Candy Studded Chocolate Cookie Bars

Candy Studded Chocolate Cookie Bars are an easy, delicious and fun treat that will bring out the kid in all of us!

Y’know how they say that “Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional”? Well I’m a firm believer in that saying. Kids are awesome. Adults? We want a new car and a 20% raise and we still won’t be as happy as a child with a colorful lollypop the size of their face. And a kid can occupy themselves with a cardboard box longer than we can keep busy with an iPad.

Well good news folks. You can feel like a kid again if you make these Candy Studded Chocolate Cookie Bars. They’re simply adorable, and oh-so-fun. But here’s the thing. They taste great. Like, great enough for us sophisticated adults.  Or at least for people like me, who pretend to be sophisticated adults, when all we really want is a huge bite of a Candy Studded Chocolate Cookie Bar.

Oh, one more thing. If you’re only an adult in the sense that you’re tired and have too much to do, there’s good news for you too. These are seriously easy. Practically effortless. Go on. Make them. Your inner child will thank you!

Candy Studded Chocolate Cookie Bars

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Originally published in my column in Ami/Whisk magazine

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Ingredients

• 2 sticks (1 cup) margarine or butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 eggs
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cup flour
• 1 cup M&M's or chocolate lentils, preferably mini

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the margarine, sugar and brown sugar and beat until creamy.
3. Add the vanilla and baking soda and beat until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well to combine after each addition.
4. Add the cocoa powder and flour and beat until just combined.
5. Stir in the chocolate lentils, being careful not to over-mix.
6. Spread the mixture over the prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool before cutting into squares.

Tips:

1. Change it up by switching out the chocolate lentils for flavored chips, such as cappuccino chips
2. Prefer a dense, fudgy brownie texture? Bake the mixture in a 9x13 pan for 35-40
3. Make this match your party color scheme by getting the correct colored M&M's (i.e. pink for a baby girl party).