Soft and gooey Patriotic Red White & Blue M&M Cookie Bars are an easy and festive dessert to make in under an hours time! Perfect dessert for any barbecue you might be hosting or attending.
I’ve been making these cookie bars for quite some time. I’ve had friends asked me time and time again for the recipe I’ve finally decided it was time to blog about this recipe.
During the summer months I always keep a large container of red, white, and blue M&M’s on hand. This is solely so I can whip up these cookie bars if we host and/or attend an impromptu barbecue.
If you’re planning on going to a barbecue or maybe even hosting a party you might be looking for an easy and festive desserts to serve. That’s where my patriotic M&M cookie bars come to the rescue!
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Why this Recipe Works
Patriotic Celebration – Red, white, and blue are colors often associated with national pride and patriotism, particularly in countries like the United States. Making red, white, and blue cookie bars is a great way to celebrate national holidays such as Independence Day, Memorial Day, or Veterans Day. These colorful treats can bring a festive spirit to gatherings, picnics, or parties, allowing you and your loved ones to indulge in a patriotic-themed dessert.
Festive & Versatile – This cookie bar recipe can be customized with whatever colors you need for your event or holiday. I have another recipe for Halloween cookie bars that incorporate the colors associated with Halloween. You can customize this recipe to make Christmas, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and even Easter colors in the cookie bars.
Eye-Catching Presentation – Red, white, and blue cookie bars are visually appealing and can make a striking impression when served. The vibrant colors create an attractive contrast that instantly grabs attention and adds a touch of excitement to any dessert table or bake sale.
Ingredients
- Sugar – both brown and granulated sugar are needed for these cookie bars.
- Butter – You’ll need two sticks for this recipe and at room temperature so they can easily cream the sugar.
- Vanilla Extract – I love to use pure vanilla extract.
- Eggs – Whenever you are baking it’s best to keep them at room temperature.
- Baking Soda – This will help the bars rise.
- Salt – Needed to balance out the flour taste.
- All Purpose Flour – The base flour for this recipe.
- M&M’s – The red, white, and blue M&M’s are what make this recipe complete.
Directions
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the room temperature butter in the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Then pour in the granulated and brown sugar. Cream on low for 1 minute until incorporated. Then, slowly add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for 1 minute.
Turn off the mixer. Add in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low and then gradually increase speed to medium for 1 minute.
Reduce the speed to low and add in the M&M’s. Mix until just incorporated.
Spray a 9×13 glass pan with cooking spray. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the cookie dough contents into the glass pan. Smooth out until even. Add ½ cup M&M’s to the top of the pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden in color. Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes before cutting. Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Whenever baking, I use a toothpick or wooden skewer to test the doneness. When you poke the center of a cookie bar with a toothpick it should come out with a few crumbs on it. If it comes out runny you know you need to add 5-10 minutes to the cooking time.
Simply store the cookie bars in the pan they were baked in with plastic wrap or aluminum foil at room temperature. Consume them within 3 days for ultimate freshness.
The best way to store cookies is at room temperature. When you store cookies they will go stale quicker if they are refrigerated. The only time you should refrigerate a cookie is if they contain a custard or cream. For these cookie bars, you need to store them at room temperature.
Tips & Tricks
I’ve made these red white and blue cookie bars many times. By now I can give you some of my very own tips and tricks that I think will help you master this recipe.
- Line the pan with parchment paper – this will help if you want to remove the bars out of the pan to stack on a platter.
- Sheet Pan vs 9 x 13 Pan – I have used both. For this recipe, I write to use a 9 x 13 pan. This will yield a thick cookie bar. If you want a thinner bar and maybe want to stretch it to get a few more servings you can use a small sheet pan around 10×14.
- Spread batter in pan – The batter does not have to hit all the edges and corners. The goal is to at least get the batter as even as possible. As the dough begins to bake the dough will smooth out.
Patriotic Desserts
If you’re looking for a more patriotic dessert recipes I have quite a few for you to choose from.
- Red, White, and Blue Berry Trifle Cake
- Angel Lush Cake
- Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
- Slow Cooker Blueberry Cobbler
This is the perfect make ahead dessert and can feed quite a large crowd depending on how you cut the cookie bars. Whether you’re serving children up to adults you can never go wrong with this recipe for patriotic cookie bars. Perfectly cooked, extra chewy and full of delicious M&Ms.
If you make this 4th of July Cookie Bars recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Patriotic Red White and Blue M&M Cookie Bars
Equipment
- KitchenAid Stand Mixer
- 1 Silicone Spatula
- 1 16" x 21" rectangle pan
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Salted butter room temperature
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 3 Large eggs
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 cups Red White & Blue M&M'S
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the room temperature butter in the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. Then pour in the granulated and brown sugar. Cream on low for 1 minute until incorporated. Then, slowly add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix on medium for 1 minute.
- Turn off the mixer. Add in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low and then gradually increase speed to medium for 1 minute.
- Reduce the speed to low and add in the M&M's. Mix until just incorporated.
- Spray a 9×13 glass pan with cooking spray. Using a silicone spatula, scrape the cookie dough contents into the glass pan. Smooth out until even. Add ½ cup M&M’s to the top of the pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden in color. Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- Leftovers – Always store leftover cookie bars in an air tight container for up to 3 days for ultimate freshness.
- Line the pan with parchment paper – if you would like to easily lift the bars out after they are done baking and cooling you can easily remove the bars out of the pan to stack on a platter.
- Sheet Pan vs 9 x 13 Pan – I have used both. For this recipe, I write to use a 9 x 13 pan. This will yield a thick cookie bar. If you want a thinner bar and maybe want to stretch it to get a few more servings you can use a small sheet pan around 10×14.
- Spread batter in pan – The batter does not have to hit all the edges and corners. The goal is to at least get the batter as even as possible. As the dough begins to bake the dough will smooth out.
chahinez @lifestyleofafoodie
These are the perfect treat for 4th of July!!
Katie
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a 5 star review! I couldn’t agree more, these are the perfect treat to enjoy on the 4th of July!