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These are the best ever chewy, gooey Toasted Marshmallow Brown Sugar Cookie Bars. They’re homemade brown sugar cookies made with browned butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup and a secret ingredient that really makes these cookie bars better than the rest: apple butter. Toast marshmallows are sandwiched in between these yummy bars. They’re gooey, chocolatey, and ultra cozy. They melt in your mouth!
Never have I shared such a yummy cookie bar. These are sweet, decadent, and delicious.
Nine out of ten times, if you ask me to make a marshmallow dessert, I will decline. I don’t love marshmallows. They taste like sugar, and unless they’re super toasted and on the verge of being very burnt, I don’t love their texture.
But a couple of weeks ago, I baked marshmallow cookies, and ever since then, a slew of marshmallow desserts have come to mind. It’s not the usual for me, but it’s that fun time of year when I want to get back into cozy autumn baking!
To make these cookie bars, I used my mom’s brown sugar cookie dough, an autumn cookie favorite, as the dough base.
The dough is made with brown butter and apple butter, my secret to so many dessert recipes. This makes these cookies the perfect September cookie bar!
Details
Step 1: brown the butter
This is simple, and it’s a step that can transform an average cookie into a really great one. Use a medium skillet and brown both sticks of butter over medium heat. Then, let the butter cook until it bubbles and foams on top. This is when I turn the heat off and continue to allow the butter to cook in the pan.
Little brown bits will form on the bottom of the pan. These are the nutty little bits that make our recipes extra delicious.
Step 2: make the cookie dough
Once the butter cools off slightly, start mixing the cookie dough.
Pour the butter into your favorite cookie mixing bowl, then add the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple butter (trust me, the apple butter is the secret), a room-temperature egg, and a good amount of vanilla. You can use a spatula to mix this all together. Since the butter is liquid, there is no need for an electric mixer.
Now, add the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Mix in chocolate chips.
Step 3: bake the cookies
Press half the cookie dough into a square baking pan—I recommend a 9×9-inch square pan. Bake the base cookie for 10 minutes.
Then, pull the pan out. Switch your oven to broil. Arrange a couple of handfuls of marshmallows over the pre-baked cookie. Broil the marshmallows until they’re very toasty. I like them closer to burnt best, but you do you here.
Please watch the bars closely. The broiler can work quicker than you’d guess.
Once the marshmallows are toasty, pull the pan out and return the oven to baking temp.
Press the remaining dough over the toasted marshmallow. Use your hands to flatten the dough into a disk and place it on top of the marshmallow. It is OK if the dough doesn’t cover all of the marshmallows.
Now bake for 10 minutes. The bars will come out of the oven with bubbly marshmallows peeking through the golden cookie dough.
They will look and smell scrumptious!
Step 4: salt, cut and eat
All that is left is a sprinkle of sea salt.
Let the bars hang in the pan until cool, then lift them out and cut. They’ll be gooey and messy, but that’s what makes them so good. Just embrace the mess. These are so delectable. Just perfectly set on the edges, but the gooiest in the center with just the right amount of chew, sweetness, and rich flavors.
Great for back-to-school, game nights, and transitioning into cozy autumn baking days/nights!
Looking for cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Glazed Brown Sugar Maple Cookies
Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Toasted Marshmallow Brown Sugar Cookie 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 tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Burnt Marshmallow Brown Sugar Maple Cookie Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories Per Serving: 372 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup apple butter
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1-2 cups marshmallows
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat, cook until the butter begins to brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Let sit 10-15 minutes. 2. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. 3. To the browned butter, whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, apple butter, egg, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold in chocolate chips. 4. Press half the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Switch the oven to broil. Arrange the marshmallows over the pre-baked cookie. Broil for 1-3 minutes until the marshmallows are toasted to your liking. Return the oven to 350° F5. Using your hands, flatten the remaining cookie dough and lay it over the marshmallows, covering them as best you can. It's OK if the cookie dough doesn't cover all the marshmallows. Return the cookies to the oven. Bake another 10 to 15 minutes until the top is set up.6. Let the cookies hang 10 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift them out. You can let them chill or cut into them. If they're warm, they will be messier, but so DELISH!
This post was originally published on August 27, 2024
Thanks for a great new recipe! I followed the recipe as written except for using caramel apple butter (what I had on hand) and an 8×8 baking dish. Yes, I had to let each section cook longer, but I ended up with tasty bars that were more cake-like than cookie. I like my marshmallows toasted (glad you changed the name). My husband thought they would be great with coffee, based on the strong cinnamon flavor Will definitely be making again! Yummy!
Hey Joy,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it turned out well! xx
Made these yesterday. I’m visiting Scotland from the USA, and you can’t buy apple butter here, so I ended up making the apple butter the day before! 🙂 I always follow NEW recipes exactly, especially baking, and this was no exception (save the pan size/shape), and I used metric.
There was a HUGE problem right off the start: With the recipe ingredients measured to specification, +/- 1 gram, after all of the ingredients were combined the mixture was a thin BATTER and not a “pat-able” dough! I had to add a LOT more flour and then put it in the fridge for it to be a cookie dough.
I knew going in that my host doesn’t have a square, 9×9 pan, and so I needed to use a large round pan without the parchment (I buttered it). THAT or the extra flour I had to add, made the cookie layers thicker than what is shown in the photos, and so my big, round “cookie” turned out to be more of a brownie with a marshmallow filling. It is good. OK.
I’m wondering if this was originally made with a “scoop and level” USA measuring and then the metric was just “mathed out” using the standard 120 g flour to a cup, because that could throw off the true amount of weight measured flour by a fair amount, which was my experience.
For as expensive as maple syrup is, I couldn’t really taste its addition in this. I used dark chocolate chips and all of us commented that if it had been milk chocolate this recipe would have been way too sweet. I think the other people liked the resulting “brownie” more than I did. If I were to make this again, I would tweak it considerably — from ingredients to production. It was a lot of fussy work for what I ended up with.
That said, the apple butter is a *wonderful* addition to these types of things, and you’ve sparked ideas… starting with oatmeal cookies.
I made them but they were so messy, I couldn’t serve them as bars. The flavor was spot on, but ended up having to make a cookie cake and smush them on top of the cake. I don’t know what I did wrong, but the marshmallows took over.
Hi Leslie,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, these are definitely a messy treat, similar to a s’more:) Please let me know if there is anything else that I can help with! x
I am definitely going to make these! Just dropping a note to tell you (once again) how fabulous you are! Your recipes are my first go to for everything! Keep doing this always!
Lisa S.
XOXOXOXO
Aww, thank you so much, Lisa! I really appreciate you being here and your kind message! I hope you love this recipe:) xT
HI Tieghan,
I made these yesterday and they taste amazingly delicious! The big mistake I made was using tinfoil instead of the parchment paper since I didn’t have any. Despite spraying the foil with cooking spray it still stuck. Secondly, I think I folded the chocolate chips into much or mixed them as it looks more like a brownie with marshmellow in it yum!!! I’m sure I’ll make again so I can share with others thank you!
Hey Mike,
Amazing!! Thank you so much for giving these bars a try, I am so glad to hear that they were a hit! I hope you enjoyed your long weekend! xT
Tieghan, I’m making these bars right now and they smell delicious. However, I needed to bake the each layer longer. Your recipes are soooooo good 😊. Thank you … And don’t let the negative Nellie’s get you down. There’s a positive way of giving “negative” reviews – they don’t need to be so rude about it. They must be pretty miserable people.
Thanks so much for your kind message, Kathy:) I hope these bars are a hit, thanks for giving them a try! Have a great Labor Day! xT
Delicious! I forgot the apple butter when I went to the store, so skipped that ingredient. They were still amazing without it! The whole family loved them!
Hey Andrea,
Wonderful! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for making it! Happy Sunday! xT
Your ingredients call for salted butter. In the photo the butter is obviously unsalted. Do you think we are all fools? You have millions of followers for crying out loud. Quit being dishonest. It’s really starting to show.
Hey Alice,
My grocery store was out of salted butter. I had to buy unsalted, yes this is true! Don’t worry, I doubled the salt for my bars personally. I fully recommend using salted butter for the best results!! Hope you just love these cookies bars! Have a great long weekend and happy September!! Xx
Angel of a response to that! Good grief. Making these now with my salted butter and will be sure to add in salt if I don’t have salted butter lol.
I can’t even believe you read the butter paper in the picture to begin with…and then to write this nonsense. Enjoy that saltiness.
This is a wildly inappropriate comment. Please act like an adult and use some critical thinking skills.
WOW! This is a wildly inappropriate response to BUTTER. Ease up. Unless, that is, you’ve never made a mistake.
These turned out fantastic for me! I made them as shown except for adding in a few butterscotch chips and using applesauce instead of apple butter because I didn’t have any apple butter on hand. Mine needed a little more baking time than was written in the recipe, and they were still just barely done but that was perfect! Would rather a little underdone than overdone on treats like this. Great recipe for upcoming fall months, will absolutely make again!
Hey Celeste,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well! Happy Labor Day Weekend! xx
Hi Tieghan,
I made these today and they’re a big hit. Can these be frozen to be enjoyed at a later date?
Hey Emily,
Thanks so much for giving these a try! Love to hear that they were a hit! if you freeze them, I would pop them into the oven before serving so they can get a little melty. xx
Hi Tieghan, these bars look delicious and will be added to my list of treats to bake this fall! I am also not a big fan of the taste of plain marshmallows, but I love the idea of toasting them and then adding them to a bar recipe. I would love to try this recipe with gluten-free and dairy-free substitutes as well! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much, Sophia! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
These were OUTRAGEOUSLY good. Like, tiny bite every time you walk by good. The top layer needed about 16 minutes rather than 10 but other than that, perfect, fun, easy recipe that was a huge hit.
Thanks so much for your comment, Katie! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try! Xx
Tieghan..you knocked it out if the park with this one! Wow..Delish..
Thank you
Terri
Hey Terri,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, love to hear that it was a winner! x
I know it says it’s “the secret” but what does the apple butter bring to the recipe the other ingredients don’t? Thank you!
Hi Kendra,
The apple butter gives these bars a fall vibe, with hints of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. I hope you love this recipe! xT
Why wouldn’t you just add cinnamon cloves and nutmeg? Wouldn’t that be easier?
Thanks for the answer! Wouldn’t the spices be completely dependent on the apple butter you use? The one I buy doesn’t even have spices. There is also cinnamon already in the recipe. So why the apple butter? Is it for moisture? Otherwise seems like a waste of apple butter.
Tieghan, it’s suspicious that you wouldn’t respond to these questions. It gives the impression that you are using apple butter just because, with no understanding of what it adds to a recipe. If you created the recipe you should be able to explain why you chose the ingredients.
Hattie… is there a reason u r coming at the author with such vehemence? If u review all of her content, she is nothing but kind in all.of her interactions. Even if u don’t like this recipe, or how she does things in general, it seems like u chose a weird thing to be getting irate about.
Hattie, I would imagine apple butter most likely tastes of apples. Which brings a fall vibe because it’s a fruit that is harvested in the fall. Hope this helps!
Hi Tieghan!
This sounds amazing,
Do you perhaps have a sub for the apple butter as we don’t have it available in south africa.
My husband is allergic to apples, so I’m thinking I’ll try this recipe with pumpkin butter. There’s a recipe on HBH for homemade if you can’t find it.
Thanks Megan! That will work nicely for you:) xx
Thanks so much, Lize!! Yes, you can use pumpkin butter or 2 additional tablespoons of maple syrup. Please let me know if you ave any other questions! xT
Hi Lize,
If you want to try it, Tegan has recipe on her site that offers instructions for slow cooker, instant pot and stove top. Hope this helps https://fett-weg.today/homemade-slow-cooker-maple-apple-butter/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
These sound incredible, Tieghan!!
Did you make these or are you just trying to mislead readers looking for a review of the recipe?
Yes.
Thanks so much, Ruthy!! Let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT
Sub for apple butter? I don’t find it in my local grocery
Hi Janelle,
I actually have a recipe for homemade apple butter! Otherwise, you can use pumpkin butter or 2 additional tablespoons of maple syrup. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
https://fett-weg.today/homemade-slow-cooker-maple-apple-butter/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E