Friday, October 1, 2010

Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars

Sometimes I'm dumb.

Like when I ask someone for their recommendation on a baked good, they tell me, I don't listen, and then I make something they are allergic to.
See? Dumb. I did this last week. I was beyond excited to share my Devil's Food Peanut Butter Cookies with my friend Chris. I waited and waited in anticipation to unveil my masterpiece. Finally, I whip out the bag only to see his smile turn into a laugh, and a mumbled "Oh no," come out of his mouth.
Allergic to peanuts. Didn't he tell me that a few months ago?
Ugh. So I vowed to wow him again. And when he told me he wanted cookies and then "made the mistake" of buying a big bag of pretzel m&m's (almost as good as the discontinued crispy kind), I put two and two together, and made something out of this world.
No, these aren't gourmet. They aren't really that pretty. They look like they are made for kids, and guess what? Kids know what's up. 
So head to the store, buy some Halloween candy (that's on sale!!) and whip yourself up a big batch of these Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars.

What ya need:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
12-oz pretzel m&m's
1-1/2 cups pretzel twists
Chocolate chips (for melting and drizzling)

What ya do:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray with a 9x13 pan with cooking spray
2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a standing mixer, beat butter, brown sugar and white sugar on medium until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one by one, and the vanilla. Switch the mixer to low speed and add in the dry ingredients until just mixed. Fold in the m&m's and pretzels.
3. Spread batter into pan and press firmly down with a spatula, evening out the batter. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely.
4. Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over cooled bars. Sprinkle pretzels on top.

Share with your friends. And happy weekending! I'm going white water rafting tomorrow...eek!

9 comments:

Monet said...

Don't you hate that? I've brought so many treats to people only to learn they are allergic or are vegan. These bars look tasty though (I think they look pretty to tell you the truth). And I would be thrilled if your brought a batch to me. Thanks for sharing!

Christina said...

OMG i love pretzel m&ms. these look freaking awesome.

Suchitra Vaidyaram said...

Really colorful and looks sumptuous!

Unknown said...

The best line in this blog is that "kids know what's up." Amen, sister! I think these bars look awesome though. My family would/will be all over them. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

And with regard to the peanut allergy; I dealt with that when I made brownies with peanut butter cups in them for her preschool class. Boy, I heard about doing that. :(

Anonymous said...

These cookie bars look like something I would just love, there is no way I could eat only one! I love the m&ms add great color! :-)

The Chocolate Priestess said...

That might be a way to have the pretzel m&m's because to be frank, we didn't like them at all when we tried them.

Lindsey @ Gingerbread Bagels said...

Mmmm those bars look soooooo delicious! I love how colorful the bars are and I think they're pretty! :) I've been meaning to try pretzel m&ms but haven't yet. But when I buy a bag, I know what I'm doing with them!

Miss. Tarrah Dame said...

These look so pretty! I've been seeing a lot of pretzel m&m recipes floating around peoples blogs lately and I'm dying to try some as I am in love with pretzel m&ms...these are def on my list! thanks for sharing!
http://damegoodeats.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

They may not be gourmet... but they look fantastic! Salty/Sweet is one of my favorite flavor combos, and these fit the bill perfectly!! I'm saving this one :)