My senior year of undergrad, I only had classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, which meant I had a lot of free time on my hands—and I mean a lot. I used most of my time pretty wisely studying and going to class, but even then I only had two classes on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Mallory also had time to kill, on Tuesdays in particular. So what did we do with all this extra time? We baked! It soon became a weekly tradition known as “Treat Tuesday,” and I’m bringing Treat Tuesday back.
It won’t be a weekly thing, unfortunately. With school, work, and trying to maintain a healthy social life, as much as I’d like to, this is a bit of a stretch But, Treat Tuesday September 2017 is going to be a new dessert goodie that I will post on the first Tuesday of every month.
Today’s Treat Tuesday feature recipe are these decadent Movie Theater Candy Cookie Bars—it’s a mouthful, I know. Trust me, these hard-to-say cookie bars are very easy to eat! Actually, I’m just going to call them Candy Cookie Bars. They made their debut at the tailgate of my first ever country concert.
Now, I’m not a fan of country music—I just don’t like it. But I promised Alyssa that I’d go to at least ONE concert with her this summer at Jiffy Lube Live (a concert venue in Virginia). The tailgates were the selling point and I do love a good tailgate. Tailgates are just another excuse for me to cook or bake (not that I really need one).
(By the way this is Erin from apple picking!)
Of all the concerts at Jiffy Lube, Alyssa picked Florida Georgia Line with Nelly. She figured this would be the perfect concert for me since I know more of Nelly’s music than I do Florida Georgia Line’s. I’m going to be honest—I napped during part of Florida Georgia Line’s performance. Nelly was a lot of fun, though! We danced and enjoyed ourselves.
Alyssa is my dance partner in crime
It was a good thing our tailgate started early because there was a feast of food. Spacing all the food out kept us from a food coma and serious overeating. There was a mix of tailgate fare, from guacamole to kebabs, but I think my Candy Cookie Bars were the stars.
I prefer my cookies to be a bit soft in the middle, and these cookie bars are just that. Sometimes called blondies, I prefer the term cookie bars. That just sounds more musical.
So why Candy Cookie Bars? What’s wrong with plain old chocolate chip? Absolutely nothing.
However, I like to live a little extra now and then and be over the top. I made this dessert to be just like me: colorful, sweet, and creative. When it comes to flavor, these cookie bars are buttery and when you get a bite with a Reese’s Piece or an M&M, it adds a surprising and pleasant crunch.
Now let’s get baking.
Candy Cookie Bars
Servings: 24
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all- purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup Reese’sⓇ Pieces
½ cup M&MsⓇ
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.
Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until fully incorporated.
Add in the chocolate chips, Reese’sⓇ Pieces, and M&MsⓇ.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick tester comes out clean.
Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Happy Baking!
