Loaded Holiday M&M’s Cookie Bars — These M&M’s cookie bars are packed with holiday M&M’s and crushed Oreos. This is an easy, one-bowl holiday dessert your family will love!
Loaded Christmas Bar Cookies
These M&M’s cookie bars are famous. Well, maybe not these exact bars but the original recipe is. The original recipe has been Pinned over 1 million times and appeared on the cover of Taste of Home Magazine in 2014.
I made the original recipe on a whim because I was moving and had a half package of both Oreos and M&M’s open, didn’t want to move them, didn’t want to toss them, made the bars, and the rest is history.
This cookie bars recipe is a spinoff on 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 30+ 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, 1 cup flour. For this version, there’s Oreos and M&M’s added.
I was on the hunt for red or green-filled seasonal Oreos but was just a bit too early when I made the bars a few weeks back. I think mint M&M’s or mint Oreos would be a great touch here as well.
These M&M’s cookie bars are loaded with goodies in every bite. Crunchy Oreos and crisp M&M’s are a great texture contrast to the soft, buttery bars.
What’s in M&M’s Cookie Bars?
To make these easy cookie bars, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Oreo cookies
- M&M’s
How to Make M&M’s Cookie Bars
Melt the butter, then stir in the egg, vanilla, and brown sugar. Stir in the dry ingredients, then gently fold in the M&M’s and chopped Oreos.
Turn the batter into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish and bake until the top is set in the center and done. The toothpick test is a bit tricky because there aren’t many bare batches, but if you hit a patch of just dough, the toothpick should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Place pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 90 minutes before slicing and serving.
Want to see how to make cookie bars? Watch the video!
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins?
Of course! You can add other chopped holiday candies and chocolates to these M&M’s cookie bars.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes, simply double the ingredients and bake these cookie bars in a 9×13-inch pan.
Tips for Making M&M’s Cookie Bars
You just need to roughly chop the Oreos for these M&M’s cookie bars. You want them to be big enough to bite into, but not so big that you’re trying to chew half an Oreo at once.
I made this recipe as Christmas bar cookies, but you can make these bars for any holiday. Just switch out the holiday M&M’s for whatever color you’d like. You can even add seasonal Oreos to the mix, if desired.
These M&M’s cookie bars can be kept on your counter for a few days, or you can pop them into a freezer bag and freeze them for later. They’re a great treat to have stashed in the freezer for last-minute guests this time of year!
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Loaded M&M Oreo Cookie Holiday Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 18 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped
- ½ cup M&M’s, I used Dark Chocolate Red and Green M&M’s
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat to melt, 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.
- Add the Oreos and stir to combine.
- Add the M&M’s and stir to combine.
- Turn the batter out into prepared pan, smoothing it lightly with a spatula and pushing it into the corners. Tip – Strategically place a few Oreos and M&M’s on top for visual appeal.
- Bake for about 18 to 21 minutes, or until top is set in center and done; don’t overbake. Bars firm up as they cool. A toothpick test is a bit tricky because there aren’t many bare batches, but if you hit a patch of just dough, the toothpick should come out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
- Place pan on a wire rack to cool for at least 90 minutes 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.
- Recipe adapted from Loaded M&M's Oreo Cookie Bars.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These are amazing! I used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad they turned out amazing with coconut sugar!
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BARS By Robert Thomas
INGREDIENTS
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour I sift flour for fuller results
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts or reese’s optional you can add most any candy
or crushed oreo’s
INSTRUCTIONS
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 11 X 13 cake pan
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Spread into prepared pan.
BAKE for 28 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.
Repost Freely Robert Thomas
Can we replace the egg with something else? We don’t use eggs in my family because we have allergic members.
I’m not sure but maybe you could try a powdered egg replacer although I haven’t tried.
Hi Averie,
I plan to make these tomorrow, but will be doubling the recipe and using a 13 x 9 pan. Did we reach consensus on the increased bake time, if any? I don’t want to screw them up. Would it be best to just split the batter into two 8 x 8 and use the recipe bake time?
Thanks,
Jim
I don’t know if you will need to alter the baking time or not in a 9×13 pan. Just keep an eye on them and bake until done, whatever that time on the clock means or is. You won’t screw them up :)
Wildly addictive and super easy to make. I always have to double the recipe. Making these for the third time this week. Everyone thinks I am a genius. Thanks, Averie!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that everyone thinks you’re a genius when you serve these!
Can you make it in a 9×13 if you double it?
yes
A yummy easy treat to bake! Everyone really loved them!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad everyone loved them!
I made these over christmas and they were SO delicious!! everyone at work loved them!! all your recipes are so good :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I made these bars so many times this holiday season! Your blondie recipe is SO simple and yet absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s a favorite of yours! This basic blondie recipe of mine has been made into umpteen dozen concoctions but it always starts with this base – and I agree, simple yet delicious!
Gee I made these a few times and the last couple times I cooked for 25 minutes and the batter was still uncooked in the middle. Uh please advise what to do the edges were getting too cooked.
Thank you!
(*_*)
Chelle
All ovens and climates vary so it’s hard to say exactly. You could try laying a sheet of foil (tenting) your pan at the 20 minute mark or so and then baking until necessary. Will prevent top and sides from browning as much.
Thank you! It’s strange I made two batches while at my daughters house in Texas they came out great cooked at 25 minutes. Came home to Massachusetts after Christmas made 4 batches and they all either stayed uncooked in centers or hard as rock if I cooked longer time. Ha ha I have yet another batch in oven right now! Will keep at it until I get them just right back here at home!
(*_*)
That is strange but there is something to do with climate, exact material of the pan used, and/or ingredients (different flour comes to mind…they vary a lot from brand to brand). Glad you’re sticking with it. Keep me posted on how things go.
Okay just out of the oven and they look browned with the center set just right!
I baked 22 minutes, it wasn’t quite there so did am additional 3 minutes.
I will now call it a success in my kitchen!
I’m a determined cook and baker well known by my family to try a recipe till I perfect it!
(*_*)
Chelle
I love how determined you were and glad you got the success you were after!
I made these last week and mailed them to a friend. They were a huge hit! These “mail” extremely well, in case anyone else needs to make cookies for mailing. The reason that I am commenting is that I noticed that over the past month, I have pinned and made a LOT of your recipes! Jeez, you would think that we were bffs or something! No worries about me being a bit too obsessive because I am a senior citizen! I have found all of your recipes to be delicious…many thanks.
Thanks for all the pins and for making lots of my recipes! Glad to hear these ship well, too!
I love that you’re baking lots, nothing wrong with that! Glad everything has been delicious!
Love these cookie bars so yummy I made them but didn’t put them in the freezer and they came out really good but leave them to cool
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
I made these but used the new cinnamon bun Oreos and cinnamon chips! They’re awesome! Very rich but very good.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you! Fun twist with the cinnamon bun Oreos and cinnamon chips!
These bars were fantastic and a HUGE hit at work and with the family over the holidays! One issue I had was that the bars ended up losing the “cookie batter” coloring once I crushed up the Oreos. So a few people thought they were brownies, due to their overall darker Oreo coloring. Do you have any suggestions for how to keep the Oreo from taking over the bar portion? Yours looks so neat and separate – mine looked like a jumbled mess! Of course, they were still delicious, but I am always trying to improve upon the visual appeal of my baking (which has always been a problem for me!). Thank you!!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it was a huge hit with everyone! To avoid the dough from looking ‘dirty’ from the Oreo pieces, don’t crush down the Oreos quite as much (less sandy crumbs) and if you do get lots of sandy crumbs, don’t add those to the dough. That’s the culprit and easy to solve.
Could this be adjusted for a 9×13 pan? I have a cookie swap to attend and like to bring bars to save on time. Would you double the recipe and increase the baking time slightly?
Please read over the Baking and Recipe FAQs https://https://www.averiecooks.com/faq/ for answers to the most common questions. Enjoy!
I just doubled the recipe and made them in a 9×13 pan. Came out great!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you as a double batch!
I would love to make these, but I am wondering if there are any adjustments I would need to make for high altitude. We are at a little over 5,600 ft here.
I don’t bake in altitude so can’t really say what you’d have to change or not change. It’s a very forgiving recipe so I say just make it as directed and hope for the best :) Or do what you’d normally do to recipes that are bars/blondies. The King Arthur Flour website has a great altitude adjustments tutorial if you google it.
Made these with no adjustments and they were fabulous! I have a request for a second batch, so they will be going in the oven again this weekend!
I just made these during my parent’s visit. My mom put on her Christmas list ‘Niki’s blondie recipe’ It’s actually your recipe :)
Ahh, that’s a cute story! Glad they’re a hit with you and your family!