Mini Egg Cookie Bars are a fun way to incorporate those candy-coated milk chocolate treats for a springtime celebration. You get the crisp outer edges and chewy centers of cookies combined with the ease and convenience of bars, in a buttery, caramelly base loaded with bursts of milk chocolate goodness.
There's something about these sunny spring cookie bars that makes me smile - the pastel coloured eggs, the creamy milk chocolate in the crunchy candy coating, the brown sugar-caramel flavour with a hint of vanilla and nutmeg. Or maybe it's just the fun, square shapes with the familiar chewy centres and crispy edges of my favourite cookies.
Kind of like a skillet cookie, but in a classic bar form, these mini egg cookie bars are quick and easy to make. They'll shine at any spring gathering and become a favourite lunchbox or snacktime treat, even as an addition to an Easter dessert platter. I love that they turn out just as well with my gluten-free flour as they do with regular flour.
Mini Egg Cookie Bars will put a little hippety-hop into your spring baking!
Ingredients
You'll need:
- mini eggs - these candy-coated milk chocolate eggs are usually available in the springtime, around Easter. There are several brands available (I use Cadbury®). You can also substitute them with milk chocolate chips, or other candy-coated chocolate buttons (like Smarties®), which are made from darker chocolate.
- flour - I use my favourite gluten-free flour blend (it works amazingly in most baking, so I always mix up a large batch to have on hand), but regular all-purpose flour works great, too, if you don't need your recipe to be gluten-free.
- butter - I use salted butter. If using unsalted butter, increase the salt to ½ teaspoon.
- brown sugar - makes for the caramelly flavour. Use dark or light brown sugar, firmly packed.
- baking soda - for a bit of lightness and rise
- honey - a small amount, to help keep the mini egg cookie bars soft and to help activate the baking soda
- egg - one large one
- vanilla - makes everything better
- nutmeg - just a pinch, to round out the flavour (or use cinnamon)
- salt - always a good idea, to balance the sweetness in baked goods
How to Make These Fun Mini Egg Cookie Bars
A pan of cookie bars is a quick and easy thing to make - satisfy that cookie craving in no time! For these mini egg cookie bars, the extra step of lightly crushing the little chocolate eggs makes it easier to cut the bars after baking (quicker access to the deliciousness!)
Place the mini eggs in a single layer in a plastic bag, then press down on them with a flat-bottomed glass or jar to lightly crack the eggs. You'll need about 1-1½ cups of crushed mini eggs.
But make sure to set aside about 20 whole eggs first (5 of each colour) to decorate the top of the pan of Mini Egg Cookie Bars before baking.
Make the cookie dough (cream butter and sugar, add egg and flavourings, stir in flour, baking soda, and mini eggs to make a stiff cookie dough). Pat the mixture into a 9x9-inch (23x23 cm) square pan and press in the reserved whole mini eggs.
Try to contain yourself as the house fills with the enticing aroma of butter, brown sugar, and chocolate baking. Let the pan cool slightly, then cut the mini egg cookie bars into squares.
Sneak one now, and save the rest to enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of tea. Do you like the crispy edges best? Or the soft chewy centers? Or maybe it's the bits of luscious, melting milk chocolate?
It might take a second cookie bar to figure it out😉.
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Mini Egg Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 9x9-inch (23x23 cm) square baking pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
- 8.5 oz (300 g) candy-coated chocolate mini eggs (~1½ cups crushed + 20 whole eggs)
- ½ cup (115 g) salted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 large egg
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups (270 g) gluten-free flour blend or regular all-purpose flour for non-gluten-free
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Grease a 9x9 inch (23x23 cm) square baking pan and line it with a long 9-inch wide strip of parchment paper that hangs over two of the sides.
- Set aside 20 mini eggs (5 of each colour). Place the rest of the mini eggs into a zip-top plastic bag and crush them lightly by pushing down on them with the bottom of a glass or small pot just until they crack. This will make the bars easier to cut. Set them aside, also.
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, and honey until they are fluffy and light-coloured, either with an electric mixer or by hand.
- Add the egg, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg or cinnamon (if using), and beat until creamy.
- Add the baking soda and flour, and mix until the flour is all incorporated. You will have a medium-soft cookie dough.
- Stir in the crushed mini eggs.
- Scrape the dough into the prepared baking pan and push it down evenly with your fingers. Scatter the 20 whole mini eggs over the cookie dough and press them gently down into it.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is dry but still quite soft to the touch. It will firm up as it cools, but that is what will make the cookie bars slightly fudgy.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently lift up the whole block of cookie bars by the two paper flaps and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut the bars while they are still slightly warm into 16 pieces.
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