M&M Cookie Bars

I bought a large bag of M&M's for another project (I planned to fill the base of a candy bouquet, click here to see what I ended up doing) and didn't use them - so instead of running the risk of my eating the entire bag I found this recipe for M&M Cookie bars and they turned out really good! Whew, crisis averted haha.


Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 Tablespoons melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 large egg yolk, room temp
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups M&M's


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325' with rack on lower middle position. Line a 13x9" baking pan with foil, with enough overhang on either side to make a sling (for ease of removal after baking). Grease foil and set aside.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
3. In another bowl, stir together the melted butter and both sugars. Stir in the egg, extra egg yolk and vanilla.
4. Using a rubber spatula, fold together the dry mixture into the wet mixture, just until incorporated. Do not overmix. Fold in 1 cup of the M&M's. Reserve the rest for pressing on top.
5. Using slightly wet fingers, press dough into an even layer in the greased and foiled pan, making sure to get an even thickness throughout. Press remaining M&M's on top of dough.
6. Bake 25-28 minutes or just until it's puffy and golden brown. It may seem a bit undercooked, but go ahead and take it out. It will set nicely upon cooling.
7. Let cool completely at room temp before removing with the foil sling. Remove entire dessert with the fold sling and place on a cutting board. Cut into squares. Leftovers will keep for days at room temp in an airtight container.

*this recipe came from chew out loud, click here for the original post.

pumpkin nutella cookie bars

Mimi 🍰:

I GOT YOUR BOX!!!!!

Omg it smells so good! 

Omg. Stuffed w Nutella. Omg omg omg so delicious 

The fricken best thing ever

         They're great!!!!! So so good. Thank you so so much!

That's the text my niece sent after she got these pumpkin nutella bars in the mail from me - a few weeks ago she sent me a pin from Pinterest with a note that she hoped they would come in the mail hahaha. So I thought I'd do just that for her.   If any of my other nieces want something in the mail they should let me know ;)

Shipping them was easy - remove the entire baked thing from the pan by lifting the foil out and leave them whole instead of cutting up into bars, wrap tight in more foil and bubble wrap and then put in a priority box. It took 3 days for her to get them and she said they were still all in one piece and super moist - this is a winner recipe for sure!

I (for once) didn't change a thing - found the recipe here at crazy for crust. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup Nutella

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350'. Line a 9x9" pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

2. Place melted butter, pumpkin, and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer if you prefer). Mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in egg yolk, baking soda, salt, spices, and vanilla. Mix in flour until batter is smooth. It'll be a soft batter.

3. Press half the batter in the bottom of the pan. The batter is sticky so you may want to spray your hands with cooking spray. It'll be a thin layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

4. Place Nutella in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for just a few seconds until pourable. Pour evenly over the top of the partially baked crust. Spread it carefully so it doesn't rip the cookie bars. Scoop tablespoons of batter of the top and carefully spread with your fingers. It won't be a smooth layer but will mostly cover.

5. Bake an additional 17-20 minutes until the top is no longer glossy and the edges are golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.

6. Makes 16 bars. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.