S'mores Krispie Treats: The Indoor Campfire Dessert Everyone Will Grab Twice
Golden Grahams, gooey marshmallows, and two kinds of chocolate come together in one pan — no campfire required. Ready in 15 minutes and gone in about the same.
Dowell Cooks5 min readPrint this post
No fuss. All flavor. Every single time.
Hey, welcome to Dowell Cooks! If you've ever wished you could have s'mores without standing over a fire pit, this recipe is your answer. We're talking Golden Grahams cereal, a full bag of mini marshmallows, semi-sweet chocolate chips, AND Hershey's milk chocolate squares all pressed into one glorious pan. It tastes exactly like a campfire s'more — except you made it in your kitchen in about 15 minutes flat. These are the kind of treats that disappear at parties, potlucks, and family movie nights before you even get a chance to cut them evenly. Simple ingredients, delicious results — that's the whole game.
15 minutes, and you’re ready to cook.
Ten minutes of prep, five minutes on the stove — that's the whole timeline. Here's how to get everything staged before the butter hits the pan.
- Gather EquipmentGather a 9x13-inch baking dish, large bowl, large pot, measuring cups, measuring spoons, spatula, rolling pin, wax paper, and cooking spray.1 min
- Prepare the Salted ButterMeasure ⅜ cup Salted Butter into a small prep container.30s
- Prepare the Golden Grahams CerealMeasure 6 cup Golden Grahams Cereal into a large bowl.30s
- Prepare the Semi-Sweet Chocolate ChipsMeasure 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips into a small prep container.30s
- Prepare the Mini MarshmallowsRemove 3 cups of mini marshmallows from the bag. Measure 10 oz Bag Mini Marshamllows (2½ cups) into the large bowl with the cereal and chocolate chips. Place the remaining ½ cup of mini marshmallows in a separate small prep container for topping.1 min
- Prepare the Hershey's Milk Chocolate BarsSeparate 1½ oz Hershey'S Milk Chocolate Bar(S) ((4 Snack Sized Or 1 Regular Size Bar)) into individual squares, then cut each square in half. Place in a small prep container.2 min
- Coat the Baking DishCoat the 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.30s
- Stage IngredientsArrange all prepped ingredients near the stove in order: salted butter, large bowl with cereal/chocolate chips/marshmallow mixture, remaining marshmallows, chocolate bar halves, reserved ½ cup mini marshmallows, prepared baking dish, spatula, rolling pin, and wax paper.1 min
Tools for this recipe.
Nothing fancy here — a big pot, a big bowl, and a 9x13 pan are really all you need. A rolling pin is a nice bonus for flattening.
- baking dish
- cooking spray
- large bowl
- large pot
- wooden spoon
- spatula
- rolling pin
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- wax paper
The Technique: Melt, Fold, Press
The whole method here is a three-step build: melt, fold, press. The most important moment is when you pull the marshmallow mixture off the heat. You want it just barely melted — not bubbling, not browned. Give it two minutes to cool slightly before pouring it over the cereal mix, or the residual heat will melt your chocolate chips into the base and you'll lose those distinct pockets of chocolate. Speaking of which: fold the cereal mixture gently and quickly. You're coating, not mashing. Once it's in the pan, use a greased spatula or a sheet of wax paper with a rolling pin to press it down flat and even. Then comes the fun part — pressing the Hershey's squares and reserved marshmallows into the top while everything is still warm and sticky. That's your s'mores moment right there.
A few things worth knowing before you start — these tips make the difference between a good bar and a great one.
Sweet dominates — salt is your only counterweight
With both chocolate chips and milk chocolate contributing high-sugar profiles, the salted butter is the sole source of meaningful contrast. Don't swap it for unsalted — that salty edge is doing real structural work on the palate.
Build order matters more than you'd think
This is a build technique: melt, fold, press. The sequence in which you fold the chocolate chips determines whether they melt fully into the base or stay as pockets. Fold them in last, off heat, if you want distinct chocolate hits rather than a uniform brown bar.
Chocolate and the cereal share a Maillard bridge
The milk chocolate and Golden Grahams cereal share phenolic and Maillard compound families, which is why the toasted-grain note in the cereal reads as a natural extension of the chocolate rather than a competing flavor.
Semi-sweet vs. milk chocolate — pick your bitterness level
Milk chocolate sits around 8 on bitterness; semi-sweet chips push to 15. Using all semi-sweet chips shifts the bar noticeably drier and less cloying — worth doing if the full build feels too sweet on tasting.
The Salt Is Doing Real Work Here
This recipe calls for salted butter, and that's not an accident. With two sources of chocolate and a full bag of marshmallows, the sweetness in these bars is intense. The salt in the butter is the only thing keeping them from tasting like pure sugar. Don't swap it for unsalted — that little bit of salt is what makes each bite feel balanced rather than one-note. It's the same reason a pinch of salt on a chocolate chip cookie makes it taste more like chocolate.
Make It Your Own
The base recipe is already a crowd-pleaser, but there's plenty of room to play. If the bars feel too sweet for your taste (totally valid — there's a lot of chocolate happening), swap out the milk chocolate Hershey's bar for dark chocolate squares. The extra bitterness cuts through the sweetness and gives the whole thing a more grown-up edge. You can also go the other direction and press peanut butter chips or crushed Oreos into the top alongside the marshmallows for extra texture and flavor. Want a thicker bar? Use a 9x9 pan instead of 9x13 and give them extra time to cool before cutting.
- Contains
- milk, wheat, gluten
- Fits
- Nut-Free
Substitutions that still taste like the recipe.
Want to mix things up? Here are the best ingredient swaps — ranked by how well they play with the rest of the bar.
- clotted cream
- cream
Lacks the fresh and grassy notes.
- ghee
Brings earthy and roasted notes; lacks the fresh and grassy notes.
- chocolate↓ sweet
Brings buttery, creamy and coconutty notes; richer.
- oreo cookies↓ sweet
Lacks the earthy and roasted notes; sweeter-bodied.
- chocolate pudding mix
Lacks the earthy and roasted notes.
- nutella
Lacks the clove-like and smoky notes; less sugary.
- oreo cookies
Lacks the creamy and coconutty notes.
- date syrup↓ fatty
Don't Rush the Cool-Down
The biggest mistake people make with krispie-style treats is cutting them too early. If you slice into these while they're still warm, the bars won't hold their shape and you'll end up with a gooey pile (delicious, but not exactly party-tray ready). Let them cool completely at room temperature — at least an hour, ideally two. If you're in a hurry, 20–30 minutes in the fridge will do the trick. Once they're set, a sharp knife and a confident cut is all you need. Wipe the blade between cuts for clean edges.
Common questions
Can I make these ahead of time?
Can I double the recipe?
Why did my bars turn out too hard?
Can I use regular Rice Krispies instead of Golden Grahams?
Do these need to be refrigerated?
- Dairy & Eggs
- $0.82
- Pasta & Grains
- $0.93
- Baking
- $4.67
That's all there is to it — one pot, one bowl, one pan, and about 15 minutes of actual effort. These S'mores Krispie Treats are exactly the kind of recipe Dowell Cooks is all about: real ingredients, no complicated steps, and a result that makes everyone at the table happy. Whether you're making them for a summer cookout, a school bake sale, or just because it's Tuesday and you deserve something good — this one's a keeper. Browse all recipes for more easy, crowd-pleasing ideas just like this one.
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