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Craving cookies but short on time? These M&M Cookie Bars are like baking a batch of thick, chewy cookies in one pan with just 10 minutes of prep. With every bite loaded with chocolate chunks and M&Ms, they’re a great addition to holiday cookie trays and sharing at other gatherings.
These M&M cookie bars are a twist on my popular chocolate chip cookie bars. They’re thick, chewy, and, in addition to being loaded with chocolate, they’re also dotted with bright and colorful M&Ms. I love how low-effort these are and they can easily be made festive for the holidays by using red and green M&Ms. Perfect for those cookie exchanges when you’re running short on time!
Why You’ll Want To Make These M&M Cookie Bars All The Time
- Thick & chewy. You know how really good cookies have that dense, slightly underbaked chewy center? That’s the vibe for these cookie bars. Ingredients like an extra egg yolk, melted butter, and extra dark brown sugar give these bars that thick, chewy texture throughout.
- LOTS of chocolate. Not only are mini M&Ms mixed in the batter and sprinkled on top, there’s also two cups of chocolate chunks in the batter and chocolate chips sprinkled on top. You can’t take a bite without finding rich, gooey chocolate!
- Beyond easy. Cookies are pretty high on the list of “baked goods anyone can make” but these M&M cookie bars are even easier. Mix the ingredients, transfer the dough to the pan, add the M&Ms, and pop them in the oven. The prep is faster too, since there’s no need to shape balls of cookie dough or bake multiple batches!
Recipe Ingredients
These M&M cookie bars are made with many of the same ingredients as M&M cookies, with a few changes to make them extra chewy. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- All purpose flour – Be sure to measure it correctly as too much will make the cookie bars dry.
- Baking powder & baking soda – The leavening agents work together to get the right amount of rise and chewiness in the cookies.
- Salt – Helps to balance the sweet flavors in the bars.
- Eggs – An extra yolk adds richness as well as moisture and helps make the cookie bars extra chewy.
- Butter – While you typically use softened butter in baked goods, you want fully melted butter for this recipe, as there’s no other liquid added.
- Sugar – Both granulated sugar and dark brown sugar are used in this recipe. The dark brown sugar adds a bit of molasses flavor and makes the cookie bars extra chewy.
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate – I used a combination of chocolate chunks and semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chocolate chunks are incorporated in the batter while the chocolate chips are sprinkled on top to ensure lots of gooey chocolate in every bite.
- Mini M&Ms – Mini M & M’s are available in most grocery stores and you can use any variety of flavor you choose (peanut butter, milk or dark chocolate, any colors…). Minis work best in this recipe!
- Flaky sea salt – I prefer Maldon Sea Salt Flakes.
How To Make M&M Cookie Bars
Cookies are easy to make, but these cookie bars are even easier! The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang to easily lift the bars out.
- Make the batter. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter and sugars. Mix in the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients one cup at a time, making sure to fully incorporate after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chunks and ½ cup of the M&Ms.
- Transfer to the pan. Press the dough evenly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and remaining M&Ms on top, gently pressing them into the dough.
- Bake. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden brown on the top. Cool completely in the pan.
- Enjoy! Use the parchment paper to remove the bars from the pan once they’ve cooled. Slice into squares and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Tips & Variations
These M&M cookie bars are so easy to make that I only have a few tips for you.
- Melted butter. It’s important to use melted butter, not just softened butter in this recipe. Since these are baked in a pan, there’s no need to worry about the dough spreading, which is why most cookie recipes use softened butter.
- Create a parchment paper sling. Place one piece of parchment paper the length of the pan and hang over and a second piece the width of the pan and excess on the sides. This will make it easier to remove the bars once they’ve cooled.
- Cut into smaller bars. Feel free to cut into smaller pieces or even cut each of the 16 pieces in half on a diagonal. I like to do this when I’m serving them up at a holiday party!
- Mix in options. consider adding in milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips.
- Make them festive. Customize the bars to the season by using different colors of M&Ms! I like to use red and green M&Ms during the Christmas season or pastels around Easter.
How to Store Cookie Bars
- Room temperature. Store cooled M&M cookie bars in an airtight container to maximize freshness. They’re best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
- Freezer. For longer storage, wrap cooled bars tightly in plastic wrap or ziplock freezer bags, place in an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and enjoy!
M&M Cookie Bars
Craving cookies but short on time? These M&M Cookie Bars are like baking a batch of thick, chewy cookies in one pan with just 10 minutes of prep. With every bite loaded with chocolate chunks and M&Ms, they’re a great addition to holiday cookie trays and sharing at other gatherings.
Servings: 16 bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 cup butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups chocolate chunks
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ¾ cup mini M & M candies divided
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Prepare a 9x 13 pan by lining with parchment paper. Create a sling to easily lift bars out when baked.
- In a medium size bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand up mixing bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until incorporated.
- Add the eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla to the butter mixture. Mix in.
- Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one cup at a time.
- Add the chocolate chunks and ½ cup of the M & M candies. (Reserve the remaining for the top.)
- Press the cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top of the dough with the chocolate chips and remaining M & M’s. Gently press into dough.
- Bake at 325 for about 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to completely cool before removing from the pan.
- Remove the bars from the pan using the sling.
- Place the bars on a cutting board and cut cooled bars into 16 pieces. Sprinkle the bars with flaky sea salt.
Last Step:
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Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 527kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 446IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg
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