Old Fashioned Graham Cracker Bars are a simple yet mouthwatering treat that’s made with just six ingredients and ready in only 30 minutes!
Dive into the ooey gooey deliciousness of these Old Fashioned Graham Cracker Bars! Pair it with your favorite cup of tea or coffee for the ultimate dessert experience that’s best shared while catching up with friends or family!
Enjoying A Taste Of These Graham Cracker Bars!
Taste: Ingredients such as chocolate chips, graham cracker crumbs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract combine for a decadent treat! You’ll enjoy the taste of chocolate and subtly sweet graham crackers that are held together with a caramelly flavor from the condensed milk!
Texture: These Graham Cracker Bars are perfectly dense while also being amazingly gooey! The perfect texture for a satisfying treat that’s sure to please!
Graham Cracker Bar Ingredients
- graham cracker crumbs
- baking powder
- salt
- sweetened condensed milk
- chocolate chips
- vanilla extract
Customize The Taste And Texture!
These Graham Cracker Bars are absolute perfection, just the way they are! However, it’s also nice to be able to mix up a recipe to meet everyone’s taste buds.
And this recipe allows just that! For added crunch, you can add in toasted pecans or chopped walnuts. You can also switch up the chips and make these bars with peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips!
You can even make an incredible s’mores variation of these bars! To do so, add 1/2 cup of dehydrated marshmallows.
As for the texture of these Graham Cracker bars, that can be customized too! The texture is found in how fine your cracker crumbs are.
Finer graham cracker crumbs allow for more rise in the dough, which ultimately delivers thick, chewy bars with a slightly spongy texture. Whereas roughly crushed crumbs give you more dense and gooey bars with a texture similar to what you’d find in traditional chocolate chip cookie bars.
Recipe Tips For Making These Tasty Dessert Bars!
- Graham Cracker Crumbs – For convivence, you may want to use storebought graham cracker crumbs. However, if you already have a box of graham crackers, you can easily make your own crumbs to use in this recipe. Simply toss the graham crackers into a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. You can also turn the crackers into crumbs by placing them in a large Ziploc bag and rolling them over with a rolling pin.
- Preparing The Pan – To easily remove these bars from the pan, it works best to grease the bottom and sides of the pan. This can be done with either butter or shortening. Then add parchment paper on top, pressing it thoroughly into the bottom, corners, and sides. Be sure to use enough parchment paper so that it comes above the sides of the pan. Doing so will allow you to grab the paper to carefully lift the bars from the pan once they’ve cooled.
- Cool Before Slicing – Let the bars cool completely in the pan before attempting to remove them. If you try to remove them before they’ve had a chance to cool down and firm up, they’ll become messy and may even fall apart.
How To Make Vintage Graham Cracker Bars
Step 1: Turn crackers into crumbs in a food processor or add crumbs to a large mixing bowl.
Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Step 3: Add in the sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Ensure everything is fully incorporated; the dough will be thick and sticky.
Step 4: Add the dough to a parchment-lined baking pan and bake. Allow the bars to cool in the pan before removing and slicing.
Quick and simple desserts like this one are just as important as quick and simple dinner recipes! That way, you don’t have to choose between a delicious meal or a sweet treat; you can have both!
For more easy dessert recipes, try out my Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip or Strawberry Heaven On Earth Cake! However, if you’re more of a chocolate lover, you may find that this No Bake Chocolate Tart or No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake will suit your sweet tooth better!
How To Double The Recipe
Since these bars are quick and easy to make, they’re a great option for feeding a large crowd. Therefore, you may want to double the recipe! To do so, double each ingredient amount and then bake it in a 9×13-inch pan.
How To Store Old Fashioned Graham Cracker Bars
Store these bars at room temperature in a tightly sealed, airtight container. Enjoy them for 4 to 5 days.
These can also be kept in the fridge for up to a week, but I would recommend giving them time to come to room temperature before serving and enjoying.
Graham Cracker Bars FAQs
Unfortunately, no. Sweetened condensed milk is a key ingredient in this recipe. It is the binding agent that allows this recipe to remain egg-free. It’s also what brings in all the sweetness! If you’d like to avoid sweetened condensed milk, try our Chocolate Chip Pan Cookies instead!
Storebought graham cracker crumbs are made by brands such as Honey Maid, Kellog’s, and Keebler. Any is great and will work just fine in this recipe.
To find them, check the baking aisle of your grocery stores. Often, they’re located by the premade pie crusts and pie fillings.
Yes, using chocolate chips would make for a fun, colorful twist on this recipe. You can then make them a festive treat for holidays by using seasonally colored M&Ms!
More Yummy Bar Recipes
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Graham Cracker Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup chocolate chips plus more for topping if desired
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch baking pan with butter or shortening and then add in parchment paper, pressing it into the bottom, corners, and sides so the butter helps it stick. The parchment should rise above the edge of the pan for easy removal later. Set aside.
- Whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs,1 teaspoon baking powder,1 teaspoon salt
- Add in the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, and vanilla, and mix until thoroughly combined.
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk,1 cup chocolate chips,1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan, top with a few extra chocolate chips for appearance if desired, and bake for 22 to 25 minutes.
- Allow them to cool in the pan before removing and slicing.
Notes
You can also make this recipe with peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips.
For a s’mores variation, add in 1/2 cup of dehydrated marshmallows.
These bars are thick and chewy and almost spongy, not dense and gooey like traditional chocolate chip cookie bars.
For best results, use a baking pan with squared-off edges as opposed to rounded ones.
This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Using finer graham cracker crumbs will allow for more rise in the dough and lead to a thick and chewy, and almost spongy texture. If your crumbs are more roughly crushed, like in the process photos, you’ll get more dense and gooey bars like traditional chocolate chip cookie bars. Both are delicious, it really depends on your personal preference.
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