M&M Cookie Bars
These Chewy M&M Cookie Bars are the chewiest, happiest cookie bars you'll ever sink your teeth into! They'll stay chewy for days and freeze well.
Servings: 20
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 12 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 large egg yolk, room temp
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups M&M candies, colors of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F with rack on lower middle position. Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, with enough overhang on either side to make a sling (for ease of removal after baking.) Grease foil and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
- In another bowl, stir together the melted butter and both sugars. Stir in the egg and extra egg yolk. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold together the dry mixture into the wet mixture, just until incorporated. Do no overmix. Fold in 1 cup of the M&M's. Reserve the rest for pressing on top.
- Using slightly wet fingers, press dough into an even layer in the greased and foiled pan, making sure to get an even thickness throughout. Press remaining M&M's on top of dough.
- Bake 25-28 minutes or just until it's puffy and golden brown. It may seem a bit underbaked, but go ahead and take it out. It will set nicely upon cooling.
- Let cool completely at room temp before removing with the foil sling. Remove entire dessert with the foil sling and place on a cutting board. Cut into squares. Leftovers will keep for days at room temp in an airtight container.
Notes
- Cool the melted butter before mixing. If it’s too hot, it can scramble the eggs or make the dough greasy.
- Use room temperature eggs. They blend more smoothly into the batter and help create a uniform texture.
- Don’t overmix the dough. Stir just until the flour disappears to keep the bars soft and chewy.
- Press the dough evenly into the pan. This ensures the bars bake uniformly without thin, crispy edges.
- Reserve some M&M’s for the top. Pressing them in before baking gives the bars a bright, bakery-style look.
- Watch the bake time closely. Pull them out when the edges are golden and the center looks slightly underdone - they’ll firm up as they cool.
- Let the bars cool completely before cutting. This helps them set and makes cleaner slices.
- This recipe is part of our Dessert Bar Recipes Collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 37.7g | Protein: 2.7g | Fat: 10.8g | Saturated Fat: 6.5g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 107.4mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 25.7g