M&M Blondies
M&M Blondies: A perfect blondie base chock full of M&M candies! A delicious way to use up leftover candies.
This Blondies Recipe is dotted with candied coated chocolates making them colorful and festive!
Why You Must Make
- If you’re like me, you may think that blondies are the same as patting Tollhouse cookie dough in a pan and baking it. But this is a true blondies recipe.
- They’re made with all brown sugar and no white sugar giving a lovely caramel undertone with every bite.
- I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love M&Ms, and you can shake things up with seasonal packages of them for Easter, Christmas, Halloween, and more!
So I turned to Cook’s Illustrated, I made a batch of their blondies recipe but tossed in a few M&M’s instead of all chocolate chips. I’d see if the family liked some official M&M Blondies.
Recipe Tips
- There is one cup of add-ins in these blondies, 1/2 cup of M&M’s, and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. You can easily tweak this recipe by adding some different ingredients depending on your mood.
- Try other chocolate chips like white chocolate chips or peanut butter chocolate chips. Or use chocolate chunks or discs, instead.
- Add some toasted nuts, dried fruit, toffee bits or other candies.
- PRO-Tip: I like setting aside some extra candies and/or chocolate chips to press into the top of the brownies after they come out of the oven. Otherwise, a large percentage of the M&M’s and chocolate chips are hidden beneath the surface.
- This must be done while the bars are still hot, so be careful. Adding more visible candies makes for a nicer presentation.
- PRO-Tip: These blondies are made with baking powder, which typically expires while it’s sitting in your pantry since it’s not used as frequently as baking soda. So check the expiration date or test it by adding a spoonful to a cup of hot water. If still active, it will bubble vigorously.
- Note that since these bars have a thin delicate crust, some cracks may develop as you press in the candies.
Frequently Asked Questions
There were a couple of obvious differences from my typical chocolate chip bars. First, there was no white sugar, just brown. This led to more of a caramel flavor, not a bad thing in my book. Then the ratio of butter to flour was greater in the blondies, making for a more delicate structure.
The crust of the bars was almost flaky, but the insides were dense and chewy. The third difference was the use of baking powder in the blondies instead of soda. This Huffington Post article suggests this may keep the bars lighter in color and possibly doughier in the middle. Again, all this was good with me.
And if you’re wondering the difference between a Brownie and a Blondie, the former has chocolate batter whereas a blondie has vanilla batter.
Blondies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. Stored in the fridge, they’ll last for up to a week. And if you’d like to store them longer, they’ll keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Well, my taste testers don’t give a hoot about baking chemistry, just taste. These bar cookies were winners, and Bill tried to mask his disappointment as I packed up most of these blondies for Nick to take back to his apartment. He and his college roomies came home for the Indy 500. Boy, can those boys eat. I’m not sure these even made it out of the car after the ride back to campus!
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M & M Blondies
Perfect blondies dotted with vibrant M & M's
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter ( 1 1/2 sticks), melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup M & M's (plus a few extras to garnish)
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with nonstick foil, leaving enough overhang to help you lift the blondies from the pan when they're done.Set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. Whisk melted butter and brown sugar together in medium bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate and M & M's pat batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Push in a few M & M's on top of dough to garnish.Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, 27-30 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan using foil and cut to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 barAmount Per Serving: Calories: 254Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 151mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 24gProtein: 3g
Skinny Tip
I’m starting a new series of Skinny Tips. How I keep slim is one of my most frequent inquiries. I’ll feature tips on some of my upcoming blog posts.
Tip #15: Don’t drink your calories unless they are nutrient-dense. Give up those sugary sodas and limit your wine to just a glass with or before dinner. And if you have a glass of orange juice or a smoothie, make sure you’re just drinking one serving’s worth. Read your labels for those details.
63 Comments on “M&M Blondies”
Yummy! I’m much more of a fan of blondies than I am of brownies. These are so fun too, I know they wouldn’t last long at my house!
How cute are these! I have both M&Ms and peanut butter chips in the house at the moment so I could make either flavour combination.
I love making cookie bars, they are so quick and easy! This version is one of my go-to favorites!
These are beautiful blondies Liz! Pinning for the holidays! I know some kids that would love these! xo
Liz, yep, blondies are so much more than just chocolate chip cookie bars. Yours look perfectly baked and just the right texture. I like mine with toasted pecans rather than anything sweet. But they do look extra cute with the m&m candies.
I do love some good blondies for their deep caramel flavour and amazing buttery texture! It’s funny that despite being an easy dessert, I have failed it quite a few times. So, when I am making it next time, I know where I can find a good recipe – your version looks perfect! Love the addition of m&m’s, too!
Love these! Much better than brownies in my way of thinking! Thanks, Liz!
I have so many M&M’s right now that need using so this was the perfect way to use them! So good!
Oh boy, Christmas calories don’t count, right? Perfect with a strong cup of coffee:@)
I like all your comparisons with what I think is the beginning of the blondie – a batch of choc chip cookies baked in a pan. Will be trying this recipe Liz! Blondies are one of my favorite bars, you can add any extras you want and they always deliver.
I agree with your taste testers. Chemistry doesn’t matter as long as they taste good!
Lizzy,
These bars look delicious. Of course I pinned them.
I wish I had the metabolism of your son and his friends, so these goodies wouldn’t add to my middle.
Annamaria
Is it bad that I just had a day dream about sinking my teeth into that gorgeous blondie?
I don’t think I have much luck with blondies. Every time I make them, I’m a bit disappointed and blondies made by other people always taste better to me. Thanks for testing this recipe out and for all the tips. I need to try my hand at your recipe and hopefully some of that Liz magic will rub off on me 😉 These look fabulous!
LIz, your description has my mouth watering! Caramelly, delicate, flaky, dense and chewy? With chocolate? I’ll take a dozen 😉
I have only recently started making blondies so thanks for the tips as I am still trying to perfect these treats. I’m sure these didn’t even last the trip home for your son and his friends 😀
Yes I am going to try this recipe. I like that you fiddled with the different ingredients to get a better blondie. Now maybe I’ll make them with peanut m & m’s!
I love blondies and these look amazing. Love the m&m’s 🙂
Blondies are so much fun to make.
It just does not seem fair that on a fabulous recipe of blondies, with m and m’s, no less! that you should have a skinny tip. So, I am assuming that if I have just one 8oz serving of skim milk that I am allowed to have two blondies!