These soft, chewy M&M Blonde Brownies are a fun snack any time of day. Try packing them into your kid's lunch boxes or snacking on them after school with a glass of milk.
Today I'm feeling a bit sluggish. I have discovered that boys are much louder than girls. And by boys, I mean grown men.
Last night, my hubby had game night at our house. Seriously, I think 5 grown men huddled around a board game are much louder than any group of women for sure. Loud voices and laughing do not make going to sleep very easy.
Usually they set up the game in the basement, but last night it was upstairs in the dining room. Of course, it was the room without carpet, so it just echoed throughout the entire house. I stayed up for a bit to do some computer work in the office.
All I heard was laughter and chatter about which army would destroy the rest. I finally waved the white flag and went to bed, even though they were still going strong on their game at midnight. Thank goodness the closed door blocked some of the sound.
Laura Kate says, "I'm always skeptical of new recipes as my search for a dense, tasty brownie has been met with continual disappointment. This recipe however is AMAZING!!! Exactly what I've been looking for!"
Next time, I'll bake more pans of M&M's Brownies and Peanut Butter Cup Cookies for them.
My thinking is that if they are busy eating, they can't laugh and shout at the game plays.
Baking Blonde Brownies
These M&M cookie bars are one of my family's favorite treats. I almost always underbake ours slightly because we like the soft, chewy, and sometimes gooey texture. Twenty-two minutes is just the way we like them.
Feel free to bake your bars a few minutes longer if you prefer blonde brownies that are slightly more done. Just be careful and watch them closely as they bake. It is easy to overbake these bars.
These chewy blonde brownies WILL look undone when you pull them out of the oven, but they will set up as they cool. Just trust me on this! If you bake them too much, they will be hard when you cut into them later.
If you are making these cookie bars for a bake sale, I do recommend baking them the full 25 minutes. Gooey under-baked treats are only good if you are eating them at home.
How to Make M&M Blonde Brownies
Make sure you set out your butter ahead of time. Soft room temperature butter is much easier to beat into the sugar.
Add the salt, vanilla, and eggs, and beat the mixture again. Be careful not to overmix the batter at any point, as this can cause the top to become crunchy and crackly. Which is not a bad thing, but it does change the texture slightly. I prefer the tops of my blonde brownies soft and chewy.
Stir in the baking powder and flour until you get a thick cookie dough.
Now comes the fun part. It's time to add your mix-ins. This batch received a lot of M&M candies. Feel free to use miniatures or regular M&M's. You could also do cookies, nuts, or sprinkles. Or a mixture of all the above.
Make sure you store the blondies in a sealed container. They will stay softer longer if you keep them from drying out. Of course, if your family is anything like mine, you will not have very many M&M Blonde Brownies to deal with.
Holiday Blonde Brownies
I love changing up the colors of the candies for different holidays. The rainbow of colors from the candies is so pretty when you cut into the M&M bars.
- Pink and red M&M's would make these so pretty for Valentine's Day.
- Use mint M&M's for St. Patrick's Day.
- A bag of pastel M&M's would be perfect for Easter.
- Red, white, and blue M&M's would turn these into the best patriotic dessert.
- Use orange, brown, and white M&M's for a Halloween cookie bar.
- And of course, red, white, and green M&M's work great in these Christmas blondies!
See how easy it is to transform this easy recipe into a fun holiday dessert? You can also use any other candy in place of these M&M's. Reese's pieces are super yummy too!
More easy cookie bars
Gooey marshmallow and Reese's Pieces candies add a sweet goodness to these Marshmallow Reese's Blonde Brownies.
Lots of candy and pretzels makes a pan of these Caramel Pretzel Peanut Butter M&M Bars disappear in a hurry.
These Nutella M&M Bars are easy cookie bars that are made in one pan.
These soft and chewy chocolate filled Congo Bars are a great recipe to make the next time you have company over.
A pan of these S'mores Sugar Cookie Bars would never last long around me. I love a good chocolate, marshmallow, and graham treat!
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Recipe
M&M Blonde Brownies
These easy M&M Blonde Brownies are loaded with candy goodness. A batch of these cookie bars never last very long in our house.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups M&M candies, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Sift together the salt, baking powder, and flour. Slowly beat into the butter mixture. Stir in 1 cup of the M&M candies by hand.
- Spread the batter in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the top with the extra ½ cup candies.
- Bake for 22-24 minutes for a glass pan or 18-19 minutes for a metal pan. Let the cookie bars cool completely (3-4 hours) before cutting into squares. Store in a sealed container.
Notes
*They will seem under done and under baked when you pull them out. Let them sit on the counter for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into them
**If you are making them for a bake sale, bake them 25 minutes.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 2g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
*This post for M&M Blonde Brownies was first published on March 11, 2014. It has been updated and republished on February 15, 2019.
Heather says
Made these using Bob's Red Mills 1 to 1 Baking Flour. Cooked for 30 minutes (gf cooking always takes a few extra minutes). Turned out awesome! Yummy!
Jocelyn says
That's awesome to hear they turned out great with the other flour!
Christine says
I made these with 1 to 1 flour and they were so good. Making them again this weekend. Its hard to find really good gluten free options so the under cooked part is perfect!!
Georgia Lennox says
Looks yum and is yum
Nicole says
I make these all the time. This is my number one go-to recipe for a quick, easy, delicious dessert. I brown the butter which gives it a little bit of a nutty flavor and I bake for no more than 20 minutes so they are soft and gooey. I find that any longer than 20 minutes in my oven and they come out hard. These go fast and I don't usually have much left!
Jocelyn says
These are a favorite in our house too. They usually never last the day with 3 hungry teenagers grabbing at them. Brown butter is the bomb in these, so I'm glad to hear you do it too. I usually only bake ours about 22 minutes because I love them slightly underdone. It does all depend on ovens and how hot they run.
Britney says
I'm sorry but this had to b the worst recipe ever. Came out as hard as a rock and I followed the ingredients to a T.
Jocelyn says
I am so sorry to hear this didn't turn out for you. I have made this many times, and I have had lots of people who have made it and loved it too. Something must have gone wrong when you measured or baked it. All ovens do bake differently and also elevation plays a part in baking time, so that might have caused it to over bake.
Kristy says
Mine came out a little hard too. Taste great though, and they ate every single one (the only person who noticed they were over-baked was me)! I believe this was all user error (AKA my fault!), because they didn't look or feel done, and I let them continue to bake after the directed time. I came back to re-read the recipe and see where above the recipe you say they will look under-baked and not to overcook...guess I need to quit skipping ahead to the recipe card! Great way to use up the copious amounts of M&M's we have leftover from after holiday sales, thanks for the recipe!
Jocelyn says
I'm glad to hear you didn't have any leftovers! And I'm glad you saw the mention about not over baking them, even it was too late. I'll add a note in the actual recipe card for future bakers. I usually only bake ours for about 22 minutes because I love them under done. It all depends on your oven too...some ovens run hotter than others so they will cook faster.
Ruth says
Made these for a bake sale and people went nuts over them. All the parents and staff wanted more, so I will make another batch as it is a week-long thing. Sold out straight away. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Jocelyn says
That is so great to hear how much everyone loved the bars. Thank you for sharing with me 🙂
Kristy says
Hi there. Two problems with this recipe. The batter was so stiff that I had to press it into the tin with a fork. It definitely needs some more liquid in it. In addition 24 minutes in the oven resulted in rock hard brownies. I've seen recipes where melted butter is used, so I am wondering if this might make the batter better?
Jocelyn says
Well, something is definitely not right with your batter. How soft was your butter when you started and did you use both eggs? It should not have been so stiff that you had to press it in the pan with a fork, and 24 minutes should have resulted in still slightly under baked brownies. I have made these so many times over the years and have never had a problem with the recipe the way it is written.
Kathy Zimmerman says
I just made these for tomorrow's bake sale at my son's school. It was baked at a minimum time, and it was overcooked. They looked ready in 15 minutes. Nevertheless, they taste amazing! I ate too many for a "taste test", and now I need to make another batch. My family will love the extras now. LOL
Jocelyn says
I am so glad that they still tasted amazing! I wonder if your oven runs hotter than mine. Ours always take about 22-24 minutes to bake to a slightly under baked goodness.
Oh Happy Dane says
Oh, how tempting they look!!! I'm getting hungry for fun now!!!
Katie says
I just made the brownies, made to the exact measurements and times you said. Mine were WAY raw in the middle. so much that they would fall apart if i tried taking them out. I feel like the recipe is missing something or I did something wrong.
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I am so sorry to hear that! But no, the recipe is exactly the way I make them every single time. How soon did you cut into the bars? They are gooey when they are warm and first out of the oven. I always undertake mine slightly, but at 24 minutes they are never raw coming out of my oven. All ovens are different though, so maybe just bake the next batch slightly longer. I hope that helps!
Tammy Herr says
Wow! I just made these as a surprise treat for my kids after school. I took a piece as a sample and wow ! terrific. Will def make again!
N says
I made these today with pLAnS of taking them to a church dinner tomorrow. My family convinced me to eat them today. I'm glad I did! Under asked is one thing. These were raw. Batter running everywhere when cut and they were completely cooled. It took an extra 10 minutes to get done to an edible consistency. They are delicious but I was very disappointed at the first attempt. Glad I cut it tonight or I would have been one embarrassed lady at church!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I am so sorry to hear that you had problems with these bars. I always bake mine for this time and temperature and they are never raw or runny.
Kristi says
These are so delicious, and pretty too! Fun summer snack to make with the kids! Thanks!!!
Linnea says
These are in the oven right now! Im soooooo excited to see how they turn out!!!:) Thank you for the recipe, and thanks to Pinterest for me being able to find it!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
I am excited to hear what you think of them 🙂
Linnea says
Yay! They are soo yummy and so rich...I can't even eat one without craving milk...not a bad thing 😉 . Thanks!
Debra @ Worth Cooking says
These look incredible.
Made From Pinterest says
I need all of this NOW!! Ha ha, this looks amazing!
Katie @ Addicted 2 DIY says
These look delicious! Definitely pinning them for later! Stopping by from the Link Party Palooza:)
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thank you for stopping by Katie! 🙂
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
I really need to get in the "Blondie game", I have never made them!
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Yes, you do! They are so so good! 😉
Layla @ Brunch Time Baker says
You have an amazing blondies collection! These M&M blondies looks super delicious!
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion says
Blonde Brownies.. amazing combination:)
Jocelyn Brubaker says
Thanks Ilona! 🙂
Emily ~So Domesticated~ says
What delicious looking brownies... Yum!