Halloween M&M Cookie Bars
Soft, chewy, and loaded with chocolate chips and colorful Halloween M&Ms, these festive cookie bars are an easy treat for parties, bake sales, or Halloween movie nights. They’re quick to make and have all the flavor of homemade cookies without the work of scooping and baking individual batches.
Ingredients
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup Halloween M&Ms plus a few extra for topping
Instructions
- Prep the pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease it.
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients: Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix in the fun stuff: Fold in the chocolate chips, sprinkles, and a few Halloween M&Ms. Save some of the M&Ms for later.
- Spread and parbake: Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. You’ll probably have to use your hands because the dough is rather thick. Bake for 15 minutes to let the dough begin to set.
- Add more Halloween M&Ms: Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle some extra Halloween M&Ms across the top. Adding them partway through baking keeps the candies colorful and visible on the surface.
- Finish baking: Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5–10 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center looks set.
- Cool and cut: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before cutting them into squares.