M & M Cookie Bars

Soft and Chewy M & M Cookie Bars are easy, quick, and delicious. Kids and adults alike will love them. Perfect for any get-together or a just because treat. Switch out M & M’s to holiday-themed colors for a yummy gift idea.

The Perfect Sugar Cookie Bar

What’s your idea of the absolute best sugar cookie? I don’t know about you, but to me, it has to be soft. None of this crunchy nonsense! It needs to be chewy, and slightly doughy in the middle. Doughy is a prerequisite for any favorite cookie of mine, though.

I’ve definitely had a wide variety of sugar cookies. Some crunch when you bite into them, and others hardly have any flavor at all. So when I decided to make M & M Sugar Cookie Bars, I knew that they had to be soft, chewy, and just slightly underdone in the middle. Oh, and they HAD to be packed full of the goodies…M & M’s and chocolate chips.

Not only is the dough eat-by-the-spoonful delicious (I know, I know…raw dough is bad), but the finished cookie bars themselves are absolutely addicting. A few may have disappeared as I was cutting them and packing them up.

How to Make M & M Cookie Bars

One of the greatest things about these bars is how quick and easy they are to make. There is no chill time for the dough, unlike most sugar cookies, meaning they can go from a pile of ingredients to ready to devour in less than an hour!

You’ll start by creaming together your butter and sugars. The texture should be fluffy and creamy. The color should lighten ever so slightly as well. You’ll know it is ready when it is no longer ‘grainy’ from the sugar.

Next, you will mix in the vanilla and egg. Mix until they are just incorporated, usually around 10 seconds is good.

Add the baking powder and salt, mixing for just a few seconds. Start adding the flour about 1/2 cup at a time, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. Be careful not to overmix, as this can affect the outcome of your finished baked bars. You’ll no longer have the chewy cookie bars you’re aiming for.

Put in your M & M’s and chocolate chips, mixing until they are incorporated throughout the dough. This should only take 15-20 seconds.

Take your dough and dump it into your 9″x13″ baking pan. Start pressing it down, working it towards the edges until it is in an even layer.

For me, 20-22 minutes was the perfect amount of bake time. The bars came out slightly doughy in the middle, and are so soft, chewy, and delectable. And, if you like a crunchier texture, the edges can be yours to claim!

For more cookie bar recipes, check out Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars and Birthday Cake Blondies

Print Recipe

M & M Cookie Bars

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Cookies, Dessert

Serves: 20

Cooking Time: 22 minutes

Soft and Chewy M & M Cookie Bars are easy, quick, and delicious. Kids and adults alike will love them. Perfect for any get-together or a just because treat. Switch out M & M's to holiday-themed colors for a yummy gift idea.

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup M & M's
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp sugar (to sprinkle over top of bars)

Instructions

1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 8"x13" baking pan with cooking spray and set aside

2

Cream together the butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy and lighter in color.

3

Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.

4

Add the baking powder and salt and mix until combined.

5

Add the flour in 1/2 cup increments, mixing until just incorporated after each addition. The dough will be thick but should not be tacky/sticky to the touch.

6

Add the M & M's and chocolate chips, mixing until just incorporated.

7

Pile dough into your prepared baking pan, and smoosh/spread out evenly throughout the pan.

8

Bake for 22 minutes or until edges start to brown just slightly.

9

Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting into bars.