These are the best M&M Cookie Bars. This recipe is easy to make (5 minutes to mix, 20 minutes to bake) and results in gooey, chewy, buttery M and M bars. Use red and green M&Ms to make Christmas cookie bars!
Line a 8x8” square baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a standing mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar.
Add egg and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and beat until combined.
Add dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated.
Add M&M’s and chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until the edges are set, and the top is just barely browned.
Place baking pan on a wire cooling rack and let the bars cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes (preferably longer, they hold up better as they cool).
Use the parchment paper to lift the cookie bars out of the pan, then cut into squares and serve.
Video
Notes
Store Store any leftover bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Serve at room temperature.Freeze Freeze individual bars by wrapping them in plastic wrap and then storing them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature slowly.Ingredient Substitutions
All-purpose flour. For a gluten-free version, use an all-purpose gluten-free baking flour.
LightBrown sugar. If you like a deeper, molasses taste, then you can use dark brown sugar.
Granulated sugar. you can use organic cane sugar instead of regular white sugar.
SaltedButter. Unsalted butter works well in this recipe.
FineSea salt. If you use table salt (iodized) I recommend halving the salt.
MiniChocolate chips. I suggest mini chips to offset the size of the M&M candies in these bars, however you can use regular chips if you wish.
M&Ms. Use regular M&Ms or your favorite holiday varieties to make festive bars. I love making these as Christmas cookie bars using red & green M&Ms (see below). I also have been buying these Unreal chocolate candies in place of M&Ms because they don't use any artificial ingredients or food dyes.