M&M Cookie Bars are loaded with sweet candy coated chocolate in a traditional Chocolate Chip Cookie dough making this bar cookie a delicious combination of flavors.
Bar Cookies are a quick and fun treat, even more fun if you include the kiddos to help make! I love making memories in the kitchen and baking with my mom are among the many memories I have as a child.
Cookie M&M Bars can be made festive for the holidays too. Think red and green M&M's for Christmas, or use the Orange, Green and Purple M&M's for Halloween. And the Spring M and M's are also adorable too.
Celebrating your favorite athlete? Use colors of their team. Truly the possibilities are endless so go wild and have some fun.
Ingredients
Fat: Unsalted Butter. Always best for baking so you can add salt to the recipe for perfect seasoning
Sugars: Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar. Brown Sugar will add richness and a chewy texture.
Egg and Vanilla Extract add moisture and help bind the ingredients together
Dry Ingredients: All Purpose Flour, Salt, and Baking Soda
How to make M&M Candy Bar Cookies
I'm almost giddy excited about these bar cookies. I just love all the candy coated chocolate in fun bright colors. Silly, but they make me happy. So let's get started making them!
Gather all the ingredients you need and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a large mixing bowl and a hand mixer let's get started.
Cream Butter and granulated sugar on low speed until combined and gradually increase speed of mixer whipping ingredients together for 2-3 minutes.
Add brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract and continue to mix together for an additional 2-3 minutes.
In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients together of All Purpose Flour, Baking Soda and Salt and stir to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture a little at a time allowing flour mixture to fully incorporate before adding more. Mix until combined.
Hand stir M&M Candy pieces into cookie dough and add optional Chocolate Chips if desired. Dark Chocolate is also fantastic in this recipe too.
Line baking sheet or pan with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray. Bake until edges turn a light golden brown color and allow bars to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Store bars in a sealed container or Ziploc Bag for up to a week. Best if enjoyed in 2-3 days.
Quick Tips
Room Temperature. Allow butter to soften on counter for about an hour. Butter should be soft but not so soft it's mush. Also allow eggs to come to room temperature as well.
Mixing. This recipe can be made using a Stand Mixer, however it's plenty easy to use a hand mixer because it's a small batch recipe.
Add Chocolate Chips, White Chocolate Chips, or even Peanut Butter Chips to this recipe for more fun and tasty flavors.
Line Baking Pan. Lining baking pan with parchment paper helps lift bars out easily and makes for an easy clean up too.
Add Extra M&M's Candy. Always add extra M&M's candy pieces on top before baking. This adds extra color to an all ready great treat.
Pan Sizes. Bake in a 8x8in pan, 9x9, or even a quarter baking sheet for thinner bars.
Do not Over Bake. Over baking bars will make them hard. It's best to pull the bars out of the oven when the edges are only slightly golden.
Storing and Freezing
Store cooled bars in a sealed container or ZipLoc Bag for up to a week. Bars are best enjoyed within 2-3 days.
To Freeze: Wrap bars in plastic wrap and freeze individually for a quick treat and place in a larger Ziploc bag or container. Cookies can be frozen up to 3 months.
More Bars and Cookies
Lemon Bars are also a fun and tasty treat along with Pecan Pie Bars. And one of my favorites is Butterscotch Bars a recipe I learned as a very young girl. My family loves them all!
Cookie Bar Recipes are an easy and fun way to curb that sweet tooth or deliver to a friend. They also are great in cookie exchanges, served on a cookie tray or just because!
M&M Bar Cookies
Ingredients
- 7 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter Softened
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar 100 grams
- ⅔ Cup Brown Sugar 135 grams
- 1 Egg Large
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ⅔ Cup All Purpose Flour 200 grams
- 2 Cups Chocolate Candy M&M Candies
- ½ Cup Chocolate Chips optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer combine softened butter and granulated sugar and cream for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy
- Add brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract and continue to cream for an additional 2-3 minutes
- Using a seaparte bowl, combine dry ingredients of flour, salt, and baking soda and mix together.
- Gradually add dry ingredients a little at a time making sure to fully mix ingredients together before adding more.
- Hand stir M&M Candy Pieces and optional Chocolate Chips into cookie dough
- Spread dough in an 8x8, 9x9, or ¼ size baking sheet lined with parchment paper or well greased and bake.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-16 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown
- Allow to cool before removing from pan and cool completely before cutting into bars
- Store covered for up to a week or Freeze for up to 3 months
Notes
Quick Tips
Room Temperature. Allow butter to soften on counter for about an hour. Butter should be soft but not so soft it’s mush. Also allow eggs to come to room temperature as well. Mixing. This recipe can be made using a Stand Mixer, however it’s plenty easy to use a hand mixer because it’s a small batch recipe. Add Chocolate Chips, White Chocolate Chips, or even Peanut Butter Chips to this recipe for more fun and tasty flavors. Line Baking Pan. Lining baking pan with parchment paper helps lift bars out easily and makes for an easy clean up too. Add Extra M&M’s Candy. Always add extra M&M’s candy pieces on top before baking. This adds extra color to an all ready great treat. Pan Sizes. Bake in a 8x8in pan, 9×9, or even a quarter baking sheet for thinner bars.Nutrition Disclaimer
All nutrition values are approximate and calculated by a plugin and are provided as a courtesy. Adding or subtracting ingredients will change the nutritional value.
Emily
These M&M Bar cookies are so delicious! It was hard to stop at just one! My husband and my daughter both loved them! We will definitely be making these again!
Rebecca Johnston
Everyone loves M&M cookie bars. Always fun for the holidays too
pat
woow an awesome site thanks