Chocolate Chip M&M’s Bars — Soft buttery bars loaded with M&M’s and chocolate chips are a guaranteed hit!! Fast, easy, foolproof, no mixer recipe that’s so much simpler than making cookies!!
M&M’s Cookie Bars Recipe
The only thing I may possibly like better than soft and chewy M&M’S cookies are cookie bars. Bars are my favorite kitchen shortcut because they’re so fast and easy to make. No dough to chill or individual cookies to form.
For these very soft, slightly chewy, buttery cookie bars that are loaded with M&M’s and chocolate chips, I called upon my trusty blondie base.
When I want an easy, fuss-free, one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that I know everyone will love, it’s my go-to. With 25+ versions and counting, it never lets me down.
It’s an easy recipe to memorize because everything is ‘one’. In the 1 bowl used, melt 1 stick of butter, stir in 1 egg, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, and 1 cup flour.
I stirred in 1 cup of the new Crispy M&M’s, but anything from Dark to Pretzel to Peanut Butter M&M’s would be wonderful. M&M’S has a Pinterest page where you can check out new recipes for baking inspiration.
I loved the texture contrast of the soft bars, with gooey chocolate chips, and the Crispy M&M’s that stay crispy even after being baked. My family’s eyes lit up when they saw these M&M’s bars, and they sure didn’t last long.
What’s in M&M’s Bars?
To make these easy bar cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Crispy M&M’s
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
How to Make M&M’s Bars
Melt then butter, then whisk in the egg, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients, then gently fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s.
Turn the batter into a foil-lined 8×8-inch baking dish and bake until done.
Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
How to Store M&M’s Cookie Bars
These M&M’s bar cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Can I Double This Recipe?
You should be able to, yes. However, some readers who have tried doubling this recipe have said their cookie bars have turned out too greasy. If that happens to you, I recommend scaling back the amount of butter to 1 1/2 sticks total and seeing how that works out for you.
Tips for Making M&M’s Bars
I used crispy M&M’s, but you can use any variety you’d like. Likewise, you can add different mix-ins besides chocolate chips, if desired. Chopped nuts and dried fruit would both be good additions!
Note that I always bake with metal pans and line them with foil for easier cleanup. If baking with a glass pan, your bars may turn out slightly different from mine.
Lastly, note that these bars firm up as they cool. Be careful not to over bake them, otherwise they’ll be too dry.
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M&M’S Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Soft buttery bars loaded with M&M’s and chocolate chips! Fast, easy, foolproof, no mixer recipe that's so much simpler than making cookies!!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 cup Crispy M&M’s (or your favorite M&M’s like Dark, Pretzel, Peanut Butter), plus more for sprinkling
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
- Stir in the M&M’s and chocolate chips.
- Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
- If desired, evenly sprinkle about 1 tablespoon each of M&M’S and chocolate chips for an extra visual pop, tapping them down lightly with your fingertip.
- Bake for about 25 to 28 minutes (I baked 26 minutes), or until done. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Bars firm up as they cool.
- Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.
Notes
Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 310Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 111mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 3g
More Easy Bar Cookies:
Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Bars – Stuffed to the max with M&Ms and Oreos! Easy, no-mixer recipe that’s ready in 30 minutes. Always a hit! On the cover of Taste of Home Magazine and pinned 650K+ times!
Chocolate Chip S’mores Cookie Bars — Between layers of super soft chocolate chip cookie dough there’s chocolate, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs for the most DECADENT smores ever!! So EASY and just 4 main ingredients!!
Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Bars – Peanut butter is use 3 different ways and baked into bars. Great for pantry odds-and-ends cleanout!
Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter Bars — An easy, fuss-free recipe that everyone will love. There’s peanut butter, peanut butter cups, and chocolate chips!
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars — A FAST and EASY dessert that is on the HEALTHIER side with only 1/4 cup butter and no oil!! Bold banana flavor, chewiness from the oats, and plenty of chocolate in every bite!!
Tagalong Cookie Bars — Say hello to year-round Girl Scout cookie season with these delish bars! All the flavors of the classic cookies in easy bar form!!
Peanut Butter Brookies— These brookies are soft and chewy, with peanut butter and chocolate married together in every bite. All you need is two bowls, and no mixer is required!
Post is brought to you by M&M’S. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
This recipe is OMG delicious! Definitely on my Christmas cookie list!Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad these were delicious and are making their way to your Christmas cookie list!
Thank you for sharing this easy and delicious recipe. I had some M&M’s leftover from Christmas that I needed to use up. A search for a recipe led me to yours. I love everything about it; the amount it makes, the simple ingredients and it can be whipped up quickly with minimal dirty dishes.I will be making more of the recipes you have shared.Have a blessed day and be safe.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these were easy, delish, and you could use up those Christmas M&Ms! Hope you enjoy the future recipes of mine that you try!
Hi. I really love the recipe for your M&M’s choc chip cookie bars and would love to give them a go. My problem is that I live in the UK and I have no clue about the measures for the ingredients as I only have metric measures. I’ve tried to find a conversion chart but every one I’ve found has given different answers! Please could you help as my grandchildren are standing by desperate to be taste testers!
https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/ingredient-weight-chart
This is a very reputable flour (baking) company in the US. Perhaps this will help you.
Yet another knockout recipe! I love that the cookie dough itself is super flavorful (I hate when the only thing you taste in cookies / cookie bars are the mix-ins. Like, what’s the point of that??). The bars were incredibly easy to make … so easy in fact that I convinced myself I’d forgotten an ingredient! But I hadn’t, so these came out perfectly! I underbaked mine a tad because I wanted them a bit gooey, I’m thinking the leftovers deserve to be served a la mode :)
Thanks for the 5 star review, Claire, and glad these turned out great for you! And yes, so super easy without many ingredients! Gooey is the best way for me!
This is truly the best recipe ever! I have even made it with frozen blueberries. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s the best for you and have even made the bars with frozen blueberries!
Great site!!! Just a quick question please!!! How come you don’t add in either baking powder and/or baking soda?
Thanks so much!!!
It’s not necessary, for me, in this recipe. You can experiment with either if you’d like.
Hi! I recently discovered these and first want to thank you for sharing the recipe! Secondly, I’ve made them twice and unfortunately both times they’ve come out very greasy on the bottom, almost to the point where they feel very undercooked. I’m generally a good baker, so I’m puzzled about what I’m doing wrong. I’ve tried both a glass dish and a metal pan (no foil either time) and have baked about 10 minutes longer than called for. Other recipes come out fine, so I don’t think it’s an issue with my oven. I did double the recipe each time – maybe it’s too much butter when doubled? Any ideas you may have would be appreciated, I’m determined to get this right! Thanks so much! :)
This is odd…hmmm. You could scale back by 2 tbsp on the butter. You could add an extra 1/4 or so cup of flour, that would dry them out, either method.
Normally I would say bake longer but you already did that.
And WAIT I just read down to the part that you doubled the recipe. That is probably the culprit. For whatever reason when doubled, the butter is just too much as written with 2 sticks. I would do 1 1/2 sticks and see how that works next time.
Thank you so much for the quick response! I’ll give that a try next time and I bet that will solve it. Have a blessed day!
These are now my family’s favorite!!! I did not put as much chocolate in them – only a cup of M&Ms or a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips because my son is not a huge chocolate fan but the result was the same – AMAZING!!!. I love that it only makes a small batch and cooks evenly. Thank you!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are your family’s favorite!
I just made these with Red, White and Blue Carmel M&Ms. My children gave them 10 thumbs up! I doubled the recipe and followed the instructions exactly except I only used 1 cup of chocolate chips. Doubling would have required 1 1/2 cups. I also pressed additional M&Ms in the batter once the batter was in the pan. The recipe base is definitely a keeper and I love that I don’t have to wait for butter to soften! Also, I baked the bars 28 minutes. Love!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad your kids loved the bars!
Delicous! They do not need nearly as many chocolate chips as the recipe calls for in my opinion though. I made these once for my class, and ever since I have been known as the class baker! I am now expected to bring them to every class party. These bars are worth your time!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are always requested!
And yes feel free to cut back on the choc chips quantity if you prefer a bit less.
Double the recipe for a 9×12 pan and only had dark brown sugar. I used red white and blue M&Ms for the Fourth of July. Forgot to double them and the chocolate chips until after they were already in the pan so I just stirred in some more. I’ll let you know how they came out 😊
Came out great, I probably did not need to totally double the M&Ms or chocolate chips. Dark brown sugar worked fine.
Glad to hear they came out great!
I found this the morning of a baby shower I hosted this weekend! I just needed one more baked item on my trays and this square didn’t disappoint!! I followed the recipe exactly, no substitutions, and it turned out great!! I did leave it in the pan until cool before slicing it. It’s a keeper!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this is a keeper for you!
I love making these bars. I wanted to make some tonight but just realized I’m out of light brown sugar! Can they be made with dark brown sugar instead?
Probably will be fine but they will be darker in color and the dough may be a little thicker/denser.
I just made these using pumpkin spice M&Ms and mini chocolate chips with some fall colored sprinkles on top. So good! They were a huge hit and so easy. I prefer bars over cookies because they are so much easier. This base will be my new go-to!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m sure the pumpkin spiced M&Ms were so good this time of year! Glad this will be your new go-to base!
These were delicious! Made them this afternoon and they were gone within the hour! I didn’t have any m&m’s so just used a mixture of white and milk chocolate chips and holy they’re good
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they were a big hit!
M & M just came out with a caramel version! Yummy & they would be great I’m these bars. Thanks for the recipe!
I do have a bar version and glad you loved the cookies! https://www.averiecooks.com/mms-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/
I made this yesterday and it turned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you loved it!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Have a church bake sale coming up and my son has a work picnic. I see that someone else successfully doubled the recipe in a 9×13 pan and baked for a little longer. Does it matter if it’s glass or metal? Also, if you bake two pans in the oven at the same time, do you need to increase baking time? Thank you so much!
Does it matter if it’s glass or metal? = yes, I bake in metal and recipe is written based on that with regard to baking time.
if you bake two pans in the oven at the same time, do you need to increase baking time? = possibly slightly but I’m not sure because I haven’t tried it that way.
I made these for the 4th of July with red, white and blue M & M’s and they were great. The recipe was exactly what I was looking for ! Thank you.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Sounds like a great 4th of July recipe with the R/W/B M&Ms!
Can these be made into cookies instead of bars? If so, how would I do that differently?
I have many recipes for M&M cookies. Google ‘averie cooks M&M cookies’ and about 6 different versions will pop up. Enjoy!
This recipe is not intended to be made as cookies.
Hi Averie, I made these last night. They were so good. Best blondie base-period!! :D
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And I agree…best blondie base of all time :)
I would like to make these bars for Christmas but due to a nut allergy do you think Christmas coloured smarties would work? I’ve never baked with smarties before and I’m not sure if they melt or not.
I haven’t ever baked with Smarties so not sure how they change when heated. If you use M&M’s that aren’t the peanut, almond, etc versions and just stick to the plain ones…if that works for your allergy then I’d do that.
I went to the grocery store to get some mini MnM’s just the regular ones because Im boring like that ;) and they were $5.99! HOLY, so instead I bought mini reeces pieces ($3.99) and Im pretty excited about it! They are in the oven as I type!
Hi, im waiting to see how mine turn out!! i used pumpkin spice latte m&ms and just kinda stirred anything together and made sure all the lumps were out :)
The bars are so versatile with almost any kind of add-in being able to be accommodated. I’m sure the PSL M&Ms will be great in them!
The guys I work with love cookie days and with summer being busy I love the shortcut of bars over cookies. I was in the mood for something “M&M-ish” and having such success with your snickerdoodle bars that put this recipe on the top of the list for me. Needing to make enough for 20 guys I often have to make 2 batches, so I was really happy to read through the comments to find success with doubling the batch.
While I rarely comment, I had to tell you what a huge hit these were! I doubled the batch, used a 9×13″ pan and baked for 28 min and ended up with 32 squares. Complete perfection! Thank you so much. You’ve made baking fun for me (and for my taste testers)!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you with doubling the recipe and glad the guys at work loved them! Thanks for the wonderful compliments – I appreciate that!
I doubled the recipe and put them in a 13×9 pan and they came out great. In fact I made 3 pans!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that doubling it worked great!
These look delicious but I need to make them for a crowd. Do you think I could double the recipe to an 8×13 pan?
Thank you
Probably will be fine but haven’t personally tried so can’t guarantee, but probably ok.
I had a problem getting these to bake, I had to cook them for 45 minutes at 350. They were not light but very dense and greasy. Maybe the foil was a problem with the spray? I have never used that combination baking anything before.
Are you sure your oven is working totally normally and is calibrated? Baking times do vary but 45 minutes is a long time for this recipe. I’ve made this blondie base hundreds of times over the years https://www.averiecooks.com/tag/blondies-2 and know it’s a very solid base. Probably the most well-tested base I have on my site. So….maybe for you, don’t line with foil? I do it b/c it saves tons of time with cleanup and you can just lift the whole thing out using the foil so for me it’s great. I have a feeling though that something is going on with your oven or possibly you under measured the flour? They are a dense bar and buttery, but not greasy. Thanks for trying the recipe and I wish I could pinpoint where the trouble came in for you.
Just made these bars and they were pretty chocolatey so it tasted okay, but mine burnt. :(
I baked it for 26 minutes and 350 degrees, because first when I checked at 24 mins it didn’t look done. I didn’t melt the butter so that it was completely liquify/clear-ish color, I’d say I melted it for about 30 seconds. Could this be why? Also, it tasted a little too bready-like/like dough or flour? Do you know why this happened? I followed the recipe as is..maybe I over mixed the flour? I’d like to try this again and hopefully it will go better next time!
All ovens, pan, climates, etc. vary and so you have to really watch your item in your oven and conditions.
Next, you didn’t melt the butter fully and YES that will absolutely impact results in this recipe! It will cause the batter to be drier in general, and cook quicker, and likely this is why it tasted a bit flour-ey. I have made this blondie base recipe hundreds (not exaggerating) of times over the years with a million different adaptations and it’s a keeper and easy, but you just need to follow the recipe fully next time and you’ll be all set.
Also don’t hard-pack and use a heavy hand with flour; most people over-measure their flour. Just something to keep in mind for the future.
Averie, you’ve done it again! My family thinks I’m a rock star pastry chef because of you! :) It’s rare that a bag of M&Ms lasts long enough at my house to actually permit cookie-making, so that in itself was something. I love this blondie base. I used the regular candies, and these turned out gooey and YUM. The 8X8 pan was gone in a day–my 4 boys (1 adult and 3 preteens) fought over the last piece. Thanks, Averie.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and I’m actually surprised that it lasted 4 days with 4 teen boys in the house! That’s actually impressive :) And glad you look like a rock star pastry chef!!
Every single shot above made my jaw drop further. I want to try every single cookie, brownie and “cookie pie” on this page. Time to buy some ingredients I think.
Looks so good! You can’t deny, M&Ms are so much more exciting to look at in cookies, and taste even better! Thanks for all the great M&M ideas!
I love everything about these bars! I didn’t realize I needed them until now. It’s like you read my mind and combined my favorites in a way that is easier than making individual cookies! I’m both thrilled and freaked out at the same time.☺
OMG! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! THE PICTURES ARE REALLY MAKING ME RECONSIDER MY DIET!
Oh serendipity! I saw this at 5:15 this morning. Yum! I should make these some day. Flash forward 1 hour as I turn into the candy aisle as I grocery shop…bam! Pastel/Easter m&m on sale $1.69 a bag (not the $3.69)…oh yes! Thank you universe for speaking so loudly. They’re in the oven and I have 25 minutes of sun time (it’s going to be 70 today…yay). Thanks for the recipe and bringing all the pieces together today! *grin*
Thanks for trying the recipe with your very serendipitous pastel candies that were on sale that you scored (love those kind of finds!!)
Enjoy the bars!
These look delicious!
Lorna | http://www.studsanddreams.com xx
These cookie bars are so amazingly fun to look at & I bet even better to taste!!
I always love coming and checking out your recipes. I feel comforted just looking at these m&m blondies :)
So, so in love with these cookie bars!! You started a major craving…These are definitely happening this weekend!! :) I think I’ll hide the pan, so my family won’t steal all of them first too!
Is there such a thing as a bad M&M? If so, I haven’t met it … and imbedded in a bar cookie sounds like the perfect way to try it! Bar cookies rock.
I’m in love, seriously. What a great recipe too – easy to remember. And I have a package of those M&Ms just waiting to be used!
This recipe never lets me down! Can be adapted so many ways :)
M&M anything is an instant hit with me – they are my ultimate favourite candy! I wish I had one of these cookie bars right now Averie, they look amazing
I read lots of blogs but have never made a recipe from any until now. These looked amazing and I was inspired as the recipe was simple and I had the ingredients on hand. They came out awesome!!!!!! Thanks!
Thanks for trying the recipe mere HOURS after I posted it!! That’s wonderful! And that my blog is the first blog you’ve ever made a recipe from and were inspired to do so after seeing this post!
I’m glad it came out great for you!
I LOVE m&m desserts! These look fabulous! I love peanut butter m&ms… I think I would use those too!
Um, YUM! I love M&M’s and love that you used the new/old Crispy ones. Those were my favorite as a kid and I’m so glad they’re back. Hello, nostalgia!
You’re so much younger than me…LOL because Crispy wasn’t an option when I was a kid. It was plain. Or peanut. Haha!
These look amazingly delicious!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
While I’m a more traditionalist with y chocolate chip cookies, by husband LOVES cookie bars AND m&m chocolate chip cookies, so I;m thinking he needs a batch of these soon :]
Other than the fact that these look so delicious, I love how easy they are! That makes it the perfect dessert!
These are so easy to make!! I will definitely be trying out the other versions too! Love how there is no wait time in this recipe (butter to soften or dough to chill). Finally you can bake and eat cookies now!!
Whenever you put M & Ms in anything, that’s just pure crack. Not that I know. But I can’t stop eating! And these are making me seriously crave blondies right now. I love your blondie recipe, Averie! I’ve made a lot of your adaptations from that base, and they’re all amazing!
I’ve had the pretzel M&M’s but not the crispy ones. At first glance the inside of them reminded me of malted milk balls. Love the combo of crispy candy with chocolate chips in a blondie…these are giving me a craving!!
M&Ms are totally my weakness. I love that these are blondie-esk cookie bars. As much I as love chocolate, I’d rather enjoy it with a contrasting taste like vanilla. I’m going to make these very soon, Averie.
Why it looks so mouthwatering! It makes me hungry, looks veeery delicious!
IKR!! Tastes so good too!!
YUM! I haven’t had m&ms for so long, and I think I know exactly what I’ll be picking up in the grocery store line tomorrow, because these bars (and all their variations) look MOUTHwatering. What exactly is a crispy m&m? does it have wafer on the inside?
It’s kind of like a Nestle Crunch Bar inside an M&M.