gooey s’mores bars (low-carb)

Gooey s’mores bars will guarantee that you don’t have to miss out on a classic summer treat because you’re trying to eat more healthy! Feel good about splurging on these low, calorie, low carb bars for summer BBQs.

Enjoy a cinnamon graham cracker flavored crust, topped with hardened semi-sweet chocolate and a gooey marshmallow finale that you can lightly toast under the broiler!

These s’mores bars are made with almond flour and low-carb sweeteners so you can relish these bars without doing a face plant off the healthy wagon.

what’s in s’mores bars?

The crust
These gems have no refined sugar or flour in them. Almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon and a touch of honey is used to create a classic graham cracker taste.

A touch of xanthan gum is used because the almond flour is gluten free. Xanthan gum is an important ingredient in gluten-free baking as it helps these baked goods hold together and develop elasticity (a job normally performed by gluten). My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill. It’s a little pricey however you’ll never use more than 3/4 teaspoon at a time so it lasts a LONG time.

For the sweetener, I use brown erythritol (Swerve Brown or Lakanto golden work well) and a touch of honey. Even though honey has sugar in it, only a teaspoon is used in the entire recipe so the impact is negligible. This addition gives the crust an extra boost of graham cracker flave however you can omit if you like.

Lastly, I used a combination of ghee and coconut oil for the fat because I wanted to make them dairy-free. Feel free to substitute with butter or coconut oil.

Chocolate center
The chocolate center is so easy to make. I used Lilys semi-sweet chocolate chips (for a no sugar option). Feel free to use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips. Then I added a touch of refined coconut oil. I melted in the microwave or you can use a double-boiler. Use refined coconut oil vs. virgin if you don’t want a coconut taste.

Marshmallow fluff
I used grass-fed gelatin to make the marshmallow (regular plain gelatin will work too).

For the sweetener, my preference is allulose or xylitol because it stiffens better. I tried erythritol (Swerve confectioners) and could not get the consistency right.

s’mores bars without graham crackers

These s’mores bars are made without using actual graham crackers. I toasted the almond flour before using it in the batter which amps the flavor into graham cracker land.

Then, I used cinnamon, brown erythritol (similar to brown sugar but low-carb) and honey to really seal the deal.

how to toast almond flour

This is an easy step that takes the flavor of almond flour up a notch! Add the almond flour to a pan, over medium heat. Then constantly stir until the almond flour is browned and fragrant.

It doesn’t have to really be CONSTANT, but every few seconds you should be getting the bottom layer off the heat and mixing it up. That’s it! It takes about 5-7 minutes.

how to make s’mores bars

Making the crust and chocolate layers for these s’mores bars are pretty simple. It gets a little more complicated with the marshmallow top because heat and timing play an important role.

Let’s begin…

For the crust
I lightly toast the almond flour in a dry skillet for 3-5 minutes (watch and stir often so it doesn’t burn). Once it’s fragrant, I take it off the oven and put it on a plate or baking sheet to cool quickly. I also add the other dry ingredients at that time and stir with a fork.

While that’s cooling, cream the butter (or ghee) and coconut oil for 1-2 minutes with a mixer. You can substitute and use all butter, ghee or coconut oil if you prefer. Add the brown erythritol (I use Swerve brown but you can use Lakanto Golden or Sukon Gold) and honey.

Cream for 1-2 minutes longer – until smooth and then add an egg. Once that’s combined, add your almond flour mixture and mix until smooth. Place the batter in a parchment lined (or greased) pan and cook until sides are slightly brown. Set aside to cool.

For the chocolate
This step is very easy-simply melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments until smooth. Usually it takes 2xs. Pour the chocolate over the crust and set aside on the counter until cool, then place in fridge.

For the marshmallows
To sweeten the marshmallow, allulose or xylitol work best (erythritol doesn’t work for this one. Sorry – I tried to keep it to one sweetener for the recipe but the marshmallows said differently!).

Start by adding the egg white and cream of tartar to a mixing bowl and beat until small peaks are formed. Turn off your mixer.

Next, in a small sauce pan, add cold water and sweetener. Bring to a boil. Don’t mix but you can shake the pan a couple of times to spread the sweetener. Once it’s brought to a boil, keep it going for about 2 minutes or until it reaches a temperature of 210 degrees.

When the sweetener is done, turn the mixer on low and carefully pour the hot syrup into the middle of the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer to high. The marshmallow will start to increase in size and thicken. Once it’s at a point where it has peaks and seems like there’s some elasticity (roughly 5-7 minutes), add the vanilla and salt.

Take the crust/chocolate out of the fridge. Turn the mixer off and quickly spoon the marshmallow overtop of the chocolate. It might be sticky so move quickly.

Don’t worry if consistency isn’t completely smooth at this point. You’ll take it out of the fridge in 20-30 minutes once the marshmallow has set and broil it for a couple of minutes to toast it. Watch carefully while it’s broiling. TIP, if it does accidentally burn, take off the burnt part and stick it back under the broiler.

how to store s’mores bars

These can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 days. You can make the crust and chocolate ahead of time and freeze it. Then, when ready to serve, simply pull it out, make the marshmallow and top the bars.

other low-carb desserts you’ll love:

• strawberry shortcake cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
• carrot cake cupcakes, cream cheese frosting & orange-glazed walnuts
• healthier fruit pizza
• homemade twix bars (keto, GF)
• the most amazing caramel cups (keto)

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