer. I also like to chill the beater wands on my hand mixer and the bowl that I’ll be using to whip them up in.
Drain the liquid from the chickpeas and add it to your bowl. Add the cream of tartar, then start blending on high.
Be verrrry patient. Expect the process to take five minutes, minimum. You won’t start to see the mixture thicken for the first 2 or 3 minutes. Don’t worry, just keep blending!
Add the powdered sugar as soon as you achieve a thick layer of foam. Keep blending.
When you’ve achieved glossy white, stiff peaks, give the meringue a taste. Add more powdered sugar accordingly, one tablespoon at a time, with the blender still running on high.
*You can also use a high speed blender or food processor to whip the meringue, depending on your machine this method could fall flat. If the machine gets too hot too quickly, the meringue will collapse. I recommend the hand mixer technique, but in a pinch this could work!
Torching the Meringue
To torch before or after slicing – that is the question. I chose to do a gentle browning first, then I sliced the bars and toasted them individually to my preference. This is what I’d recommend, especially if you have guests with different marshmallow darkness preferences. There’s always that one person who genuinely LOVES a burnt marshmallow!
Expert Tips
Make sure you purchase no salt added garbanzo beans! The last thing you want is a salty undertone to the marshmallow layer.
Chill the cans of garbanzo beans for several hours before starting the meringue. Even better, chill the bowl and beaters beforehand, too. Aquafaba meringue whips up best when it is cold.
Don’t skip the cream of tartar!! This is an essential stabilizing agent that ensures you get those lasting, glossy, stiff peaks.
Add most of your sugar at the beginning of the meringue whipping process. Adding too much powdered sugar to end-stage meringue will make it more susceptible to deflating as it rests.
Watch Me Make these S’mores Bars!
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FAQs
Cream of tartar is a white powdery “spice” that you can pick up in most grocery stores near all the other cooking spices. It is actually a byproduct collected from the process of wine fermentation, believe it or not! The important thing about cream of tartar is that it’s super acidic, so bakers use it to react with things like baking soda or, in our case, to stabilize meringues.
You can order cream of tartar through Amazon here.
Yes! You can definitely prepare the first two layers ahead of time. When time comes to serve, you should budget about 15 minutes to whip up that meringue. Torching the meringue live for your guests is the epitome of host entertainment. It’s sure to be a hit!
These bars will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. PLEASE NOTE: after torching the meringue, it will only lose height as it sits. The browned tops will stay intact, but anything that was not torched will disappear. The bars are not ruined, but the thick meringue will essentially become a flat, thin layer on top of the chocolate.
These bars do not keep well in the freezer.
Recipe Card
S’mores Bars
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen torch
Ingredients
Base Layer
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups pecans
- 15 medium medjool dates
- ½ tsp salt
Chocolate Layer
- ⅞ cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 can black beans
- 2 medium medjool dates
Marshmallow Meringue
- ½ cup aquafaba (canned chickpea water)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
Instructions
Base Layer
- Add all the base ingredients (oats, pecans, dates, salt) to a food processor or blender and pulse to combine.
Chocolate Layer
- Drain the liquids from the can of black beans directly into a clean food processor or blender. Blend on high until the liquid has expanded and lightened in color (~3-5 minutes)
- With the blender running, slowly add in the black beans, one spoonful at a time.
- While the blender is running, add in the two dates.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Use 30 second intervals, stirring gently between each interval. Do not overheat or else the chocolate will seize up and difficult to use.
- Pour the melted chocolate into the black bean mixture while the blender is running.
Assembly
- Press the base layer firmly into a lined 8×8 baking dish.
- Pour the chocolate mixture on top. Use a spatula to spread evenly.
- Pop the bars in the fridge while you make the marshmallow meringue.
Marshmallow Meringue
- Using chilled cans of chickpeas, drain the aquafaba into a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the cream of tartar and, using a hand mixer, start beating the mixture on high. Beat for about 3-4 minutes before adding the powdered sugar.
- Add the powdered sugar and continue to beat the mixture on high speed until the meringue becomes glossy and opaque. We're looking for the classic "stiff peaks" to form. This process will take upwards of 10 minutes, so be patient.
Torching the Bars
- Spread the marshmallow meringue on top of the chocolate layer in dollops.
- Immediately after topping the bars with meringue, torch the tops using a kitchen torch in slow, circular motions, keeping the flame about 1 inch from the meringue.
- Slice into 16 bars and serve, torching individual bars to a darker color as desired.
Notes
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went – feel free to leave a comment below 🙂
