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M&M Cookie Bar Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.5 from 72 reviews
  • Author: Hannah
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 24 bars 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Deliciously chewy and colorful M&M Cookie Bars featuring a buttery, sweet dough loaded with chocolate chips and M&M’s. Perfect as a festive treat or everyday dessert, these bars are easy to make and ideal for sharing.


Ingredients

Scale

Base Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt or 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Mix-ins

  • 1 cup chocolate chips (plus more for topping if desired)
  • 1 cup M&M’s (plus more for topping if desired)

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a 9×13″ pan for thicker bars or a 15×10″ pan for thinner bars with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Spray the pan with non-stick spray.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugars. In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the room temperature butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar for about 1 minute until well combined and creamy.
  3. Add Eggs and Vanilla. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugars. Mix on medium speed until fully combined and smooth.
  4. Incorporate Dry Ingredients. Add the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Stir gently just until everything is combined, being careful not to overmix.
  5. Fold in Chocolate and M&Ms. Gently fold in the 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of M&M’s, reserving about ¼ cup of each to sprinkle on top later.
  6. Form the Dough in the Pan. Scoop the cookie dough into the prepared pan and press it down evenly to cover the bottom. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips and M&M’s evenly across the top for extra color and texture.
  7. Bake. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes if using the 9×13″ pan or about 20 minutes if using the 15×10″ pan. Bake until the top is lightly golden brown and set.
  8. Cool and Slice. Allow the baked cookie bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Once cooled, use the parchment or foil overhang to lift the bars out. Slice into 24 squares and serve.

Notes

  • M&M’s: Use regular or themed colored M&M’s to customize the bars for any holiday or occasion.
  • Storage: Store cooled bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze up to 3 months. Thaw for about an hour before serving and warm briefly in the microwave for 10-15 seconds if desired.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar (1/24 of recipe)
  • Calories: 210
  • Sugar: 18g
  • Sodium: 130mg
  • Fat: 10g
  • Saturated Fat: 6g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 3g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 28g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 2g
  • Cholesterol: 35mg