Gooey Reese’s Banana S’mores Bars

A traditional s’mores consists of three essential building blocks that, when melted together over a roaring fire, equate to dessert perfection. It’s a holy trinity of ingredients. On their own, they’re awesome. Together, they’re unstoppable.

Besides those three magic ingredients, there is another reason why we all love s’mores so much. When you bite into that crunchy graham cracker, straight through to the gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate, it’s impossible not to be transported back to summers past. Growing up, summer was an endless era of carefree bliss. We had no responsibilities; we were not yet weighed down by the weight of the world. And on those warm summer nights, we would flock around campfires with our marshmallow sticks in hand, and we would toast those sugary-sweet pillows until charred and molten. Then we’d violently smoosh the marshmallows between graham crackers and Hershey’s milk chocolate. There was something so satisfying about taking that first bite and watching the crackers crumble as the melted chocolate and marshmallows came oozing out the sides.

Nowadays, a bite of a s’more still has the power to send us reeling back to those sweet summer nights. Although summers aren’t quite the same now as an adult, we can still take enjoyment in fun and delicious summer foods. These Gooey Reese’s Banana S’mores Bars are a twist on the campfire classic we all love. However, there’s no campfire required!

These babies are easy to put together and just need a quick bake in the oven. That means you can have these all year-round, and be taken back to childhood bonfires any time you want! Although these bars have all the flavors that send your mind straight to s’mores, they also have a few extra bells and whistles.

For one, I’ve replaced the tried and true Hershey’s milk chocolate with Reese’s Cups so you get that sweet & salty, chocolate-peanut butter magic. And then we’ve got fresh, ripe bananas who’s mellow, sweet flavor pairs absolutely perfectly with the peanut butter and chocolate. Couple that with the chewy, soft graham cookie base and ooey, gooey marshmallow Fluff for pure s’mores heaven.

Everything melts together so well; you’ll wonder why you’ve never had a s’more like this before.

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

1. Ripe bananas work best.
2. You can skip the Reese’s and stick to regular milk chocolate if you like.
3. White chocolate Reese’s would be delightful too!
4. These are much easier to cut after refrigeration.
5. Check out my classic version for Peanut Butter S’mores Bars here.
6. You can buy Reese’s in a convenient 6-pack (therefore equating to the 12 cups required for the recipe).

Gooey Reese’s Banana S’mores Bars
Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 6 whole crackers)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 Reese’s Cups
• 2 ripe bananas, peeled
• 1 cup marshmallow creme (like Fluff)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on opposite sides to lift the bars out afterward. Spray the foil and pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients gradually, beating just until the dough comes together.
3. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan, reserving 1/2 cup to use for the topping. Gently press the dough into an even layer over the bottom of the pan. If the bananas are ripe enough, you should be able to spread them over the dough like butter. If not, slice them into coins and spread them out in a single layer over the dough. Top the bananas with a single layer of the Reeese’s cups.Gently spread the marshmallow creme over the cups. Top with the reserved dough, crumbling over the marshmallow creme.
4. Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Lift from the pan using the foil “handles” and refrigerate until cool and stiff before cutting. You can pop the bars into the microwave for a few seconds before eating to achieve ooey gooey goodness.