Soft, chewy Fourth of July Cookie Bars are filled with M&Ms, white chocolate chips, and rolled oats. Made in under 30 minutes, add these festive cookies in bar form to your Independence Day celebration.
Summer is here! Pool days, popsicles, and burgers on the grill. Warm weather meals are on my mind for everything from Memorial Day to Fourth of July, and I think they’re the best to cook for. It’s so easy to throw something on the grill, make a big salad (Asian Chopped and Thai Ramen are my current favorites), and set out a bunch of red, white, and blue desserts.
The past few years, I have always made Red, White, and Blue Pinwheel Cookies, but this year I wanted something with chocolate as well. And these cookie bars (a twist on my favorite Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Bars) seemed like the perfect fit. These are the best because they’re so incredibly easy. No mixer needed and they use melted butter, so no waiting around for the butter to soften. They’re always a crowd-pleaser with kids and adults alike.
Here’s how to make them!
How to Make Cookie Bars
- Mix together dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix together wet ingredients. Combine melted butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla extract.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients.
- Stir in oats, M&Ms, and white chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into a greased 8x8 pan.
- Bake at 350°F / 177°C for 24 to 28 minutes.
- Slice and serve!
How to Store Them
Slice the bars. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or freeze for 6 months.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - Weigh the flour if possible, but otherwise, just gently spoon it into the measuring cup.
- Brown Sugar - This recipe uses all brown sugar to keep the bars soft and give them a slightly chewy texture. Light or dark brown sugar work.
- Unsalted Butter - Melt the butter and let it cool slightly before baking. If using salted butter, just be sure to skip the added salt in the recipe.
- Oats - You’ll need regular oats for these bars - look for either “old-fashioned” or “rolled” oats.
- Red, White, and Blue M&Ms - I buy these at Target) or, if I have a bag or regular M&Ms around, I just task my kids with pulling out the red and blue ones. I like to use a few extra to scatter over top of the bars before baking.
- White Chocolate Chips - These go well with the Red, White, and Blue festive theme, but regular chocolate chips work well too.
- Baking Powder, Kosher Salt, Large Egg, Pure Vanilla Extract - Standard baking ingredients.
More Desserts for Fourth of July
- Crispy and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
- Brownie Ice Cream Cake
- No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie
- Rainbow Yogurt Popsicles
- Summer Berry Cobbler
Favorite Tools for 8x8 Cakes
- 8x8 Square Cake Pan - This is my favorite pan. Everything bakes evenly and it will last for years and years.
- Flat Whisk - A flat whisk is my favorite tool for scraping around all of the edges of a bowl.
- Glass Mixing Bowls
Fourth of July Cookie Bars
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls
- 8x8 baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour (1 cup flour = 125g)
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly (1 stick)
- 1 cup lightly packed Brown Sugar (light or dark will work) (1 cup sugar = 200g)
- 1 large Egg
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Old Fashioned / Rolled Oats
- 1 cup Red, White, and Blue M&Ms (see note)
- ½ cup White Chocolate Chips (substitute regular chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Line an 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment paper and / or spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until evenly combined. Whisk in egg and vanilla.
- Pour dry ingredients over wet and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon just until no dry spots remain (do not overmix.)
- Gently stir in oats, M&Ms, and white chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, scattering any reserved mix-ins over top.
- Bake 24 to 28 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. (Note: If cooked on the lower end of the bake time, these will be very soft and will stay moist for a couple of days. If you plan to serve them the same day as they were baked, bake at the higher end of the recommended cook time.)
- Let cool in the pan until the bars can be easily removed. Once cool, slice and serve.
- The bars can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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