Easy Mini Egg Cookie Bars

This mini egg cookie bar recipe is so easy and fast to make. It's a no-chill cookie with a brown butter base. This gives it so much flavor and it has a deliciously chewy texture with chunks of dark chocolate and chopped mini easter eggs.

This is a fun Easter treat the whole family will enjoy. Try it, you'll love it!

Jump to:

• Easter cookie bars
• Browned butter
• How to brown butter
• Ingredients
• How to crush mini eggs
• The method
• The dough
• Baking
• Serving and storing
• Full Recipe

Easter cookie bars

These cookie bars are just like brown butter cookies but without the hassle of rolling individual cookie dough balls. The cookie dough is baked in an 8x8-inch (20x20cm) baking pan until golden brown.

Once cooled, it's sliced into individual cookie pieces. These easy mini egg cookie bars are extra pretty with the addition of crushed mini easter eggs on top.

I use mini eggs in these mini egg cookies, mini egg brownies and mini egg easter nests too!

Browned butter

This recipe is based on these brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Cookie bars made with brown butter really trump those made with regular butter when it comes to flavor.

Brown butter, also known as beurre noisette is simply butter that has melted, and then cooked a step further so that the milk solids in the butter caramelize. This gives a toffee flavor to the butter.

The depth of flavor in the melted butter depends on how much it is left to caramelize. Too little and the flavor will be too mild. However in the same regard, if you caramelize it too much, you run the risk of burning the milk solids and cooking off too much liquid which can affect the dough.

Brown butter is also amazing in brown butter frosting!

How to brown butter

In a saucepan over medium heat, let the butter melt completely. Avoid using a dark pan as you will struggle to see the caramelization of the butter and run the risk of burning it.

Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids in the butter have caramelized into a deep amber color and the butter smells toasty.

Pour the hot butter into a mixing bowl, including all the caramelized solids at the bottom of the pan (they're the best bits!). Allow it to cool down for 10 minutes before continuing with the recipe.

Ingredients

The exact amounts are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a run-down. For these mini egg cookie bars, you will need -

• Butter - Unsalted or salted butter can be used. The melted butter makes a chewy cookie bar
• Light brown sugar - this helps keep the cookie bar moist.
• Granulated sugar - adds a little crispiness to the edges.
• Vanilla extract or paste
• Egg- brings structure to the dough and texture.
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Chocolate - This recipe is using a chocolate bar with 50% cocoa solids. Alternatively, use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Mini easter egg - The mini eggs are what make this an easter recipe. This recipe is using Cadbury mini eggs.

If you have no brown sugar you can use the base of this chocolate chip cookie recipe without brown sugar instead!

How to crush mini eggs

Chopping mini eggs is hard, the eggs roll around and it can be dicey! The best way to break apart the mini eggs is to bash them with a rolling pin.

Take a sheet of parchment paper on a wooden board. Place a handful of mini eggs on one half of the parchment paper fold the over half of the paper over top.

Use a rolling pin to bash the eggs carefully under this parchment paper until they are broken into pieces. Don't overdo it or you'll crush them too far.

The method

Begin by browning the butter as that needs a little time to cool.

Let the butter melt in a small metal saucepan. Once melted, let it cook further for around 3-4 minutes until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty. Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and allow it to cool down for around 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) regular oven, or 320°F (160°C) fan-bake. Line an 8x8inch (20x20cm) baking pan with parchment paper.

The dough

Once cooled, add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix it together well.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Tip the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir them into a thick dough.

Chop the chocolate into chunks and crush the mini eggs. Add them to the dough, but hold back a few chunks and pieces of Easter egg to press into the cookie bar later.

Tip the cookie dough into the lined baking dish.

Press the dough down and smooth it out. Press the remaining chunks of chocolate and mini easter eggs into the dough.

Baking

Bake the cookie bars for around 25 minutes until the edges are browned and the top is set and light golden brown, but still a bit soft in the middle.

Let the cookie bar cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the cookie slab from the pan and letting it cool completely on a wire rack.

The cookies will be quite soft while still warm but they will firm up as they cool.

Serving and storing

The cookie bars will store, covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. The dough can also be frozen for future cookies.

Press it into the pan and freeze until stiff. Remove it from the pan and wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

When ready to bake, place the frozen cookie slab into a lined pan. It can be baked from frozen but may need an extra minute or two of baking time.