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.
About these Easter cookie bars
Cookie bars made with brown butter 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.
The brown butter gives these chewy cookie bars an amazing texture too, with a soft center and crisp edges.
The buttery cookie dough is full of mini chocolate eggs and dark chocolate, baked in a square baking pan. Once cooled, the cookie slab is sliced into individual cookie pieces. These easy mini egg cookie bars are extra pretty with crushed mini easter eggs on top.
Jump to:
Ingredients
The exact amounts for this easy recipe are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a run-down. For these chewy mini egg cookie bars, you will need -
- Butter - salted or unsalted butter can be used. The melted butter makes a chewy cookie bar
- Light brown sugar - this helps keep the cookie bar moist.
- Granulated white 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 and baking powder
- Chocolate - This recipe uses a chocolate bar with 50% cocoa solids. Alternatively, use dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips.
- Mini easter eggs - The mini eggs make this an easter recipe. This recipe uses Cadbury mini eggs.
How To Make Easter Mini Egg Cookie Bars
Begin by browning the butter, as it needs a little time to cool.
Let the butter melt in a small metal saucepan. Once melted, let it cook for around 3-4 minutes until the milk solids have caramelized and the butter smells nutty.
Pour the browned butter into a large mixing bowl and cool down for around 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C.) Line an 8x8inch (20x20cm) baking pan with parchment paper.
Once the butter has cooled, add the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix it well.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
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.
How to crush whole mini eggs
Chopping mini eggs is hard; the eggs roll around and 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 and fold 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.
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 20-25 minutes until the edges are browned, and the top is set and light golden brown but still a bit soft in the middle. For best results, don't overbake the cookie bars. The exact time will depend on your oven.
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 firm up as they cool.
Once they have cooled, use a sharp knife to slice them into 16 pieces.
Serving and storing
The cookie bars can be stored, covered at room temperature for up to 4 days or frozen in a freezer bag for up to three months. The unbaked 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.
Place the frozen cookie slab into a lined pan when ready to bake. It can be baked from frozen but may need an extra minute or two of baking time.
More brown butter and easter recipes
If you enjoyed these easter cookie bars, you might like these recipes too!
- Easter Mini Egg Cookies
- Easter Meringue Nests With Mini Eggs
- Mini Egg Brownies
- Brown Butter Swiss Meringue Frosting
Full Recipe
Chewy Mini Egg Cookie Bars
These easy mini egg cookie bars are deliciously chewy with chunks of dark chocolate and chopped mini Easter eggs.
Ingredients
- 170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter
- 150g (¾ cup, packed) soft brown sugar
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
- 218g (1 ¾ cups*) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 90g (3.2oz) semi-sweet dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- 125g (4oz) Cadbury mini easter eggs
Instructions
- Let the butter melt completely in a saucepan over medium heat. 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 the butter to cool down for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8x8-inch (20x20cm) baking pan with parchment paper.
- Once the butter has cooled, add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix it well.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
- 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.
- Bake the cookie bars for around 25 minutes or until the edges are browned and the top is set and golden brown but still slightly soft in the middle. This may take less or more time, depending on your oven.
- 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 to room temperature.
- The cookie bars can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
*The cup sizes given are for US cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cup sizes. For best results, use grams.
Freezing
The dough can also be frozen for future cookies.
Press it into the lined 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 pan. It can be baked from frozen but may need an extra minute or two of baking time.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 224Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 141mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 3g
Leave a Reply