Easy Easter Cookie Bars

These quick and easy, semi-homemade Easter Cookie Bars use just 5 ingredients and are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy inside, thick and full of chocolate chips and pretty pastel Easter M&M’s. You really can’t go wrong with these dessert bars. 

Try these other festive and colorful Easter treats like my Easter Surprise Confetti Cookie Bars or Peeps Rice Krispy Treats.

A Fun & Easy Easter Dessert

Easter candy has always been my favorite! Whenever it hits the stores, I start to stock up. I love the bright colors, pastel mixes of color, and all the cute Easter themed candies. These super easy, 5 ingredient Easter cookie bars use up the pretty pastel mix of m&m candies and they make for the prettiest looking cookie bars. 

The base is a simple mixture of a sugar cookie mix + a chocolate chip cookie mix! Those two create magic together with crispy edges, soft & chewy centers, and a delicious taste with pockets of chocolate. 

So easy anyone can make them! The best part is that you can make these year-round with any m&m’s variety. I think every Holiday from here on out will be filled with these easy bars. 

Ingredients Needed

Yes! You really only need 5 easy and simple ingredients to make these cookie bars. I love quick and simple recipes that are semi-homemade because let’s be real, the Holidays are busy enough, so sometimes this is all you got time for. That’s ok! Anyone can make this recipe which is what I love about it. 

• Sugar Cookie Mix – This is the bagged sugar cookie mix that you’ll find in the baking aisle by the cake mixes. It is not the cold, refrigerated sugar cookie dough that is ready to bake. 
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix – Again, make sure you are using the bagged cookie mix with the dry ingredients inside of it. 
• Large Eggs
• Salted Butter – The recipe calls for 2 sticks of softened butter. 
• Easter Mix M&M’s – Easter candy has always been my favorite because of the pretty pastel mixes of color. 

Step-by-Step Instructions For How To Make Quick Easy Easter Cookie Bars

Learn how to make these easy cookie bars with the simple steps below. Be sure and read to the bottom of the page where there is a printable recipe card along with a pin it button so you can save it for later. 

• Prep : Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. 
• Dry Cookie Mixes : Whisk together the dry cookie mixes in a large mixing bowl or a bowl of a stand mixer. 
• Eggs + Butter : Add in the softened butter and eggs. Beat for 2-3 minutes and until a soft, smooth, and combined cookie dough forms. 
• Baking : Spread the cookie dough into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-45 minutes. 
• Cool : Allow the bars to cool inside the warm pan (I put it on top of a cooling rack) before cutting into squares. 

Recipe FAQ’s

• Should I Use Salted Butter or Unsalted Butter?

  • I prefer using salted butter for all my baking and cooking. In fact, I only buy salted butter. But unsalted butter can be used just as easily. If using unsalted butter be sure and add a pinch of salt into the cookie dough mixture. 
  • Unsalted butter and salted butter can be used interchangeably, it just depends on what you prefer. 

• Variation & Substitution Ideas

  • Add Nuts : Instead of the m&m’s you can also substitute with chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. 
  • Use Chocolate Chips Instead : If you just want these to be regular cookie bars (not for a Holiday) try just using chocolate chips instead. White chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, milk chocolate chips, they all will work. 
  • Cookie Mixes : Feel free to mix & match the cookie mixes. There is a peanut butter cookie mix, oatmeal chocolate chip cookie mix, or try using two sugar cookie mixes instead of one of each. Lots of options here. Some mixes might not turn out well together but you can always experiment and see. I have only ever made them with the sugar cookie mix + chocolate chip cookie mix. 

• How To Store Leftovers

  • Store any leftovers at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. 
  • If freezing them, make sure they’re cooled down to room temperature before wrapping them tightly, and freezing for up to 2 months. I wrap them in plastic wrap and then again in foil. Place the wrapped cookie bars inside a freezer-safe Ziploc bag and freeze. Wrap them well to ensure that they don’t harden or dry out. 

• Serving Suggestions

  • These cookie bars are best served at room temperature or warm. You can also be a little extra and serve a scoop of ice cream over a cookie bar, topped with whipped cream, and some festive Easter sprinkles on top. 

• Can I Make These For a Different Holiday?

  • Yes! That is the best part about this recipe is that they can be easily changed for any Holiday or event. 
    • M&M’s : The easiest way is to switch out the m&m’s that you use in the recipe. Valentine’s Day, Christmas, 4th of July, etc. 
    • Sprinkles : Adding some sprinkles to the top of the bars (before baking) is another great way to switch them up for any Holiday or just make them more festive. 
    • Non-Holiday : Make these year round by using a regular colored mix of m&m’s, replacing the m&m’s with chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts. 

Recipe Tips

Here are a few of my helpful tips so that you can have success recreating this recipe in your own kitchen ♥

• Add Sprinkles : It’s always a good idea to add sprinkles whenever you’re making a Holiday themed food. They have so many cute Easter sprinkles so I always grab one and sprinkle some on top of the bars before baking them. It just adds a little extra something, and it’s totally optional.
• No Extra Add-Ins : If you are using chopped nuts, other candies, or chocolate chips I recommend sticking to the 1 cup of add-ins that the recipe calls for. You don’t want to overload the cookie bars with too much stuff or else they won’t cook properly. You can mix & match but make sure that it is still 1 cup total. 
• Watch Bars Carefully : I recommend setting the timer for the lowest recommended bake time and then go from there. You don’t want to be opening the oven several times and testing them either. I know my oven cooks really fast compared to my old oven (my oven is new) so when I cook these bars, they never cook for more than about 38 minutes. But your oven could be different so keep an eye on them. The toothpick test is the best way to determine if they are done or not. And look at the edges of the bars, they should be set, pulled away from the edge of the pan, and be golden browned. The middle should still be pale in color. 
• Beat For At Least 2 Minutes : It may seem a little extra but trust me, set the timer and beat it good. You want the butter to get fluffy and well incorporated into the cookie mixes. I like to use a stand mixer because then the beating time is hands off.
• Use Correct Cookie Mixes : The cookie mixes are the bagged mixes of the dry ingredients. They are found in the baking aisle by the cake mixes. These are NOT the refrigerated cookie dough logs that are ready to slice and bake. 

More Sweet & Savory Easter Recipes To Try

• Easter Carrot Cheeseball – This cheeseball is shaped like a carrot using shredded cheddar cheese and curly parsley for the stem. It’s the cutest ever!
• No Bake Coconut Cream Pie – Another easy dessert with a ready-to-use graham cracker crust and instant coconut cream pudding. 
• The Best Carrot Cake – No Easter is complete without this layered carrot cake made at my house. I make it every single Easter! Never disappoints. 
• Brown Sugar Ham (Made In The Crockpot) – This is another Easter dinner tradition at my house. 
• Coconut Cream Cake – A homemade coconut cake with three kinds of fresh and bright coconut flavor.