S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

The kitchen is in full winter mode. The oven at 375 (always 375), the crockpot on the counter, the pantry stocked with jars from last August's canning — the evidence of a woman who preserves summer against winter and loss against forgetting and food against everything.

Thursday was tater tot hotdish, because Thursday is always tater tot hotdish and the schedule doesn't change for anything — not pandemics, not loss, not the passage of years. The tater tots go in at 375 and come out golden and the family eats them and the eating is the Thursday and the Thursday is the structure and the structure holds. But I also made cinnamon rolls extra frosting earlier this week, because the kitchen doesn't only look backward. The kitchen grows.

The cookie season has ended and the soup season has settled in. The kitchen smells like broth and thyme and the slow simmer of food that takes hours and rewards the hours with warmth. Winter cooking is patient cooking. The patience is Marlene's gift. The cooking is mine.

When I said the cookie season had ended, I meant it — but I didn’t mean it went quietly. Before I put the cookie sheets away and let the crockpot take over the counter entirely, I made one last batch of these S’mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, because a kitchen that honors its seasons also knows how to say goodbye to them properly. There’s something right about finishing cookie season with something this warm and a little campfire-sweet — patient cooking for people who deserve a little sweetness before the long simmer begins.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 24 bars

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup coarsely crushed graham crackers (about 8 full crackers)
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (for topping)

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy lifting.
Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugars. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until fully combined.
Combine wet and dry. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring just until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
Fold in the mix-ins. Gently fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips, miniature marshmallows, and crushed graham crackers, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
Spread into pan. Press and spread the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. Scatter the milk chocolate chips over the top, pressing them in lightly.
Bake. Bake at 375°F for 22–26 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center is just set. The marshmallows will puff and turn golden — that’s exactly right.
Cool before cutting. Allow the bars to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before lifting out and cutting into bars. Cutting too early will cause them to fall apart.

Nutrition (per serving)

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars — The Last Sweet Thing Before the Soup Takes Over