Chewy, gooey and crisp on the edges, these mini egg cookie bars are a fun treat for Easter. Similar to a chocolate chip cookie bar, this mini egg version has both chopped and whole mini eggs for maximum chocolate goodness. With a little bit of sea salt sprinkled on top, these will be a new favorite Easter cookie bar.
Ingredient highlights
- AP flour- Regular all-purpose flour is what's needed for the mini egg cookie bars. Read below for best practices on measuring flour.
- Baking soda- Not a lot of baking soda is needed. Just a half of a teaspoon provides enough lift for the bars.
- Kosher salt- I exclusively use kosher salt in my baking. It's less salty than regular table salt. If you only have table salt, use half the amount of kosher salt in the recipe. My favorite branch of kosher salt is Diamond Crystal.
- Butter- I prefer to use unsalted butter when baking so that I can control the amount of butter in the recipe. If you use salted butter, you may want to reduce the amount of salt in the recipe. Melted butter creates a chewier cookie bar.
- Sugars- Both granulated sugar and brown sugar is used here. I used more brown sugar than white for increased chewiness and deeper flavor. Feel free to use light brown or dark brown sugar.
- Eggs- One egg wasn't enough moisture for the cookie bars when I first tested these. An extra egg yolk made these more gooey and soft in the middle.
- Vanilla extract- A teaspoonful of vanilla extract adds more complex flavor to the bars. I recommend using real vanilla extract and not an imitation one. The Watkins brand is a good vanilla extract.
- Cadbury mini eggs- The star of the show. The mini eggs have a crunchy exterior and a smooth milk chocolate interior. I use both chopped or crushed mini eggs and whole eggs. Using all whole mini eggs leaves too many large pieces in the bars making them difficult to cut.
Tips for the best cookie bars
- Measure your flour correctly: This is such an important one and applies to all baked goods so is a good habit to adopt. The best way to measure flour without using a scale is the spoon and level method. Spoon flour into your measuring cup until it's overflowing. Then use a knife to scrape off the top, leveling the flour with the top of the measuring cup. Scooping the measuring cup directly into the bag or canister of flour can lead to too much flour resulting in dry or hard cookies. Always spoon and level!
- Don't overbake: The key to chewy chocolate chip cookies with crisp edges is not to overbake them. Check the first batch of cookies about 10 minutes into the baking time to check for doneness since every oven is different. You want the edges to just start turning golden brown and the middles to look slightly underdone before removing them. They will continue to bake just slightly from the heat of the cookie sheet once removed from the oven so this will give you the best soft texture.
How to safely chop mini eggs
The Cadbury mini eggs are pretty hard so you have to be very careful when chopping them for the filling. You can't just lay them on a cutting board and start chopping randomly.
The best way to chop them is to do so one at a time. Carefully hold a mini egg between your fingers and then using a sharp knife, cut it in half first.
I found that a 9oz bag is enough for one cup of chopped mini eggs and then leaves a handful leftover.
Storage Instructions
The bars can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container or in the pan covered with foil. They will last for 3-4 days stored this way but will start to lose some moisture with each day.
You can try storing them with a piece of bread in the pan. The moisture in the bread will keep the bars from going stale too quickly.
How to freeze cookie bars
These mini egg cookie bars would be best frozen after they've been baked. You could freeze them in the pan they were baked in, uncut. Or, they can be cut into squares and stored in an air-tight container or zip-top bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before eating.
The dough could be frozen prior to baking in one container or in the pan it will be baked in. If freezing it in another container, it will need to be thawed prior to baking it.
Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Once thawed, press it into the parchment-lined baking pan and bake according to the directions.
For more mini egg recipes, check out these:
Tag me on Instagram @themarblekitchenblog if you make this and leave a star rating and comment below! Thank you and enjoy!
Mini Egg Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ cup Cadbury mini eggs ½ whole and ½ chopped, plus more for the top
- flaky sea salt for topping, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on two sides.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Add the egg and egg yolk and vanilla and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir until just mixed. Don't overmix! Add the whole and chopped mini eggs and stir until combined.
- Spread the dough into the prepared pan evenly.
- Sprinkle additional chopped mini eggs on top if desired.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes until the bars are golden brown at the edges. Cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing into bars.
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