Smores Bars

Apparently I'm on a childhood favorites recipe kick because I started with rice krispy treats and I'm moving on to s'mores.

S'mores Bars are the deliciousness of a s'more, right down to the broiled marshmallowy goodness, without all the mess. How perfect.

Another short ingredient list: sugar cookie mix, graham crackers (or teddy grahams), semi-sweet chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and butter.

Crush one cup of the graham crackers into crumbs and add to the sugar cookie mix. Just the dry cookie mix, don't add any oil or water or whatever else the bag may call for. You'll all be very pleased to hear that shortly after making these bars, I FINALLY got myself a set of mixing bowls. No more spilling mixes all over the kitchen because they won't fit in a plastic container.

Add one cup of melted butter to the cookie/graham cracker combo and mix until it forms a dough. Press into a ungreased dish. I used a 9x9, but a 9x13 would be better.

Then bake at 375 for 18 to 20 minutes until set and your whole kitchen smells delicious. As soon as it's out of the oven, pour your chocolate chips on the top, covering the whole pan. The recipe calls for 3 cups of chocolate, but I only had about a cup and a half of chips in the pantry. This is the only time you'll ever hear me say that it's worth it to go get more chocolate. Wait a minute or so and the warmth of the cookies will melt the chips, then spread out until smooth.

Cover the chocolate with mini marshmallows. I had plenty of those left over from the rice krispy treats and once again, I should've used more. I know better than to skimp on marshmallows.

Set the oven to broil, make sure the pan is only a few inches from the heat and watch closely. Nicely broiled marshmallows are wonderful. Burnt marshmallows are not. This should only take 15 or 20 seconds.

Let cool for a few minutes, slice and then eat while still warm. You can reheat them in the microwave later, but trust me, it's not as good as fresh from the oven.

While these bars won't replace a nice night under the stars with a campfire and friends, they will work perfect in a big city apartment in the drizzly rain.