Soft and Chewy M&M Cookie Bars

These cookie bars are a fun and colorful twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. Rich with caramel flavor and studded with rainbow colored m&ms that burst with chocolate in every bite, these cookie bars are soft and chewy with crispy golden brown edges.

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Why you’ll love m&m cookie bars

These cookie bars are a fun and colorful twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. Rich with caramel flavor and studded with rainbow colored m&ms that burst with chocolate in every bite, these cookie bars are soft and chewy with crispy golden brown edges.

I’ve always loved this flavor combination in a cookie, and now it’s even easier to make as a bar- you can mix all the ingredients in just one bowl and bake them up in one 8 x 8 inch baking dish! So easy to make and even easier to clean up!

Recipe Tips for the best m&m cookie bars

Do not over bake them. The key to a soft and chewy cookie is to pull them out of the oven as soon as they puff up in the center and turn light golden brown around the edges. The same is true for cookie bars. This is not a secret, but it makes a HUGE difference in the texture of your cookie, and I think it also makes them last a little longer too!

Recipe Variations

Switch out the dark brown sugar for light brown sugar if you prefer a milder caramel flavor.

In addition to the m&ms try adding milk, semi-sweet, dark, or white chocolate chips to these bars to make them extra chocolatey and decadent.

FAQ

• So why is it called a cookie bar?

  Cookie bars are actually a bar dessert rather than a cookie. Cookies are shaped or dropped onto a pan in individual serving sizes, while cookie bars are baked in a baking dish as one piece and sliced into individual sized pieces. The flavor outcome is very similar, and I find bar cookies to be even faster and easier than cookies!

• Why are my cookie bars dry?

  You either have too much flour in the recipe

  • Your dough will look crumbly and be hard to compact together. Add 1 tablespoon of melted and cooled unsalted butter at a time until until the dough is just able to stick together.

  Or you left the pan in the oven too long

  • Sorry, there is really no way to fix this. The next time you bake this recipe, set a timer and check the bars five minutes early, then you can watch them closely until they are ready - they should be just lightly golden brown around the edges and puffy in the middle.

• Can use generic brand candy coated chocolate instead of m&ms?

  Yes you can, but my honest opinion is that the generic brand or any other knock off m&m has a candy coating that is too sweet, so I prefer to buy m&ms and that is what I used in this recipe.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• Spatula

• Stand mixer or hand mixer

• parchment paper

• 8 x 8 inch baking dish

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup butter (melted and cooled slightly)

• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¾  cup mini m&ms, frozen

How to make soft and chewy m&m cookie bars

Prep

Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper.

Mix the Dough

In a large bowl mix granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together.

Add the butter and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Add the flour and mix until combined.

Add the mini m&ms and mix until evenly distributed.

Bake

Pour the mixture into the parchment lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown and the middle puffs up slightly.

Let cool and set in the pan for about 1 hour or until the bars are completely cooled.

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How to Store

Store soft and chewy m&m cookie bars at room temperature at room temperature in an air tight container for up to five days, or store in the refrigerator for up to five days. If stored in the refrigerator, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, or pop in the microwave for five to ten seconds to warm to room temperature.

You can also freeze soft and chewy m&m cookie bars easily. Just place (fully baked and cooled) in an air tight freezer container and store in the freezer for up to three months. Remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator 24 hours prior to serving.

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More cookie bars, please!

Try these:

• Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

• Cookies ‘n Cream Cookie Bars

• Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

• Iced Oatmeal Cookie Bars

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

• Cowboy Cookie Bars

• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie Bars

m&ms, the easiest cookies, the best m&m cookies, the best chocolate chip cookie bars, aesthetic food, aesthetic cookies, rainbow cookie bars, baking ideas

dessert, cookies, bars

american

Servings: 15

Author: Jessie Cagliero

PRINT RECIPE

Soft and Chewy M&M Cookie Bars

These cookie bars are a fun and colorful twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie. Rich with caramel flavor and studded with rainbow colored m&ms that burst with chocolate in every bite, these cookie bars are soft and chewy with crispy golden brown edges.

Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 25 minutesTotal time: 35 minutes

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter (melted and cooled slightly)
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ¾ cup mini m&ms, frozen

Directions

1. Melt the butter and allow it to cool slightly.
2. Preheat oven to 350℉. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl mix granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, baking soda, and salt together.
4. Add the butter and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
6. Add the flour and mix until combined.
7. Add the mini m&ms and mix until evenly distributed.
8. Pour the mixture into the parchment lined pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown and the middle puffs up slightly.
9. Let cool and set in the pan for about 1 hour or until the bars are completely cooled.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

178

Fat

9 g

Sat. Fat

5 g

Carbs

23 g

Fiber

1 g

Net carbs

22 g

Sugar

16 g

Protein

2 g

Sodium

119 mg

Cholesterol

29 mg

*Nutrition is auto-calculated by recipes generator.

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