Cookie bars will always be one of my favorite desserts, especially these M&M cookie bars! The M&Ms are just my excuse to add more chocolate. Plus, making cookies without having to roll them into balls is a great shortcut!
These cookie bars are slightly crisp on the outside and extra gooey on the inside. They are loaded with chocolate, and the M&Ms add a nice crunch! I had red, white, and blue M&Ms for the 4th of July, so I used them to make this a festive treat!
If you're looking for other dessert bar recipes, check out some of these favorites:
Cadbury Egg Cookie Bars (with Brown Butter)
How to Make M&M Cookie Bars
First, whisk together all of the dry ingredients: cake flour, salt, and baking soda. If you don't have cake flour, use a combination of all purpose flour and cornstarch. Instead of using 2 ¾ cups of cake flour, use 2 ½ cups of all purpose flour and ¼ cup of cornstarch.
Next, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Once creamy, mix in the vanilla extract and the eggs. Then add in the whisked dry ingredients and mix on the lowest speed. After the dry ingredients are just barely incorporated, mix in the M&Ms and chocolate chips by hand with a rubber spatula. The dough should be pretty sticky, but don't let that worry you!
Add the dough to a 9x13 pan lined with parchment paper. The parchment paper will make it easier to remove the cookie bars from the pan. Use a rubber spatula or knife to spread the dough evenly throughout the pan. Add extra chocolate chips and M&Ms on top as a decorative touch.
Next, bake the cookie bars at 350° Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, until golden on top. The cookie bars will still be really gooey, so let them sit until they reach room temperature before cutting them. (Or dig in immediately for an oversized pazookie!)
These M&M cookie bars are a hit with anyone that's tried them! Some other popular treat recipes on my website are the triple chocolate brownies and the brown butter rice krispie treats.
If you try out these candy cookie bars or any of my other recipes, I’d LOVE to hear about it. You can leave a star rating and comment below the recipe, or if you post a picture on Instagram, be sure to tag me! Getting any feedback on my recipes is both rewarding AND helpful as I write and edit recipes in the future.
Now get baking, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cup cake flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cup M&M's (milk chocolate)
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a standing mixer. Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until creamy and slightly lighter in color. Scrape down the sides halfway through.
- Add the vanilla and eggs and mix on medium speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Add the whisked dry ingredients to the standing mixer and mix on the lowest setting until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and Mu0026Ms and mix in by hand with a rubber spatula–this minimizes the risk of overworking the cookie dough.
- Add the dough to the 9x13 pan and smooth over the top with a spatula. If you'd like, add extra M&Ms and chocolate chips to the top.
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until golden. Let cool on the counter until room temperature (or else the bars will completely fall apart when you cut into them). Enjoy!
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