Brown Butter M&M Cookie Bars

Gooey, chewy, brown butter M&M cookie bars. Stuffed with chocolate and M&Ms, the cookie dough is placed into a pan and baked until golden brown edges form. The delicate, nutty flavour from the brown butter brings this recipe to a whole other level.

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This is my first Christmas recipe on the blog. Man, I’m so excited! If you’re here from my YouTube channel SweetTreats, thank you for following along! I just announced an introduction to who I am, but if you want to get to know me more you can visit the About Me section on my blog 🙂 I am beyond thrilled to start this baking journey and grow a passionate community on here.

Let’s Talk Brown Butter

Okay…let’s talk brown butter. Have you ever tried it? If not, you must for this recipe! It enhances the flavour of your goods and is a literal baking game-changer. Brown butter is exactly what it sounds like; browning the butter. When you melt your butter, you allow it to cook for an additional several minutes until it turns a golden brown. Cooking the butter past melting point will result in milk solids in the butter browning. This is that delicate, nutty aroma you smell and taste! It may sound intimidating, but I promise you it’s not. I’ll walk you through the steps and before you know it you’ll be making it for all your baked goods!

Steps to Creating Brown Butter

1. In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue to whisk it as it melts.
2. Once butter has melted completely, the butter will begin to foam and sizzle, then fall back. Allow it to do this while still slowly whisking every couple seconds.
3. Watch closely for the next several minutes, as the butter on the bottom will start turning a light brown colour. Keep whisking for the next 3-6 minutes (depending on how much butter you use, it can take longer)
4. Once the foam subsides, you’ll notice two things: first, you can see the butter has turned a golden brown, and second, the butter has a bold, nutty aroma smell. Remove from heat and pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl to stop the cooking.
5. Note: You can easily burn the butter by leaving it in the bottom of the pan while you prep the rest of your ingredients, so this is why I mention transferring the butter in the last step.

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Video Recipe for Brown Butter Holiday M&M Cookie Bars

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I have made this recipe dozens of times with and without the holiday M&Ms depending on the season. I don’t think I can stress enough what a crowd pleaser they are. These cookie bars are just so. darn. good.

Once you’ve browned the butter, all of the ingredients go into one-bowl! Minimal hassle, minimal cleanup. My kind of recipe!

The flavour in this recipe is incredible. In the inside you’ve got the bars stuffed with ooey gooey chocolate and M&Ms, and on the exterior you’ve got a soft, golden edge cookie bar. The additional sea salt on top is what balances the salty-sweet combo perfectly.