Red White and Blue M&M Cookie Bars - Patriotic Cookies! (2024)

These cookie bars have red white and blue M&M's studded throughout for a patriotic M&M cookie recipe! Everyone loves these soft chewy American cookies!

Similar to my favorite , I make these festive M&M cookie bars quite often. It's easy to use different colors of M&M's to fit the theme of the occasion. Sometimes it's hard for me to find the red white and blue M&M's at regular grocery stores, even in peak patriotic season. But, I can typically count on the big tub of them at Sam's Club this time of year!

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M&M Cookie Recipe

Because these are cookie bars, it is really easy to mix everything in just one bowl then press into a pan. Gather these ingredients:

Grocery List for M&M Cookie Bars

• Red, white and blue M&M's (2 ½ cups)
• All-purpose flour (3 cups)
• Unsalted butter (1 cup)
• Eggs (3 large)
• Brown sugar (1 ½ cups)
• Granulated sugar (½ cup)
• Vanilla (2 teaspoons)
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt

Since this cookie dough is pressed into a sheet pan, it is very easy to change up the amount of sugar because you're not relying on the outcome of the shape of the cookie. If you like crispier cookies, use more granulated sugar and less brown sugar. Use less sugar all together if you like, and just two eggs. I like my cookie bars doughy and chewy, so this is the perfect combination for me.

How to make M&M Cookie Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease rimmed baking sheet. (I use Baker's Joy.)
2. In a mixing bowl, mix butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs.
3. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
4. Fold in M&M's.
5. Spread dough into baking sheet, sprinkle with more M&M's.
6. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden.

Click here for the full M&M cookie recipe ingredients and instructions.

How to know when the cookie bars are done.

For this recipe, I typically use my 12x17-inch sheet pan. But, every home cook has a different sized sheet pan in their home. I do not recommend jelly roll pan size which is 15x10. It's too small -- barely! Because the rimmed edges are short it will ooze out and spill during baking. You can, however, use a 9x13-inch baking dish that has the higher edges.

I take my cookie bars out of the oven when they are lightly golden, but if you don't want them as doughy in the middle then you may want to bake longer until they are a darker golden exterior. If you are using a larger sheet pan, then less baking time may be required. The good thing is, these are hard to mess up so don't worry!

Other delicious cookie bars

• Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookie Bars
• S'mores Cookie Bars
• Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars
• Magic Cookie Bars

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