Halloween Cookie Bars are a delicious and fun treat to have for the season! Made with M&M candies and chocolate chips, you are going to love this tasty treat that takes just minutes to make!
Halloween Cookies Bars are a great treat to make around the holiday. The recipe is a great base for whatever candies you want to add. The Ghoul’s Mix M&M’s are always a great addition.
For another delicious cookie bar recipe, don’t miss my Sheet Pan Cookie Bars or these S’mores Cookies Bars, that are great for feeding a crowd. And, if you love chocolate, be sure to check out this Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe!
Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s just a fun time to dress up and really enjoy the season. That’s why, as soon as the stores starting bringing out the Halloween candy, I make these bars!
These Halloween Cookie Bars are a fun and festive way to celebrate the season. Adorned with festive color M&M’s and candy eyes, they are a ghoulish and fun treat.
The secret to making such delicious and tasty cookie bars is using brown sugar. It adds a deep sugary flavor and keeps the bars chewy and moist.
You’ll love how easy these bars are to put together too! They have all of the flavor of chocolate chip cookies, without the work of making individual cookies.
The M&M’s add a delicious crunch and the chocolate chips really satisfy your chocolate cravings. These are great to make for a party, or just have a fun treat around during the Halloween season.
Ingredients
To make Halloween Cookie Bars you will need: flour, baking powder, butter, eggs, brown sugar, salt, chocolate chips, vanilla, and Ghoul’s Mix M&M’s.
- Brown Sugar: I prefer to use brown sugar only when making cookie bars so that the bars stay moist and chewy. Plus, the brown sugar adds to the flavor of the bars.
- Chocolate Chips: you could make these bars with just M&M’s. But the chocolate chips add a depth of flavor and melted goodness that you just can’t get from candies alone.
- M&M’s Ghoul’s Mix: these seasonal candies are the perfect addition to your Halloween Cookie Bars. They are made with three spooky colors: green, orange, and purple. If you can’t find them, regular M&M’s will work just fine!
- Candy Eyeballs: I love to finish off these bars with candy eyeballs. You can find these in the cake decorating section in most grocery stores. They are a fun addition to the bars, but totally optional.
How to Make Halloween Cookie Bars
Halloween Cookies Bars are an easy and festive way to celebrate the season. To start, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease and line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
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- Step 1: Make the batter. In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat together the brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Then, add in the baking powder, salt, and flour. Continue mixing until the batter is well incorporated.
- Step 2: Use a rubber spatula to fold in the chocolate chips and some of the M&M’s. Save a few of the M&Ms (or use extra) to decorate the top of the bars.
- Step 3: Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Add the additional M&M’s into the top of the batter. No need to press them too far in. Bake the cookie bars for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges start to pull away from the pan.
- Step 4: When the bars come out of the oven, carefully press the candied eyes into the warm bars. (You can add them to the bars before baking, but you risk the eye color browning slighlty.)
Let the bars cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes. Then, use the parchment overhang to remove the bars from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.
Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or freeze for up to a month. You’re going to love these fun and delicious bars!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Lining your baking sheet with parchment will make the Halloween cookie bars easier to remove from the pan and easier to cut into squares.
- This recipe also works for cookies. Just roll the dough into balls and bake for about 10 minutes.
- You can press the candy eyes into the batter before baking. However, there is a chance the eyes will brown slightly so I recommend adding them to the bars right out of the oven instead.
Because of the high heat of the oven, it’s impossible to keep M&M’s from cracking in the oven. Instead, you can press the M&Ms into the cookies or bars right after they come out of the oven.
Like cookies, you want to slightly undercook cookie bars. You will know when they are done when the edges of the bar pull away slightly from sides of the pan. Be careful not to over cook bars. They will continue to cook slightly as they cool.
You can add candied eyes to the top of baked goods before putting in the oven but you risk them spreading and browning in the oven. Instead, press on the candied eyes into your treat right when it comes out of the oven. Use a toothpick to press it in to keep from burning yourself.
More Delicious and Fun Treat Recipes!
Halloween Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch baking pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar (326 grams)
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups flour (204 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup chocolate chips
- ¾ cup M&M's candies
- 20-25 candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and parchment paper; set aside.
- In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer to beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy; about 2 minutes. Mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Fold in the chips and ½ cup of the M&M candies.
- Pour the mixture into the pan using a rubber spatula to spread. Press the remaining M&Ms on top of the bars. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the bars turn golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Be careful not to over cook the bars.
- Carefully press the candy eyeballs into the top of the bars. Cool in pan on a wire rack then transfer to refrigerator to cool completely before removing from pan.
Notes
- Lining your baking sheet with parchment will make the bars easier to remove from the pan and easier to cut into squares.
- This recipe also works for cookies. Just roll the dough into balls and bake for about 10 minutes.
- You can press the candy eyes into the batter before baking. However, there is a chance the eyes will brown slightly so I recommend adding them to the bars right out of the oven instead. Press them in using a toothpick to prevent burning yourself.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freezer for up to a month.
Definitely making these on Halloween! Super creative!
These are so much fun! I love making them with my granddaughters!
It’s a great treat to make with kids!
These were so fun to make with my son. He loved the eyeballs and being able to make a mess and then eat it! 🤣
Love these Halloween themed cookie bars. I will definitely try these for my boys.
These cookie bars are so cute! I love the little eyes, such a nice touch. Can’t wait to try this out!