M&M Cookie Bars - Picky Palate - BEST COOKIE BARS Recipe! (2024)

Sharing our favorite M&M Cookie Bars today! The most perfect, simple to prepare M and M cookie bars you’ll make! Buttery crisp on the edges while soft and chewy on the inside.

M&M Cookie Bars

Making cookie bars is one of our favorite dessert recipes. They’re simple, delicious and easy to transport to parties, potlucks and other gatherings. The texture is perfectly crisp edges with soft chewy centers. These cookie bars are a hit every time they’re made.

Be sure to try my too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.

What You’ll Need

• salted butter– For most of my recipes I use salted butter. Unsalted works too.
• granulated sugar– This fine white sugar adds sweetness to the cookie bars.
• brown sugar, light or dark– This cookie recipe can use light or dark brown sugar.
• large eggs– For consistency, I use large eggs in my cooking and baking.
• pure vanilla extract– For best tasting results use pure vanilla.
• all-purpose flour– Flour is the main dry ingredient in the cookies.
• baking soda– Baking soda helps the cookies rise during baking.
• kosher salt- Kosher salt is a course salt commonly used in cooking and baking. I prefer it over table salt.
• instant vanilla pudding mix (can be left out if needed)- Check the baking isle near the cake mixes for instant vanilla pudding mix.
• mini chocolate chips– Find mini chocolate chips near the regular chocolate chips in the baking isle.
• mini M&M’s– Check the candy isle for bag of Mini M&M’s.

How To Make M and M Cookie Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your eggs and vanilla mixing to combine. Stir in the flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine. Transfer dough to baking dish pressing evenly. Top with additional M and M’s pressing slightly into dough. Bake for 28-35 minutes, until golden brown and set in middle. Remove and let cool for an hour before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Use a mixing bowl and cream by hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment.

Continue making cookie dough with dry ingredients, mini chocolate chips and mini M&M’s. Note- If you don’t have the instant Vanilla Pudding mix, the cookie bars turn out just fine without it. They’re a little more dense without the pudding mix. Try both and see which way you prefer.

Transfer cookie dough to a parchment lined 9 x 13 inch baking sheet, pressing dough evenly. Top with additional mini M&M’s pressing down gently. Bake for 28-35 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and let cool for one hour before cutting into squares.

Buttery crisp on the edges, perfectly chewy soft in the center. Win!

How To Serve The Best Cookie Bars

These bars are great to take to family gatherings, parties and picnics. Serve room temperature cut into squares.

How To Store Leftovers

Store any leftover cookie bars in an airtight container room temperature for up to 2 days for best results.

Pin M&M Cookie Bars!