Valentine Cookie Bars
These adorable Valentine cookie bars are loaded with chocolate chips and M&M’s. They’re the perfect treat for your sweetheart!
I know there are people in the world who hate Valentine’s Day, but it has always been one of my favorite holidays! It’s just a few days before my birthday, and I feel like it adds some much needed cheer to the dreary February days. I get excited as soon as I start seeing those red and pink decorations arriving at the store, and I usually have the mantel decorated for Valentine’s Day by the first week of January. My husband and I almost never go out on a romantic date, or give each other very elaborate gifts, but we love to celebrate with a family breakfast (or breakfast for dinner, depending on our schedule). I always give each person a few little treats and a small gift on their plate, and it’s fun for everyone. (You can see more about our Valentine’s Day breakfast tradition here and also get a sweet recipe for raspberry almond muffins!)
Of course, my favorite part of any holiday is the food, and Valentine’s Day is perfect for pulling out all of the tasty desserts! These Valentine cookie bars are festive, cute, and absolutely delicious! They’re easy to make, and sure to please both kids and adults. I adapted them from my trusty, never-fail chocolate chip cookie recipe, so you know they are going to be good!
These cookie bars are loaded with chocolate chips and M&M candies, for maximum chocolatey satisfaction. And because I’m a little extra, I added some Dove chocolate hearts to the top, just to make them even more decadent. Yum!
These Valentine cookie bars are great on their own, but they are amazingly delicious served warm with a scoop of ice cream on top and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. I cut mine into twelve gigantic bars, but if you’re a little more reasonable than I am, you could easily get 20-24 normal sized bars from this recipe. These bars are the perfect treat to celebrate the holiday!
Valentine Cookie Bars
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/4 cup M&M candies divided
- 12 Dove chocolate hearts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix to form a soft dough. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and 1 cup of the M&M’s using a spatula. Press the dough into an even layer in a parchment or foil lined 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining M&M’s over the top of the dough. Bake 22-25 minutes, or the bars are light golden brown and a toothpick inserted two inches from the side of the pan comes out clean. Let cool five minutes, then press the Dove chocolate hearts into the top of the bars. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
