M&M cookie bars
M&M cookie bars are the perfect bake sale treat kids will love. Soft chewy cookies made into a traybake , they’re quick and easy to make, with so need to chill the dough or form individual cookies.
M&M cookie bars are a deliciously simple traybake: a soft chewy cookie loaded with colourful M&Ms. They’re quick and easy to make as the dough all gets mixed in one bowl and then rather than having to form each individual cookie, you make it like a traybake and cut the cookies after it’s baked.
They’re so simple to make and great for feeding a crowd. You don’t need to find lots of space in your oven to fit several trays of cookies, you can just pop one baking tray in, and portion them up later.
The M&M’s on top and through the cookie traybake are worked really well. The colour stays through the bake and dosn’t seem to fade at all. They also add a lovely bite of texture against the soft cookie dough. If you don’t have M&M’s you could use chocolate chips. They’d be just as delicious, but wouldn’t have the same pop of colour.
The bright colourful cookie traybake makes a great bake for cake sales. They’re easy enough to do, very simple to portion, and the colours always make them a popular treat.
How can kids help to make cookie bars?
Cookie bars are just as simple as cookies to make (if not easier), so they’re a great bake for kids to try. Just like cookies, they can help measure out all the ingredients and mix them all together. The mixing all happens in one bowl, which makes it nice and easy and limits the washing up (which is always a bonus).
Once you’ve made your cookie dough, your kids can help add whatever else you want in it and decorate the top. In this case we’ve used M&Ms but you could also use chocolate chips, or make an Easter cookie bar, or anything else you fancy.
Finally, rather than scooping out individual portions of cookie dough and trying to get them all the same size, this cookie traybake just gets baked in a tin, so it’s a simple job for kids of pressing it into your traybake tin and smoothing out the top.
What is a cookie bar?
Cookie bars are just like cookies but baked into a traybake and sliced. There’s no need to individually portion out the cookie dough or chill it before baking. You simply press the cookie dough into a baking tin, bake it, and then slice it into idividual bars later.
How do you know when a cookie bar is baked?
I find the hardest part of baking a cookie bar is knowing when it is baked. It’s easy for the tops and edges to start to overbake while the middle is still soft. The key to this is not to bake them on too high a temperature and bake them for about 25-30 minutes. They’re ready when the edges look baked, and a skewer inserted in the middle should come out largely clean.
How long do cookie traybakes keep?
Once baked you can keep cookie bars in an airtight container for a few days. If you want to keep them for longer, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. Simply wrap each portion in cling film/glad wrap, and pop them in a freezer bag. Make sure you defrost them fully before serving them.
Other easy cookie recipes for kids
If you liked this cookie traybake, you’ll love our other easy cookie recipes and traybakes:
Chocolate chip cookies
Smarties cookies
Rainbow M&M cookies
Caramel stuffed cookies
Rolo cookies
Fudge cookies
Chocolate thumbprint cookies
Double chocolate chip cookies
White chocolate millionaires shortbread
Chocolate traybake
Brownie cookies
School cake
Triple chocolate cookies
Marble cookies
Useful equipment
You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make these M&M cookie bars:
Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Hand held mixer
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
23 x 30cm baking tin
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Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20 minutes plus 25 minutes baking
Serves: 20
Ingredients
200g (1 cup) butter (softened)
300g (1 2/3 cups) soft brown sugar
2 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
350g (2 3/4 cups) self raising flour*
250g (or one 8oz) packet of M&Ms
How to make M&M cookie bars
Preheat the oven to 180C / 170C Fan /325F and line a 30cm x 20cm traybake tin with baking or greaseproof paper. We find the easiest way to line the tin is to lay a strip of baking paper the width of the tin in one direction, then do the same in the other direction. Leave some hanging over the edge so it’s easier to remove the cookie bar later.
Cream the butter and sugar together
Get your children to weigh the butter (200g) and sugar (300g) and add them to a large mixing bowl or freestanding mixer. The butter needs to be soft enough to mix, so if you’re isn’t soft cut it into a few pieces and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to sofen it (but not long enough to melt it).
Beat them together using an electric whisk or the k-paddle attachment of your mixer for a few minutes until the mixture is nice and light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract
Get your kids to crack the eggs into a bowl. We usually break the eggs into a small bowl and have a separate small bowl for the shell. If my kids know where the shell is going it seems to make less mess. If you get any shell in your egg, fish it out with a larger piece of shell – that can be a lot easier and less messy than using your finger.
Keep your mixer running and add the eggs one at a time to your mixing bowl, along with the tsp of vanilla extract.
Mix it all together until everything is well combined.
Add the flour
Weigh the flour (350g), then add to your mixing bowl. Stir it together again until it is well mixed.
Add the M&Ms
Remove the bowl from your mixer if you’re using one then get your child to pour in the M&Ms, keeping some back to add on top. Stir the M&Ms in with wooden spoons until they are thoroughly dispersed through your mixture.
Make the cookie bars
Pour or spoon the cookie mixture into your baking tray. Using a knife or the back of a spoon spread the dough out across your tray. If you need to, dip your spoon/kinfe in water to stop the mixture sticking to it.
Get your little ones to add some more M&Ms over the top of your cookie bar.
Bake the M&M cookie bars
Bake the cookie bar for 25-30 minutes. They’re ready when the cookie bar has started to turn golden brown and isn’t too gooey in the middle. You can check by inserting a skewer, cocktail stick or sharp knife into the centre – it should come out relatively clean.
If you find the top starting to brown too much before the middle is baked, you can cover it in foil.
Remove the cookie bars from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
Once it’s cool, remove the cookie bar from the tin and cut it into 20 or so pieces.
Chocolate chip cookie bar
Ingredients
Method
- Weigh the butter and sugar and add to a large bowl or free standing mixer. Beat them together with an electric mixer or the paddle/k attachment of your mixer until they are light and fluffy.
- Add both the eggs and vanilla extract to your mixing bowl and beat them together until everything is combined. .
- Weigh the flour and it along with half the M&Ms (or chocolate chips) to your cookie batter. Mix everything together using a wooden spoon until it is full mixed.
- Pour the cookie batter into your prepared tin and press it down with the back of a spoon or knife. Decorate the top with the remaining M&Ms or chocolate chips.
- Bake the cookie bar in the oven for 25-30 minutes. It's ready when the cookie bar has started to turn golden brown and is still a little soft in the middle. Remove it from the oven and leave to cool before slicing it into pieces.
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If you liked these M&M cookie bars, you’ll love our other cookie recipes as well as our favourite easy bakes for kids.
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