Curious about making some cookie bars? Well then, I've got a foolproof and easy recipe for you! Cookie bars are essentially cookies baked in a square pan and cut into squares. They have all the flavour of a cookie, with a soft and chewy centre and that perfect golden brown crust. And these mini egg cookie bars are little squares of heaven. They also happen to be gluten-free too!
True story: I haven't had mini eggs in years! For so long, I struggled with truly finding balance with food and health. When I was consumed by health and healthy eating, I studied every single ingredient in my food. If I didn't like the ingredient, I wouldn't allow myself to have it. Food was all I thought about, and not in a happy and healthy way of being excited to cook. And because of this, I struggled with control around food which was a direct reflection of my restriction.
Now, I'm in a happy and healthy place with food and I love indulging when I want, without any feeling of guilt. So when I thought of some Easter recipes, my mind went right to mini eggs. I picked up a large bag and made these delicious, and easy mini egg cookie bars. And I know I'll be making these again and again. I hope you love them too!
Feel free to use regular all purpose flour, or another gluten-free blend that you love. I've used Bob's Red Mill, One-To-One All Purpose flour with great results. It's my personal go-to gluten-free blend that I use all the time.
Buy Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour here!
Baking soda helps these cookie bars rise.
Cookies just taste better with butter (as do most things, amirightttt). You'll need about 1/2 cup butter for this batch of cookie bars. See tips and substitutions for other alternatives.
I prefer to use a mix of light brown sugar and white sugar. Because of the mini eggs, these are already on the sweet side, so you don't need to add much additional sugar. See tips and substitutions for other alternatives.
You'll need one egg for these easter cookie bars. See tips and substitutions for other alternatives.
To add more depth of flavour and make these bars taste even more cookie like, a splash of vanilla extract is added.
You can't have mini egg cookie bars without some mini eggs. You'll need about 1 cup, plus a little more for crushing and putting on top before they bake.
I use my stand mixer to make these cookie bars as it's the easiest way to mix everything. But you can use a handheld mixer too. Let's bake some cookie bars!
Grease an 8x8 pan with oil and then line with parchment paper. This helps the parchment paper to stick. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the butter and sugars until well combined. This will take a few minutes to make sure the sugars are incorporated.
Now go ahead and the egg and vanilla and mix well.
Add in the dry ingredients you mixed up into the batter slowly, making sure it is well incorporated and combined. The dough should be thicker now, like a cookie dough.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the mini eggs and give it a final stir, ensuring everything is combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and smooth it out with your hands. Add a few more crushed mini eggs on top if you wish.
Place in the oven to bake for 20 to 24 minutes, until cooked through and slightly golden brown around the edges. Insert a toothpick in the centre to ensure it's cooked through.
Let the cookie bars cool completely before removing, at least 30 minutes.
How to make these the best ever cookie bars:
No mini eggs: swap them out for M&M's, chocolate chips or another type of candy that you love.
All purpose flour: swap out the gluten-free flour blend for regular all purpose flour instead.
Less sweet: reduce the amount of sugar if you want them less sweet, or use less mini eggs. Personally, I don't have a big sweet tooth, so next time, I'd reduce the amount of sugar slightly.
No dairy: use a vegan butter substitute instead, I do not know if coconut oil will work, as it may be too greasy.
No egg: Use a flax egg as a replacement. To do, combine 1 tbsp ground flax seed to 3 tbsp water, mix and let it gel while you prepare everything else. Then add it into the dough the same as you would an egg.
After letting them cool and cutting them into squares, you can let them sit out in a sealed container at room temperature for a day or so. After that, (or even before) move them to the fridge. I personally enjoy them from the fridge, but I'm like that with most desserts!
Freezing them is also an option of course, just be sure to layer them in between sheets of parchment paper and then keep them stored in an airtight container. The parchment will ensure that the tops stay intact. Let them come to room temperature before enjoying.
If you make these mini egg cookie bars, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to tag me on Instagram, and/or leave a comment, rating or review below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products and services I have personally used and love. Disclosure here.
Easier than making cookies, these gluten-free mini egg cookie bars are a delicious treat that don t require any scooping or cooling.
And I’m so grateful you’re here! Have a look around at some of my favourite recipes and stay a while.
Comment Below
Did you love this? Let us know!