These soft & chewy 4th of July cookie bars are a festive spin on my traditional monster cookie bars! Add your favorite mix-ins and bake in a 9x13 pan for super easy peanut butter m&m cookie bars!
Why I Love These 4th of July Cookie Bars
- Soft & Chewy: Packed with peanut butter, chewy oats, chocolate chips, and m&m's, these are the perfect patriotic cookies!
- Easy to make: No scooping needed, just press into a 9x13 pan and bake! This is an easy recipe that is so much fun to make with kids, as it's a pretty quick dump & bake recipe.
- Crowd-favorite: Monster cookie bars are always the perfect addition to a potluck or barbecue dessert table. These are perfect for both Independence Day or Memorial Day!
Want to make individual cookies? Make my monster cookies instead!
Ingredient Notes
- Quick Oats: These make chewy cookies and are ultimately what make them hearty monster cookies, so definitely don't omit! Quick oats are affordable & easy to find at the grocery store but you can also use rolled oats (which make them even chewier!).
- Peanut Butter: You want to use regular creamy peanut butter for these rather than all-natural peanut butter (since that's more oily).
- Light Corn Syrup: Adding just a little bit to the dough helps make it chewy and prevents it from being crumbly. You can also swap for a thick honey.
How to Make Patriotic Cookie Bars
Step 1: Mix Dough
This is a thick dough so it's best to use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. But if you don't have one, simply use an electric hand mixer up until you're going to add the flour and oats, then mix by hand.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream unsalted butter (¾ cup, i.e. 1 ½ sticks), granulated sugar (¾ cup), and light brown sugar (½ cup) for 2 minutes until light in color.
- Add in eggs (2 large), light corn syrup (3 tablespoons), and vanilla extract (2 teaspoons). Mix until combined.
- Add peanut butter (¾ cup) and mix until combined. Stir in baking soda (1 teaspoon) and salt (½ teaspoon).
- Add all-purpose flour (1 ¾ cups) and quick oats (1 ¾ cups) and mix until just combined.
- Mix in chocolate chips (¾ cups) and m&m's (¾ cups). Note that for this step, note that we're only using ¾ cups of chocolate chips & ¾ cups m&m's inside the dough so that we can reserve the other ¼ to press on top.
Step 2: Press Into Pan & Bake
Drop cookie dough into a greased or parchment-lined light-colored aluminum 9x13 pan and spread until smooth. The dough will be a little sticky, so it's easiest to drop the dough into small pieces instead of adding it in one big blob. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips, ¼ cup of m&m's, and ¼ patriotic sprinkles on top and gently press into the dough.
Bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes until the edges and top are lightly golden brown and the center no longer looks wet. Do not overbake or your bars can get dry and will not be as soft and chewy. You want the cookie bars to be lightly brown on the edges and top. Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack.
Step 3: Cut into Squares
Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before removing from pan. If you cut the bars when they're still warm, they will be crumbly and fall apart. For the cleanest cuts, they need to be fully cooled and/or slightly chilled before cutting. Slice into 12-24 squares, then enjoy!
Tips & Variations
- Switch up the mix-ins: You could add white chocolate chips, OREO chunks, or other types of patriotic sprinkles on top!
- Pair with sugar cookie bars: For all the non-chocolate people, make a batch of my soft sugar cookie bars and top with red, white, and blue sprinkles! Or for individual cookies, make my Lofthouse style soft sugar cookies. Festive 4th of July cookies don't have to be fancy or decorated with royal icing - easy cookies for the win!
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: To keep fresh, cover pan with saran wrap or place bars in airtight container for up to 3 days (after that they start to dry out).
- Freeze: Store in a tightly sealed airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, I use quick oats since they're cheaper but you can use rolled oats for a chewier texture.
I highly suggest using creamy peanut butter for these rather than all-natural peanut butter (since that's more oily).
I've even found that some brands of regular creamy peanut butter are more runny than others, which can affect how wet the dough is. I've made these with both Kroger off-brand and Skippy and the Skippy results in a stickier dough (which is fine, just a little harder to spread into the pan!).
The corn syrup helps hold everything together and create a chewy & moist texture. Honey is the best substitute, they will just be a little less moist.
Looking for more red, white and blue dessert ideas?
Here are a few of other go-to 4th of July dessert bars that are made in a 9x13 pan and are easy to decorate for a Memorial Day or July celebration!
- Sugar Cookie Bars: Decorate with colored frosting and sprinkles for a cute & easy dessert! Or, use frosting to decorate like a flag cake.
- Fruit Pizza Bars: This recipe has a delicious cream cheese frosting that you can decorate with blueberries & strawberries!
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake: This layered dessert is super easy to make with ice cream sandwiches, whipped cream, hot fudge, and caramel sauce. You can top with patriotic sprinkles or red, white, and blue candies for the most delicious summer dessert!
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4th of July Monster Cookie Bars
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream ¾ cup unsalted butter (not margarine) (i.e. 1 ½ sticks), ¾ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup light brown sugar for 2 minutes until light in color.
- Add in 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons light corn syrup, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add ¾ cup creamy peanut butter and mix until combined. Stir in 1 teaspoon baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and 1 ¾ cups quick oats and mix until just combined.
- Mix in chocolate chips (¾ cups) and m&m's (¾ cups). Note: For this step, note that we're only using ¾ of chocolate chips & ¾ cups m&m's inside the dough so that we can reserve the other ¼ to sprinkle on top.
- Drop dough into a greased or parchment-lined metal 9x13" pan and spread until smooth. The dough will be a little sticky, so it's easiest to drop the dough into small pieces instead of adding it in one big blob. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips, ¼ cup of m&m's, and ¼ cup sprinkles on top and gently press into the dough.
- Bake at 350°F for 28-32 minutes until edges and top are lightly golden brown and the center no longer looks wet. Do not overbake or your bars can get dry and will not be as soft and chewy. You want the cookie bars to be lightly brown on the edges and top. Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack.
- Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before removing from pan. If you cut the bars when they're still warm, they will be crumbly and fall apart. For the cleanest cuts, they need to be fully cooled and/or slightly chilled before cutting.
- Slice into 12-24 squares, then enjoy! To keep fresh, cover pan with plastic wrap or place bars in airtight container for up to 3 days (after that they start to dry out). See notes below for freezing tips.
Notes from Melissa
- Chocolate chips: While I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can also use milk, dark, or white chocolate!
- To freeze: To freeze, cool the bars completely before placing them into an airtight container or freezer bag for storage. These will keep in freezer for 1-2 months.
Another EASY recipe to bake! I made a pan for a bake sale - so cut it into large chunks - but then was requested to make another pan for the holiday weekend! I used peanut butter m&ms for my peanut butter loving family! So moist and not dry!
These were so good thank you!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Hailey!