M&M Oatmeal Bars (Made with baking mix!)
*If you have a service member overseas, these M&M Oatmeal Bar cookies are my most requested recipe to send. They travel very well and stay moist. I’ve had packages take as long as three weeks to arrive, only still get rave reviews when I’d tucked these bars inside! If you can, send a package. It make a world of difference!
These M&M Oatmeal Bars were almost impossible to get a photo of. It seemed a soon as I cut them they started flying off the platter. Finally, I was forced to hide this little guy and he had to pose all by his lonesome :(. Poor little cookie, its not his fault he’s moist and tender, tasting of brown sugar and butter and dotted with candy coated chocolates.
Fortunately, these things are a snap to make. They may actually be the easiest cookies I bake come to think of it. I first discovered these M&M Oatmeal Bars two years ago. It was ten o’clock at night and I had already gone to bed. Suddenly, the thought occurred to me that I really should make my daughter’s preschool teacher something because I hadn’t baked for her in a while (We miss you, Miss Rose!).
I immediately thought to the Pioneer Baking Mix in my pantry as I had been cruising their website earlier for recipes. I was also curious as to what a cookie made with baking mix would taste like. Thirty minutes later, two pans of these sat cooling on the counter and I was in bed again, this time only dreaming of baking rather than getting up to actually do it. *You can substitute Bisquick if you like.
For those who may not know me I want to say yes, it is completely logical to decide to bake something on the spur of the moment, no matter the hour :). I just love to feed people. 🙂
To make these M&M Oatmeal Bars you’ll need: Brown sugar, old fashioned oats, vanilla, Pioneer Brand Baking Mix, Candy Coated Chocolate Candies, a stick of butter, and One Egg.
Now the original recipe called for both light and brown sugar but I just use whatever I have on hand, which is light in this case. I have also made these with quick oats and they have been just as wonderful.
In a mixing bowl, place oats and brown sugar.
Check out my bowl, I’m going to show you the outside view here in a minute.
Add egg.
Melt butter in microwave and pour in.
Add vanilla.
Stir all of that up. Normally I use an electric mixer and I do recommend that but I was feeling lazy and it honestly wasn’t difficult to just stir it all up good with a stiff spoon.
Of course, then again, I am a professional. ~snickers~ Just kidding. 🙂
Its cute when people take me seriously. 🙂
Toss in your candies.
Remember when blonde jokes were all the rage? You can only imagine how many I heard! I loved them though, so darn cute!
Why did the blonde get fired from the M&M factory?
She kept throwing away all the ones with “W’s” on them.
~giggle~
Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray. Y’all know I don’t even buy name brand in that, either.
Pat it out into your pan.
Then let your kids put more M&M’s on top. Katy likes to push hers down into the dough a bit.
Oh look, this is that bowl I used to mix this up in. I have a thing for antique mixing bowls and depression glass. I see no reason to spend money on modern things when I can put money into something of real value with a history to it. This is a Tulip pattern Fire King bowl and I have a whole set of them, thanks to Southern Plate!
One of these days I’m going to have to devote a post to all of my neat antique dishes that y’all have helped me buy.
Now bake the M&M Oatmeal Bars at 350 for about twenty minutes. Mine always take about twenty five minutes.
Voila! Easy Peasey, delicious, buttery tasting, brown sugar lovin’, kid pleasin’, done in a jiffy even when you start them at ten o’ clock at night, COOKIES!
I just love my baking mix!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Rolled oats
- 1/2 cup M & M candies
- 1 cup Brown sugar packed (I use light or dark, whatever I have on hand)
- 2 cup Pioneer Biscuit & Baking Mix
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
- Combine everything in a mixing bowl except candies. Mix until well blended. Stir in candies, reserving a few to place on top. Pat into greased 8x8 pan and bake at 350 for about twenty minutes. Allow to cool and cut into bars.
Nutrition
(Good luck being able to wait until they cool! These things smell amazing!)
Special thanks to my little neighbor, Grayson, for letting Brady borrow your reading book last night! He knocked on the door right after I had cut these and I sent him home with a few :). Hope you liked them, Grayson! We appreciate the help!
You might also enjoy this recipe! Awesome Oatmeal Cookies
These are more cake like. Very light. Unless you let them rest awhile (which I couldn’t wait too long) they will crumble. After letting them sit longer, they came out while holding shape. Very good.
I suppose chocolate chips would do in place of the M&Ms though they would not be as colorful or crunchy. One of my grandsons is allergic to nuts and can’t have plain M&Ms because they are made on the same equipment as the ones with peanuts.
I don’t know how I missed this recipe 10 years ago. Perhaps I overlooked it because of the M&Ms.
Yes Shelley, chocolate chips work just fine!!!
Never tried these cookies, but will hopefully soon…..sounds really easy to make….. I love Christy’s recipes…..she uses whatever she has and does not have to have a certain brand and she says they come out the same…..she has some great recipes on here….
Thanks for posting great recipes Christy….
🙂 Thank you so much!!! I hope you get the chance to try these soon as well, they are really easy and taste wonderful!
I pride myself on baking really fancy, made-from-scratch desserts with no boxed shortcuts…and yet this is the recipe that consistently gets the rave reviews. If you’re looking for a crowd pleaser, this is it for sure. I have made this recipe probably 100 times over the past few years, and people always rave about and remember it. AND it’s one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make. Only tweak I make is using butter instead of margarine (just personal preference).
This may seem like a silly question, but can I use the quick cooking oats?
Not silly at all! Go right ahead, they work just fine in this! 🙂