Valentine Monster Cookie Bars

Kristen Massad — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 05:06:33 +0000

All your favorites in one bar and a fun Valentine's Day Treat. Valentine Monster Cookie Bars are loaded with peanut butter, oats, semi sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and red, pink and white m&ms's.

Cookie bars are a go to when making a quick and easy dessert that is also delicious! It is a combo of a cookie and a blondie, loaded with the most decadent ingredients to make a fun and festive Valentine's Day treat!

Valentine Monster Cookie Bars are loaded with all the ingredients that we love and finished off with red, white and pink. Creamy peanut butter, oats, two types of chocolate chips and colorful m&m's are the flavors and textures that make this Monster Cookie Bar so good!

If you are enjoying these for a school party treat, an after dinner dessert or paired with our favorite Valentine's Day Snack Board, these Monster Cookie Bars will be enjoyed on Valentine's Day and beyond.

Ingredients

Flour-All purpose flour is the only flour you need for these bars, but make these GF by replacing the flour with gluten free cup for cup flour.
Oats-Old fashioned oat or GF Old Fashioned Oats
Butter-Unsalted butter at room temperature
Peanut Butter- I prefer to use creamy peanut butter for this recipe. I would not replace it with crunchy because it will change the texture of the bars.
Chocolate Chips- Semi sweet and white chocolate chips are a fun combination for these monster bars. If you are not a lover of white chocolate, try replacing it with milk chocolate chips.
M&M's- The colorful M&M's will make these Monster Cookie Bars super festive for any holiday. The red, pink and white are perfect for Valentine's Day!
Sea Salt- I love the salty sweet combo and course sea salt is the perfect way to finish these cookie bars off. Once the bars are baked, sprinkle the top with a touch of sea salt.

Step-by-Step Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 9x9 inch square pan with parchment paper
In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt and ground cinnamon; set aside

Using an electric mixer or a hand held mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter and light brown sugar until creamy and smooth
Add egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture and mix until fully combined
Fold the semisweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and m&m's into the batter

Evenly press the dough into the prepared pan
Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown (the center will still be slightly soft)
Remove the Monster Cookie Bars from the oven, sprinkle with course seas salt and allow them to cool for 30-45 minutes before cutting (refrigerate if you need them to cool quickly)
Cut into desired shape and size! Enjoy

Add More Chocolate Chips and M&M's
Once the cookies are baked and immediately out of the oven I love to sprinkle a few more chocolate chips, m&m's and seas salt on the top of the bars. This makes the look and taste extra good!

Cut Them Cold
For an easy and clean cut, make sure the bars are cooled. If you want to make it even easier, stick the bars in the refrigerator for 20 minutes and cut them while they are cold.

Can I make these Gluten Free Monster Cookie Bars?

Yes! This is an easy recipe to convert to GF. Replace the flour with GF Cup for Cup Flour and make sure the oats are gluten free!

How Do I Store The Monster Cookie Bars?

If you are not going to enjoy these bars immediately, I recommend storing them in an airtight container until you are ready to eat them. These will stay fresh for 4-5 days when stored properly.

Can I Freeze The Monster Bars?

Yes! If you are not going to enjoy them within 4 days, I recommend freezing them to preserve the freshness of the cookie bars. Once you are ready to eat them, remove them from the freezer and keep them in the airtight container on the counter for 24 hours.

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