Valentine Cookie Bars from Scratch

They’re colorful, crunchy, and loaded with chocolatey flavor. Best of all, these delicious Valentine’s Day Cookie Bars are super easy to make. Talk about the perfect treat for your loved ones! 

What is a Cookie Bar? 

I confess, back when I was a young bride I was a pretty terrible cook. I couldn’t even seem to pull off a good batch of cookies. But I learned, early on, that cookie bars were simple and almost fool-proof!

Roughly speaking, a cookie “bar” is created by spreading your cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and then cutting into bars. They’re easily handled and super tasty! 

In some ways, they’re a little like my Ooey-Gooey Chocolate Chip Blondies recipe, but flatter.

Some folks use a tube of store-bought cookie dough to make their cookie bars, and that’s fine. But I love a great homemade cookie and I have always made mine using the original Toll House recipe (which is incredibly easy). 

Tools You’ll Need to Make These Cookie Bars

A couple of things you’ll need to know going in: you’ll need a half-sheet pan (or an oversized cookie sheet). This dough will make a lot! 

Also, you might want to invest in parchment paper for these bars. I used to grease the bottom of a cookie sheet (and that’s fine) but I found that the cookies got a little too crispy on bottom as a result. 

Valentine Cookie Bar Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are simple ingredients you probably have in your pantry or fridge right now. 

• room temperature butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
• pure vanilla extract
• large room temperature eggs
• light brown sugar
• granulated sugar
• all-purpose flour
• baking soda
• salt
• Valentine’s M&M candies
• Valentine’s sprinkles
• additional flour for sprinkling 

How to Make Valentine’s Cookie Bars

These came together so quickly! You’re going to really enjoy this process. In fact, it’s so easy that you might let the kids do the work. Your family and friends will love this great Valentine’s Day dessert!

Start by preheating oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Whip the room temperature butter until it’s light and fluffy. You can do so in a large bowl with electric mixer or in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. I prefer my Kitchen Aid for projects like this. 

Work in the sugar(s), vanilla, and eggs. Make sure your batter is lump-free. 

Now it’s time to add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until fully incorporated but don’t over-mix. You don’t want to over-activate the gluten strands. (This will give you a tough cookie.) 

Now it’s time to fold in the M&Ms. I used my stand mixer for this (on low) but you might fold yours in with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula. 

Now it’s time to place your dough in the cookie sheet. Make sure you’ve got a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the sheet perfectly. (I use Katbite parchment sheets, which fit my Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum pans beautifully.) 

You’ll need that excess flour for this part. Be careful not to overdo it, but sprinkle a bit of flour of top of the dough. Also flour your hand. Pat down dough until it fills the pan to the edges. (You’ll have to stop to clean your hands a few times as you go along.) No rolling pin necessary!

Place cookie sheet in preheated oven and bake for 18 – 20 minutes or until golden brown. Baking time will vary, depending on the pan size. (I have a convection oven and mine came together quickly!) 

Be careful not to overtake or they will be too firm. 

Remove from oven and place cookie sheet on wire rack to cool. 

Allow to full cool before cutting into bars. I used my bench scraper to loosen the edges of my bars before cutting. You can use a knife if you don’t have a bench cutter. 

It’s time to enjoy your cookie bars! This batch makes a lot, but they’re not terribly thick, which is why the recipe makes so many. A smaller pan will produce less cookie bars, of course, but they’ll be nice and thick. 

What to Expect from These Valentine’s M&M Cookie Bars

Y’all, I’m so tickled Valentine’s Day is coming up so I had an excuse to make these! I’m actually baking them on my birthday (January) but I’m taking them to my celebration dinner tonight so the grandkids can enjoy them. 

They’re crunchy like a cookie, filled with milk chocolate flavor from the M&Ms, and have that added bit of crunch from the brown sugar component. Those sprinkles on top add a final “bite” that will delight you, as well. 

Best of all, you don’t have to scoop out your cookies one by one when you choose this recipe. And you can get by with one baking sheet instead of two or three. 

This is one of those cookie bar recipes you’re going to use again and again!

Questions People are Asking about Cookie Bars

Are these like chocolate chip cookies?

To an extent, yes. The M&Ms are candy-coated, of course, but this is basically the same thing as a chocolate chip cookie but in bar form.

Can I add chocolate chips to this recipe?

Absolutely! I would suggest mini chocolate chips, which you can use along with the M&Ms.

Do I need to use the chocolate chip cookie dough as a base? 

Absolutely not! You could use practically any of my cookie recipes. I think my Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies would be a terrific base if you want to avoid the brown sugar component. You could skip the M&Ms and just use sprinkles in the dough. (Yum!) 

How long will these cookie bars stay fresh? 

You can keep them sealed in an airtight container for up to 4 – 5 days. They can be frozen for up to two months. 

Do I have to use a half-sheet sized cookie sheet? 

Absolutely not. You can make these on a traditional cookie sheet but they will be slightly thicker (which isn’t a bad thing)! You can also bake them in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Cooking times might need to be adjusted slightly. 

Can I add frosting to these bars?

Sure! Some pink frosting (my Dreamy Buttercream, for instance) would be great! You can outline the whole tray with buttercream or add a little rosette to the center of each cookie bar.

How long in advance can I make these bars?

If you’re wanting to serve these on Valentines Day, make them up to three days ahead. Wrap in plastic wrap to preserve freshness.

Other Bars from Out of the Box Baking

Easy Blackberry Crumble Bars: If you love a crunchy breakfast bar, loaded with the flavor of blackberries, this is the recipe for you. A rich crumbly crust, a sticky middle, and a lovely streusel topping. . .all in one luscious bite. Best of all, it’s not overly sweet!

Cherry Pie Bars: Cherry pie in Bar Form? Yes, please! If you’re looking for a bar with a soft sugar cookie crust, cake-like in texture, with a rich almond and cherry flavor, have I got a treat for you! These Simple Cherry Pie Bars (Cherry Cobbler Bars) are gooey, soft, and absolutely melt-in-your-mouth delicious! 

Luscious Lemon Bars: They’re tart, sweet, crisp and creamy. These luscious lemon bars are all of the above. . .and then some!

Simple Pecan Pie Bars: If you love the ease of a cookie bar but the luscious richness of pecan pie you’re going to flip over this simple pecan pie bar recipe! It merges both of those worlds into one dreamy bite, loaded with flavor and crunch!

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Speaking of great treats, check out these Paleo Graham Crackers from Five Monsters Paleo!

That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoy these yummy Valentine Cookie Bars!

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.