Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with M&Ms

After my son went back to school, I tried my best to take a break the first few days and enjoyed a little bit of rest.  I got all my chores done the night before and in the morning before school and got to enjoy a little quiet time.  I felt really lazy to sit and do anything but I felt like it was a long deserved break after such a busy summer.  I think that I might need to start a list of the things that I need to do this week so that I can get back on track because I am getting used to a life of rest!

I decided that I needed to make a special treat after having my son in his first week of school (and because I wanted a sweet treat and found nothing).  After making lunches for my husband and son, I started making a loaf of bread while trying to get my son ready for school and put in a load of laundry.  See how I was trying to fit it all in before school started so I would still have time to read and relax.  I decided since I wasn't busy enough, I would start making the cookie bars.  I got them all put together and ready to go in the oven.

We drove to school and my son excited went in to start another day of learning while I rushed home to turn on the oven, check on the loaf of bread and put the clothes in the dryer.  While the oven was heating, I was trying to decide between washing the dishes or sorting and cut coupons.  I decided on coupons because I could do that sitting down.  Oven beeped and I put the cookie bars in the oven and started the timer....now I am wondering how it is 9:30 and I still haven't eaten breakfast as my stomach growls at me!!  I finish sorting the coupons.  Put in the heel of the loaf of bread that we still have in the house to toast while washing up the dishes.  Smell that my toast is burning and take it out of the toaster oven with wet hands so that I still have something still left to eat.  Butter my toast and go back to washing the dishes while it melts.  Bite of toast standing at the counter....I decide to go to the bathroom because if I sit down, I might not get back up only to see things on the stairs that need to go up so I grab them and put them away.  Running back downstairs, the timer is on seconds...grab another bite of toast.  Pull out the hot pad and oven mitts to get the cookie bars of of the oven and realize that I better take the recycling downstairs...one more bite of toast and off to the basement. With 18 minutes left on the dryer, sitting down after 10 am to have breakfast and read a book... this is the good life (well for 18 minutes anyway).

Do yours days sound a lot like this?  Then you must also be a stay at home mom.  If you are a working mom who is dreaming about staying home, it isn't all bon-bons and roses, just a different boss who tends to whine more (Is it just me?).  I just wonder how I would do all this and still have a job outside the home.  I can't imagine that I would be able to but I guess that is why I am at home and get to do all this fun stuff right?


Well, if your day sounds like this or even if it doesn't, I highly recommend trying this recipe which I changed a little from a recipe that I found online here because we are limited in our chocolate chip supply but had some M&Ms and they are my son's favorite so I thought that it would be yummy and my son would be excited to try them.  Around the same time, I had also saved a recipe that used mini M&Ms so which was a close recipe so I thought that I would try this one and then work on that next (you can check it here).

I mixed the melted butter and brown sugar together.  Since the recipe uses melted butter and there is nothing to cream, I just used a regular mixing bowl and didn't touch the mixer.

I added the egg and mixed.

I added the dry ingredients to the mixture.  It mixed together really easily but I did need to use a spatula to scrape the sides because the flour stuck to the sides.

The batter was a nice golden color but  you can see that the flour stuck to the sides a little.

I added the chocolate chips to the batter.

I spread the batter with the spatula to get it into the corners.

I added the M&Ms to the top and pressed them in a little.

I put it in the oven and it raised up a lot.  I cooked to the time indicated but I should have left it in a little longer because the inside was still a little gooey...of course, that didn't stop me from eating it.  Since making bars keeps me out of the cookie dough, it was my little cookie dough tasting.

Here is one slice for you until you make your own!  Super tasty and chocolatey.  Just want I needed :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup M&Ms

Directions:

In a medium bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Blend well. Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Once combined, fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 9x9 baking pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup M&Ms on top. Place in preheated oven, 350, and bake for about 25 minutes.

Shared at Church Supper with Everyday Mom's Meals
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