If you love M&M’s, you’re gonna go crazy for these M&M oatmeal cookie bars! Made with oatmeal cookie crust, a thick, delicious fudge center and topped with oatmeal crumble and M&M candies. The ultimate MM cookie bars recipe!
Are M&M’s your favorite candy? If so, then these MM Oatmeal Cookie Bars are a must make.
Made with a simple oatmeal cookie crust, then filled with a fudgy, chocolate center. Topped with more oatmeal crumble and loads of your favorite M&M chocolate candies.
Perfect for a bake sale, a sweet lunchbox surprise or even a treat to share with friends at work.
What do I need to make M&M cookie bars?
Here’s a quick reference check list of the ingredients you’ll need to make these oatmeal cookie bars:
- Oatmeal – quick or old fashioned rolled oats
- All purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter
- Sweetened condensed milk (1, 14 oz. can)
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Plain M&M chocolate candies
For exact ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions, please reference the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How do I make cookie bars?
Cookie bars are quite simple to make. This recipe includes an oatmeal cookie crust, a chocolate fudge filling, and is topped with more oatmeal crumble and M&M candies.
Here are the simple steps to making these cookie bars:
- Start by making the oatmeal cookie crust. Mix together the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, soda and salt. Then pour 3/4 cup of melted butter over this mixture, and mix with a fork. It will be crumbly and gravel-like. Reserve 1/4 of this mixture for the topping, and press the remaining 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of a 9×13″ pan. Set aside.
- Next make the chocolate filling by microwaving the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and butter together. Microwave until all ingredients are melted together and smooth. Pour this mixture over the top of the oatmeal crust.
- Sprinkle the reserved oatmeal crumble over the top of the chocolate layer.
- Lastly, sprinkle the M&M’s over the oatmeal crumble. Bake the bars at 350 for 20 minutes.
How long should cookie bars cool?
Once cookie bars come out of the oven, they will need to cool to room temperature before cutting into squares. A minimum of 1 hour or until they are no longer warm to the touch.
Much like brownies, if you were to cut hot/warm cookie bars, they will tear, be messy and and not be of uniform shape.
How many bars does a 9×13″ pan hold?
A 9×13″ pan will render 15-20 medium-sized cookie bars. Depending on the size of bar you prefer, you can slice rows of 3×5 (three bars on short side, five bars on long side) to render 15 bars. For 20 cookie bars, slice 4×5 (four bars on short side, 5 bars on long side) to render 20 bars.
These mm cookie bars are wonderfully sweet and quite rich, so going smaller may be better.
Other Toppings and Mix-Ins for oatmeal cookie bars:
- Peanut Butter Chips – these are an excellent option to use instead of M&M candies. Using peanut butter chips offers a great peanut butter chocolate flavor.
- Caramel Bits – Once baked, caramel bits soften and become a complimentary chewy texture in every bite.
- Nuts – peanuts or chopped pecans would be a wonderful addition that adds some crunch to the bars.
- Holiday M&M’s – M&M’s for Valentine’s Day, Easter, July 4th, Halloween and Christmas are excellent for any holiday party or gathering.
Not only are these great for a bake sale, they’re fantastic for a classroom treat or a fun after-school snack. I’ve also served these for my girlfriends for a book club night, and they disappear just as fast as the wine.
I’ve also sent these in with my husband for a work pot-luck, and the pan always comes home completely empty.
Speaking of caramel bits, we include them in our Campfire Smores Nachos recipe. Once the smores are melted, the caramel bits soften perfectly with the chocolate. Absolutely delicious!
FAQ’s about making cookie bars:
Yes. Cookie bars will keep, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days. For best results, store cookie bars in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Refrigerated they will keep for up to 7 days.
Yes. Once completely cool, MM cookie bars can be frozen. Freeze, wrapped in a freezer bag, or in an airtight freezer container. Frozen, they will keep for up to three months. Before serving, let thaw to room temperature.
Cookie bars are a type of dessert square or bar that is more firm than cake, but softer than a cookie. They have similar ingredients to cookies, however, are baked in one pan and cut into squares, instead of spooned out or rolled into individual cookies.
It depends on the recipe and amount of ingredients used. However, either a 9x13u0022 pan or a jelly-roll pan is best for making cookie bars. Pans will need to have a minimum of a 1u0022 edge to contain the baked bars.
Do you love cookie bar recipes? Check out some of our post popular bars and cookies:
- M&M Christmas Cookies
- White Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies
- M&M Cookie Bars
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Reese’s Pieces Cookies
- German Chocolate Brownies
- Lunch Lady Brownies
- Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
- Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Bars
- Funfetti Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- Stars and Stripes Sugar Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Protein Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cookies
- No Bake Granola Bars
- Monster Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bars
- Pecan Praline Bars
- German Chocolate Cookie Bars at Real Housemoms
Love M&M treats? Check out some of our other best M&M cookies, bars and treats:
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MM Oatmeal Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9 x 13" Pan This Anolon non-stick 9 x 13" cake pan comes with a lid for easy storage. Great for cakes, brownies and bars!
- Glass Mixing Bowls Ideal for cooking and baking, and great for anything that needs to go into a microwave.
Ingredients
Oatmeal Crust and Topping:
- 1 1/2 cups oatmeal quick or old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter melted
- 1 cups M&M chocolate candies plain (reserved for topping)
Fudge Filling:
- 1 (14 oz. can) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13" pan with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.
- In a bowl, combine the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, soda and salt. Mix until combined and the brown sugar has broken apart. Pour the 3/4 c. melted butter into the mixture and mix with a fork until crumbly. Set aside a quarter of this mixture for the topping. Press the remaining oatmeal mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan to form a crust. Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and 1/3 c. butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds and stir until smooth. Chocolate chips should be completely melted. Pour this chocolate mixture over the top of the prepared oatmeal crust.
- Using the reserved oatmeal mixture, sprinkle this over the top of the chocolate. Sprinkle the M&M candies over the top of the oatmeal mixture.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Once done baking, let the bars cool completely (at least 1 hour) before cutting into squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Oh wow!! These look amazing! Loooove that chocolate layer and M&M’s too?! Count me in!!
Totally love these and the way they look! Pinning and visiting from What’s Cookin’ Wednesdays! <3
My daughter is going to love making this recipe up – thank you!
This looks delicious! My kids would love it! Featuring at Family Fun Friday this week: http://www.happyandblessedhome.com/6-autumn-inspired-recipes/
Made exactly as written. And there is either too much salt or too much baking powder or both because it tastes “off.”