Description
These M&M Cookie Bars are irresistibly gooey and soft, packed with plenty of M&M’s and chocolate chips for a festive, colorful treat. Easy to make and perfect for holiday parties or cookie exchanges, these bars bake up thick and chewy with a delightfully golden top.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (or 1 tsp kosher salt)
Add-ins
- 1 cup chocolate chips (plus more for topping if desired)
- 1 cup M&M’s (plus more for topping if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) to ensure it reaches the right temperature while you prepare the dough.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the room temperature butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar for about 1 minute until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Mix in the eggs and vanilla extract until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix Dry Ingredients into Wet: Gradually stir the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the bars tender.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips and M&M’s: Gently fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of M&M’s, reserving about 1/4 cup of each to sprinkle on top later.
- Prepare Baking Pan: For thick bars, line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang for easy removal. For thinner bars, use a 15×10 inch pan. Lightly spray the lined pan with non-stick spray.
- Press Dough into Pan: Scoop the cookie dough evenly into the prepared pan and press it down gently to create an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved chocolate chips and M&M’s evenly over the top for decoration.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes if using a 9×13 inch pan, or about 20 minutes for the 15×10 inch pan. The bars are done when the top is just barely golden brown.
- Cool and Slice: Allow the cookie bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Once cooled, lift them out using the parchment or foil overhang and slice into bars.
Notes
- These cookie bars are soft and gooey, loaded with M&M’s and chocolate chips, making them perfect for festive gatherings or cookie exchanges.
- Use parchment paper or foil with an overhang to help remove the bars easily from the pan after baking.
- Adjust baking time depending on the pan size used to achieve either thicker or thinner bars.
- For best texture, do not overmix the dough once the flour is added.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 271 kcal
- Sugar: 25 g
- Sodium: 162 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 36 mg
