S’mores Chocolate Mousse Bars. The “fancy” adult version of everyone’s favorite childhood dessert. Sweet milk chocolate graham cracker crust, light and airy chocolate mousse, and finished off with a layer of creamy perfectly toasted meringue. With three layers of decadence, there’s a layer for everyone to love! These can be made up to two days ahead and toasted just before serving. Spend time making these over the weekend for Mother’s Day, then recreate them all summer long. Perfect for summer picnics and BBQ’s!

front on close up photo of S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars with flowers in the background

When one recipe concept fails, don’t give up entirely. Spin it into a brand new one, and you just might end up with something extra delicious. I mean, depending on the level of failure of course. Point is, don’t always let go of something that has failed. Instead try to turn the failure into something even better.

Which is exactly what I did with these S’mores bars. And while they are over the top in every way, I could not love them more.

Plus, with Mother’s Day this Sunday, Memorial day following in two weeks, and summer just a few weeks later…It’s safe to say that S’mores season is officially upon us. Time to be a kid again, so enjoy every minute of it. And these S’mores bars, are the deliciously perfect kick off!

milk chocolate sitting on graham crackers before adding mousse

Let me break these down for you.

Layer one: sweet graham crackers, salty butter, and luscious milk chocolate. Yes, that’s the crust for these bars. I knew I needed to make the crust very sturdy to be able to support both a layer of chocolate mousse and a layer of meringue. So I mixed the chocolate into the graham cracker crumbs to really help everything stick together. Turns out that milk chocolate stirred into graham crackers is incredible. The crust alone could be a dessert…

But, layer two and three are very much needed.

Layer two: light and airy chocolate mousse. Really, is there anything better? If you’ve never made mousse before, it’s simpler than you think, and requires only a handful of ingredients. Since we’re using sweetened chocolate throughout these bars, I decided to leave any additional sweetener out of the mousse. If you prefer an extra sweet dessert, I recommend adding a couple tablespoons of sugar in with the egg yolks. Honestly? I don’t think it’s needed though.

Chocolate Mousse on top of chocolate crackers close up photo of S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars

Layer three: sweet and creamy meringue, aka homemade marshmallow. A thick layer right overtop of the mousse, then toasted to that deep golden color we all love so much.

Do I even need to go on? Simply nothing here not to love. Every bite has a touch of crunch, is creamy, and perfectly sweet, with hints of toasted marshmallow throughout. So basically every single bite leaves you wanting another.

It’s dangerous, but there’s really nothing better than biting into one of these bars.

Too good for words.

side angled photo of S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars with flowers in the background overhead photo S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars

What’s especially great about these S’mores bars is that you can make them completely ahead of time. Then just keep them in the fridge until ready to serve. Be sure to do the toasting of the meringue in front of all your guests…or kids, or whomever you are serving.

It’s a real “wow” factor, you know?

These were 100% inspired by my mom, since chocolate mousse is her all time favorite dessert, with sweet meringue following closely after. She loves anything light, creamy, and airy, and said these bars were DELICIOUS.

side angled photo of S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars with bite taken out of bars

With enthusiasm I might add!

Here is the serious question of the day, have you gotten mom a Mother’s Day gift yet? If the answer is no, I’m solving all your problems right here with these S’mores bars. Make these for you mom and you’ll forever be the favorite chid. This I am sure of.

front on photo of S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bar with bite taken out of bar

If you make these S’mores milk chocolate mousse bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars | halfbakedharvest.com #smores #dessert #chocolate #summerrecipes
Print
4.35 from 78 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars.

The "fancy" adult version of everyone's favorite childhood dessert. Sweet milk chocolate graham cracker crust, light and airy chocolate mousse, and finished off with a layer of creamy perfectly toasted meringue. With three layers of decadence, there's a layer for everyone to love!

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings 18
Calories 395 kcal

Ingredients

Crust

  • 12 graham cracker sheets, finely crushed
  • 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
  • 6 ounces milk chocolate, melted

Chocolate Mousse

Meringue

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. 1. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper. 

    2. In a small bowl, gently mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and melted chocolate until moistened. Dump the mixture out into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Transfer to the freezer to harden. 

    3. To make the mousse. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium heat heat proof bowl.

    4. In a medium pot, whisk together the egg yolks, 1 cup cream, and sea salt. Set the pot over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens and easily coats the back of a wooden spoon, 5 minutes. It's import to be consistently whisking to ensure the eggs do not scramble. Remove from the heat. Strain the milk into the bowl with the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is melted. Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate until chilled. 

    5. With an electric mixer, beat remaining 2 cups heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of whipped cream into cooled chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spread the mousse in an even layer over the graham cracker crust. 

    6. To make the meringue. Bring a large pot of water to simmer. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl of the stand mixer over the pot of simmering water and cook, stirring often, until the egg whites are very warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved, remove the bowl from the heat. Whip the egg whites on high until stiff peaks form, 4-6 minutes. Add the cornstarch and vanilla and whip until glossy and combined, about 2 minutes. 

    7. Spread the meringue over the mousse. Chill until set, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. Cut into bars, this will be a bit messy, so clean your knife after each cut. Using a blow torch, toast the top of the meringue. Once toasted, the bars should be served immediately. 

horizontal photo of S'mores Chocolate Mousse Bars