Description
These M&M Cookie Bars are a delightful treat combining gooey, soft cookie bars loaded with colorful M&M’s and chocolate chips. Perfect for holiday parties or cookie exchanges, they offer a sweet, chocolatey flavor with a soft, chewy texture in every bite.
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 tops if desired)
- 1 cup M&M’s (plus more for tops if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C) to ensure it’s ready when your dough is prepared.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, use a mixer to cream together the room temperature butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar for about 1 minute until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add the two large eggs and the vanilla extract to the creamed mixture, mixing until fully combined and smooth.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add this dry mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until everything is well incorporated, avoiding overmixing.
- Fold in Chocolate and M&M’s: Gently fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s, reserving about 1/4 cup of each to sprinkle on top of the bars later.
- Prepare Baking Pan: For thick bars, line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or foil with an overhang for easy removal; for thinner bars, use a 15×10-inch pan. Lightly spray the pan with non-stick spray to prevent sticking.
- Shape the Dough: Scoop the cookie dough into the prepared pan and press it down evenly to fill the pan. Scatter the reserved chocolate chips and M&M’s over the top for extra color and crunch.
- Bake the Bars: Bake the cookie bars for 30-35 minutes if using a 9×13 pan, or 20 minutes if using the larger 15×10 pan, until the tops are barely golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
- Cool and Slice: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. Once cooled, use the foil or parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan for easy slicing into approximately 24 pieces.
Notes
- These Christmas M&M cookie bars are perfectly gooey and soft, packed with M&M’s and chocolate chips.
- They are ideal for cookie exchanges, holiday parties or anytime you want a festive treat.
- For best results, do not overbake to maintain a soft center.
- You can substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips with milk or dark chocolate chips depending on preference.
- Make sure butter is at room temperature for easier creaming and better texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (approximate)
- 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
