Easter M&M Cookie Bars

These colorful Easter M&M Cookie Bars are soft, buttery, and perfectly chewy with lightly crisp edges and a rich, vanilla-brown sugar flavor. They’re packed with pastel M&M’s in every bite, adding a fun pop of color and just the right amount of chocolatey crunch.

Easy Easter M&M Cookie Bars Recipe

Cookie bars are hands down one of my all-time favorite family-friendly desserts to make. I love that they use simple ingredients, most of which I always have on hand, so it’s easy to whip up a batch on a whim.

These Easter cookie bars are chewy, with a texture and flavor similar to blondies. Easy to make and even easier to love, these cookie bars are the perfect perfect treat for Easter gatherings, spring parties, classroom celebrations, or anytime you’re craving a handheld dessert.

Key ingredients to make Easter M&M Cookie Bars: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

• Flour – All purpose flour forms the base of the cookie dough.
• Leavening – Baking powder and salt give rise to the dough while baking.
• Butter – Salted butter or unsalted butter for richness.
• Sugar – A combination of granulated white sugar and light brown sugar for sweetness.
• Flavoring – Vanilla extract adds creamy floral notes for a delicious taste.
• Whole Eggs – Large eggs bind the dry ingredients together.
• M&M Candies – Pastel M&M’s add color and a chocolaty flavor.

How to Make the BEST Easter M&M Cookie Bars Recipe

• Creamed Ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer cream together butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.
• Eggs – Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.
• Sift Dry Ingredients – Use a whisk to sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
• Combine – Lower the speed of the mixer and gradually add the sifted flour mixture beating just until fully combined.stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Pastel M&M‘s – By hand, mix in ½ cup of M&M’s.
• Transfer Cookie Dough to Pan – Spread batter evenly into prepared pan then sprinkle the top with the reserved ½ cup M&M’s gently pressing into the batter. .
• Oven – Bake in a preheated 350°F oven per the recipe until a toothpick inserted into the center comes back clean.
• Serve – Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack then slice and serve.

Kitchen Equipment to Make M&M Cookie Bars

• One 8×8-inch pan or 9×9 inch nonstick metal baking pan or dish,
• Large bowl and medium bowl.
• Balloon whisk.
• Measuring cups and measuring spoons.
• Stand mixer or hand mixer.
• Rubber spatula for mixing the M&M’s into the batter.
• Wire rack.

Recipe Variations, Tips and Substitutions

• Bring Butter and Eggs to Room Temperature – I recommend that you begin with softened butter and room temperature eggs for even baking of the cookie bars.
• Salted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, it’s perfectly fine to use it. When doing so, decrease the salt called for in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Nuts – You can add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, or pistachios to the cookie dough.
• M&M’s -You can also transform these into any season simply by changing the color of the M&M’s or use egg shaped colorful candies.
• Chocolate Chips – For an extra chocolaty flavor, fold 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough.
• Other Mix-Ins – You could transfer the flavor adding 1/2 cup mini marshmallows along with the chocolate chips or coconut for a tropical flavor.
• Add Sprinkles – You can add all of the M&M’s to the cookie dough and then sprinkle the top with pastel colored sprinkles before baking.
• Adjust as Needed – Keep in mind when you add things to a recipe, it may alter the baking time slightly. Be flexible and check the center with a toothpick before removing from the oven.

Storage and Leftovers

• Leftovers – Store these Easter M&M cookie bars at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped in heavy duty foil for up to 3-4 days. They never last that long.
• Freezer – You can freeze cookie bars for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and enjoy.

M&M Cookie Bars Variations

Cookie bars are fun and very forgiving to make. For this recipe, you could change it by the season based on the color of the M&M’s used making them perfect for any holiday! Such as using red and green M&M’s for Christmas, red and pink candies for Valentine’s Day or bright and cheery green for St. Patrick’s Day.

More Cookie Bars and Brownie Recipes to Make

• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Bars are delicious served slightly warm while still gooey.
• Bodacious Butterfinger Cookie Bars are filled with chopped Butterfinger candy bar nougat.
• Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars feature all of the flavors we love in the famous cookies.
• Loaded Turtle Cookie Bars are simply addictive.
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars combine two desserts into one irresistible sweet treat.
• Orange Dream Bars from Crazy for Crust. 

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Helpful Kitchen Items:

• Stand Mixer
• Cooling Racks
• Measuring Set
• 9×9-inch Pan