Description
Delight in these festive Easter Cookie Bars featuring a buttery base loaded with colorful pastel M&M’s, mini chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips. Perfectly soft and chewy, these bars are an ideal holiday dessert that’s simple to prepare and sure to please any sweet tooth during spring celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Bars
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pastel M&M’s
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
- Extra M&M’s and sprinkles for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it to ensure easy removal of the bars after baking.
- Cream butter and sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which usually takes a few minutes of beating.
- Add egg and vanilla: Beat in the egg and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture until fully incorporated, creating a smooth batter.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening agents and seasoning.
- Mix dry and wet ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the bars tender.
- Fold in candies and chips: Gently fold in the pastel M&M’s, mini chocolate chips, and white chocolate chips to evenly distribute them throughout the dough.
- Transfer and decorate: Spread the cookie dough evenly into the prepared baking pan. If desired, press extra M&M’s and sprinkles on top to add festive decoration.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 23 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and the center is set but still soft.
- Cool and serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 bars to prevent crumbling and to let flavors set.
Notes
- You can substitute pastel M&M’s with any colorful candy to match different holiday themes.
- For chewier bars, bake for the lower end of the time range and cool completely in the pan without removing early.
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days to maintain freshness.
