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Soft and Chewy Valentine’s Day M&M Cookie Bars

Danielle Lima Posted on Updated on
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These M&M Cookie Bars are a great way to celebrate any holiday! With crisp edges, chewy centers and loaded with candies, these cookie bars will be a new family favorite. Use different versions of color combos for a festive and delicious treat, year-round.
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Three cookie bars stacked with one taken a bite out of on the top.

M&M cookie bars

You have your high protein Valentine’s Day meal planned out. What’s next? Dessert, obviously! No Valentine’s Day is complete without chocolaty treats and these chewy M&M cookie bars are exactly that. Think, M&M cookies…in bar form!

With crisp edges and a soft chewy center like my chocolate chip cookies, these bars are an easy dessert to bake with ingredients you likely have on hand.

With festive holiday-themed sprinkles and M&M candies, these bar cookies are a huge hit at bake sales, school parties or cookie exchanges.

The sugary fun doesn’t have to end on Valentine’s Day! Go green for St. Patrick’s, pastel for Easter, red and green for Christmas, etc. One bar, different holidays.

For more holiday treats, try Funfetti Cake Mix Donuts or Peppermint Cheesecakes.

Over head of the freshly baked and cut into 12 squares cookie bars with M&M's and sprinkles scattered around.

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Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • 156 calories in each bar.
  • Perfect treat for any holiday season.

Ingredients:

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for these M&M cookie bars. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Butter, brown sugar, M&M's, vanilla extract, baking soda, flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and egg for the cookie bars.

Variations and Substitutions

  • Use coconut sugar or sugar replacement in place of sugar.
  • Add white chocolate chips, dark chocolate, or or semi-sweet chocolate chips.
  • Swap colors of M&M’s and sprinkles for different holidays.

Dietary Modifications

  • To make dairy-free, use a dairy-free butter, M&M’s and sprinkles. This will change the taste and texture of your cookie bars.
  • To make gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1, M&M’s and sprinkles. This may change the taste and texture of your bars.

How to make your delicious cookie bars (a step-by-step visual guide):

Step 1: mix dry ingredients

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×9-inch baking dish with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. 

Dry ingredients added to a mixing bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (image 1).

Dry ingredients whisked together in a mixing bowl.

Whisk until fully combined (image 2).

Step 2: mix wet ingredients

Softened butter and sugar in a bowl to cream.

Add the softened butter and sugar to a separate large mixing bowl (image 3).

Creamed and mixed butter and sugar.

Using a hand mixer, mix until light and fluffy and fully combined (image 4).

Egg and vanilla added to the mixing bowl.

Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture (image 5).

Fully mixed wet ingredients in a bowl using a hand mixer.

Mix with the hand mixer until fully combined (image 6).

Step 3: combine wet and dry

Dry ingredients added to the wet ingredients.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (image 7).

Mixed ingredients making a cookie dough in a mixing bowl.

Mix until just combined (image 8).

M&M's and sprinkles added to the cookie dough.

Add the M&M’s and sprinkle to the cookie dough (image 9).

M&M's and sprinkles folded into the cookie dough.

Gently fold the M&M’s and sprinkles into the cookie dough to evenly distribute (image 10).

Step 4: spread into an even layer and bake

Doug pressed out into a 9x9-inch metal baking dish to cover the bottom.

Add the cookie dough to the prepared baking pan (metal pan) and using a rubber spatula or your hands work the dough so it covers the entire surface of the pan (image 11).

Fully baked cookie bars with sprinkles and M&M's on top and on the sides of the dish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs (image 12).

Step 5: remove and cool

Remove from the oven and allow the cookie bars to cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. When ready to transfer, either remove with the parchment paper or place a cutting board over the top of the pan and flip out onto the cutting board.

To flip the top side back up use a second surface or cutting board, place on the bottom of the bars and flip over. Cut into 16 equal squares.

Recipe Tips

  • To make a statement, add additional M&M candies and sprinkles to the top of the bars before baking.
  • You can make this EXACT same recipe into individual cookies. The base of this recipe is the same as my Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.
  • Just use chocolate chips and make chocolate chip cookie bars.
Cookie bars laid out with M&M's and sprinkles scattered around.

How to store your bar cookies

Store your leftover cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Check out some of our other cookie recipes!

If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!

Three cookie bars stacked with one taken a bite out of on the top.

M&M Cookie Bars

Danielle Lima
These M&M Cookie Bars are a great way to celebrate any holiday! With crisp edges, chewy centers and loaded with candies, these cookie bars will be a new family favorite. Use different versions of color combos for a festive and delicious treat, year-round.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 bars
Calories 152 kcal

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Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar (or sugar substitute) 100g
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar (or sugar substitute) 90g
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups all-purpose flour 180g
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup Valentine's m&ms (or any m&m) 75g
  • 1 Tbsp. sprinkles (using Wilton pink, red and white) 10g

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. If using a good nonstick metal pan, no need. Do not use bigger than a 9×9 pan.
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.
  • Gently fold in the M&M’s and sprinkle. 
  • Add the cookie dough to the prepared baking pan and using a rubber spatula or your hands work the dough so it covers the entire surface of the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges are browned and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs. 
  • Remove from the oven and allow the cookie bars to cool in the pan for about 5-10 minutes. When ready to transfer either remove with the parchment paper or place cutting board over the top of the pan and flip out onto the cutting board. To flip the top side back up use a second surface or cutting board, place on the bottom of the bars and flip over. 
  • Cut into 16 equal squares and enjoy. 

Notes

  • Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
  • Do not use a 9×13 or anything larger than a 9×9-inch pan. This will cause extremely thin bars. The smaller the pan the thicker. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 83mgPotassium: 19mgSugar: 8g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

3 Comments

5 from 2 votes

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