Fourth of July, to me, is a celebration of freedom. And the way I have always loved celebrating my freedom on Independence Day is with fun outside, good grilled food, fireworks (preferably over the ocean), and s’mores. And while I manage to do the first three things almost every single year, ever since I’ve really delved into my health journey I’ve shied away from the s’mores July Fourth finale I loved so much. Forgoing the gooey, melty, crunchy deliciousness to avoid copious amounts of refined sugar, preservatives, other weird ingredients like tetrasodium pyrophophate (found in store bought marshmallows), and the glutenous graham crackers. But now, my friends, I created these Paleo S’mores Bars so I can enjoy my favorite Independence Day treat for years to come!

These have a graham flavored nut base, a gooey fudgey brownie center, and a marshmallow top and seriously they taste like a s’mores packed in a cookie/brownie bar. These bars are naturally sweetened, have only good for your ingredients, and have collagen (or gelatin) packed in EVER LAYER! Which means, not only are they super delicious, but there are nutritious as well! I love baking with collagen because it’s completely indistinguishable as it is flavorless and I find it adds a great chewiness to the recipe. Collagen is great for your nails, digestion, hair, joints, and much more. I use and love this brand. It’s excellent quality and super affordable. Which is excellent when you’re using larger quantities for baking.

These bars can be eaten with the marshmallow fluff as is or can be placed into a hot oven to scorch the mallow topping to really give it that s’mores taste. See my notes in the recipe for more marshmallow roasting tips.

This post was sponsored by the Great Lakes Gelatin. All words and opinions are my own, and I use and love Great Lakes Collagen every day to support my joints. Thank you for supporting this blog through your support of its’ sponsors.

paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free, naturally sweetened

Paleo S'mores Bars

These S'mores Bars taste like a s'mores go upgraded into a brownie bar! They have a graham flavored nut crust, a gooey fudgey brownie center, and a marshmallow top. These bars are naturally sweetened, only use good for your ingredients, and have collagen (or gelatin) packed in EVER LAYER so they pack extra health benefits into a delicious treat.

freshlydafna.com

gluten free, grain free, dairy free, naturally sweetened

Ingredients

Graham Nut Crust

1 cup almonds
3/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup collagen hydrosolate
5 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp molasses*
2 tsp cinammon
1/4 tsp salt

Brownie Layer

1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 egg pasture raised, if possible
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup collagen hydrosolate
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Recipe for Paleo Smores

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper.
Make the graham nut crust by blending all the crust ingredients in a food processor until a sticky dough forms.
Press the dough into the 8x8 baking dish and press down firmly to create an evenly distributed layer.
Bake for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, prepare the brownie layer. Wipe down the food processor bowl, and add in the almond butter, coconut oil, egg, coconut sugar, and vanilla. Blend for about a minute or until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Then add the remaining ingredient and pulse again just until a dough forms.
Place the dough over the graham nut base and spread evenly across the baking dish, pressing down with a rubber spatula to create an even layer of brownie dough.
Baking for another 14-16 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick.
Make the marshmallow topping from Paleo Marshmallow recipe.
At the end, you can either pipe the marshmallows directly onto the brownie layer or spread it evenly across into a layer of desired thickness. Any leftover marshmallow can either be piped or spread out into a baking dish and left to set as per the original instructions.
These are great with the marshmallow toasted in a hot oven. See notes below for more on mallow toasting tips.

Recipe Notes

* Liquid Sweeteners: I know there are various types of sweeteners called for in this recipe. Molasses in the graham nut crust, coconut sugar in the brownie layer, and coconut syrup in the marshmallow. Feel free to sub coconut syrup or whatever liquid sweetener used in the marshmallows for the nut crust. I did like the molasses because it gives it more of that classic graham flavor.

Marshmallow Toasting Tips:

- If you are making and toasting these bars the same day (or less than 8 hours between), the marshmallow has not really set yet. Toasting the mallow top will melt the marshmallow rather than just toast it. It will create a gooey sauce all over the rest of the bars which I really enjoyed, but I must admit it was messy. Maybe utensils would have been useless, but let's just say I wasn't really thinking much about anything else other eating my messy s'mores bar as quickly as possible.

- If letting the marshmallows set for at least 8 hours, these can be toasted at 425 in the oven for a few minutes. The tops will be toasted and the brownie will be warm and fudgy.

If you make this recipe I’d love to see your creation! Please either post a comment or picture on this page or if you’re posting on Instagram please tag @freshlydafna and use #freshlydafna