Description
Create 6 different Easter cookie flavors in one batch! My Easter Cookie Bars bake up in the same sheet pan for the most delicious cookie bars perfect for a spring celebration.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Base:
- 1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Mix-Ins for Each Section:
(Divide the dough evenly into 6 sections that are about 3/4 cup dough each)
M&M’s Bunnies:
- 1/3 cup pastel blend M&M’s (plus extra for decorating)
- 2 tablespoons Easter-themed sprinkles
Carrot Cake:
- 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots (patted dry)
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
After Baking:
- 1/2 cup cream cheese frosting
- 9 carrot-shaped décor candies
Strawberry White Chocolate:
- 1/3 cup chopped freeze-dried strawberries (plus more for garnishing)
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Peeps Marshmallow Crunch:
- 4 Peeps Marshmallow Bunnies, chopped into bits
- 1/3 cup Rice Krispies cereal
- 4 Peeps Marshmallow Bunnies, for garnishing
Cadbury Mini Eggs:
- 1/2 cup Cadbury Mini Eggs, chopped
- 12 Cadbury Mini Eggs for pressing on top
Lemon Sugar:
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
After Baking:
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, for garnishing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 17x 12-inch sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.
- Divide the dough evenly into 6 different bowls with about 3/4 cup of dough per bowl. Place the ingredients for each flavor in each of the bowls with the dough and stir to combine well. (NOTES: For the M&M’s Bunnies, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and Peeps Marshmallow Crunch sections, you’ll be garnishing the tops with extra candies immediately after baking. For the Carrot Cake, Strawberry White Chocolate, and Lemon Sugar sections, you’ll top with garnishes after the bars bake and cool completely.)
- Place each ball of mixed cookie dough into a sixth of the prepared sheet pan.
- Press the cookie doughs down evenly, with your hands, to fill the sixth of the sheet pan that each cookie dough is in. Each cookie dough should be pressed up next to the other cookie doughs that are beside it to fill the entire sheet pan.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cookie bars comes out clean. Try not to over-bake them if you want them to be chewy.
- Once the cookie bars are baked, immediately press 4 Peeps Marshmallow Bunnies onto the Peeps section and the remaining Cadbury Mini Eggs into the Cadbury Mini Eggs section. Decorate the top of the M&M’s Bunnies section with M&M’s pressed in to look like little bunnies, laying one flat for the face and two sideways on the top of the flat one for the bunny ears.
- Let the bars cool completely and then frost the Carrot Cake section with dollops of cream cheese frosting and top each dollop with a carrot shaped candy décor. Sprinkle the Strawberry White Chocolate section with extra chopped freeze-dried strawberries. Dust the Lemon Sugar section with powdered sugar and sprinkle with fresh lemon zest.
- Cut into squares to serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.