These soft and chewy Valentine’s Cookie Bars are the perfect sweet treat to share with your loved ones! Made with rich brown sugar, buttery dough, and just the right amount of chocolate, these bars have a crackly, shiny top and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth center. Festive Valentine’s M&Ms, heart sprinkles, and chocolate chunks make them extra special, adding pops of color and texture in every bite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Soft & Chewy Texture: A perfect balance of crisp edges and a gooey center.
- Shiny, Crackly Top: Thanks to the sugar-to-egg ratio, these bars have that irresistible bakery-style sheen.
- Festive & Fun: M&Ms, heart sprinkles, and chocolate chunks add a cute Valentine’s touch.
- No Chill Time Needed: Quick and easy to make—just mix, bake, and enjoy!
Whether you’re making them for a Valentine’s party, a loved one, or just for yourself, these bars are guaranteed to spread love with every bite! ❤️
Baking Tips for Perfect Cookie Bars
One of the most important steps in this recipe is mixing the melted butter and sugars together thoroughly until they form a cohesive paste. This step is key for achieving a gooey, chewy cookie texture with a beautiful crinkly top. When the sugars dissolve into the melted butter, it helps create a glossy, smooth surface that bakes into that iconic cookie bar crust.
Equally important is being careful not to overmix the flour and mix-ins. Overmixing activates gluten in the flour, which can make your bars dense and tough rather than soft and chewy. Fold the dry ingredients in gently, stopping as soon as you see the flour disappear. For the mix-ins, fold them in just enough to distribute them evenly without overworking the dough.
Customize Your Mix-Ins
This recipe is has a variety of mix-ins, with plenty of M&Ms and chocolate chunks for a decadent, candy-loaded experience. I used less mix-ins in this recipe compared to my christmas cookie bars, but if you prefer more, feel free to double the quantities for a more candy-forward bar. The flexibility allows you to tailor the recipe to your taste—whether you want a more balanced ratio or enjoy the abundance of chocolate and crunch, the choice is yours!
Brown Butter Upgrade
If you’d like to take an extra step to elevate these cookie bars, you can use brown butter instead of melted butter. To account for the water content that evaporates while browning, use 283 g of butter (1.25 times the original recipe amount) to ensure the final weight after browning is still 227g. Brown the butter over medium heat until it’s golden and nutty, then let it cool slightly before mixing it with the sugars.
I opted for a quick and easy one-bowl recipe to keep things simple, but taking the time to brown the butter adds a deeper, richer flavor that makes these bars even more indulgent. If you’re looking to impress or just want to treat yourself, this is a fantastic way to take these cookie bars to the next level!
Perfecting the Bake Time
Bake time can vary depending on your oven, so I always recommend using an oven thermometer to ensure your baking temperature is accurate. This will help you avoid over- or under-baking your cookie bars.
For my oven, I baked these bars for 45 minutes to achieve a set, crackly exterior but a soft, chewy interior texture. I personally prefer a more gooey cookie bar (bake time of 35 min), but after some comments on my last video I decided to bake them a little longer for this video haha. I use a UNOX commercial convection oven with highly accurate temperature control, which ensures consistent results every time so you may have to experiment around with your oven.
For most home ovens, bake times may range from 35 to 50 minutes. For a more gooey bar, bake for less time (closer to 35-40 min), but if you prefer a more done, firmer texture, bake a little longer. The key is to check doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center—it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter. Adjust your bake time based on this indicator to get perfectly gooey, chewy bars every time! Once baked, let the cookie bars cool in the pan for at least 30-50 minutes before cutting. This allows them to set up more as they cool, making slicing easier and ensuring the perfect texture!
Enjoy these gooey, festive cookie bars however you like them—perfectly customized and ready to delight!
Valentine’s Cookie Bars
Description
These Valentine’s Cookie Bars are soft, chewy, and packed with festive M&Ms, heart sprinkles, and chocolate chunks for the perfect holiday treat. With a shiny crackly top and buttery, rich flavor, these easy-to-make cookie bars are perfect for Valentine’s Day parties, gift-giving, or a fun homemade dessert. No chill time required—just mix, bake, and enjoy!
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
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Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until thick, smooth and paste-like.
refer to "Baking Tips for Perfect Cookie Bars" section above -
Add Eggs and Vanilla: Stir in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract, until fully combined.
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Combine Dry Ingredients: Gently fold in the flour and salt until just combined. Stop mixing as soon as you see small streaks of flour.
refer to "Baking Tips for Perfect Cookie Bars" section above -
Add Mix-Ins: Fold in the chopped dark chocolate, M&Ms, and sprinkles, reserving a small handful of M&Ms and sprinkles for topping, if desired.
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Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Add the reserved M&Ms and sprinkles on top. Bake for 35-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
refer to "Perfecting the Bake Time" section above -
Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before lifting them out using the parchment paper overhang. Slice into squares and serve.
