Name: Valentine Brown Sugar Bars
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 9
Ingredients: 1 cup light brown sugar, packed; 1/3 cup butter, melted; 1 egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup flour; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/8 teaspoon baking soda; 3/4 cup Valentine M&M's, divided

Valentine brown sugar bars take little time to make and are perfect for dessert, a lunchbox treat or class party. Surprise your family, friends or coworkers. You’re sure to win brownie points.

Do you ever see the holiday mixes of M&M’s? They come out just before Easter, July 4th, Christmas, all the major holidays. I always think they are look very festive and I love making treats for my family with them.

I like to make these Valentine’s Day treats for my kids lunch boxes because they are a delicious surprise. You probably have all of the ingredients between your pantry and refrigerator. When making these bars use a wooden spoon and hand mix them. The dough is thick and will require elbow grease but it’s worth the effort. When they are in the oven, start checking for doneness at the shortest amount of time. While each oven varies, it’s good practice.

What I love about these Valentine brown sugar bars is their versatility. Use red and green M&M’s and they are suitable for Christmas. Before I bake them I add a few more M&M’s on top. Doing so makes them look pretty.

If you really want to get creative, purchase your school colors and make them for a bake sale! As a result, I would venture a guess they sell out. I actually sent these into my son’s class. They would ship well if you wanted to send them in a care package to a college student.

If you’re looking for more Valentine’s Day ideas, check out these adorable Valentine cookie pops or white chocolate Valentine bark. But if you want more recipes with festive seasonal M&M’s visit Easter M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Halloween M and M Chocolate Chip Cookies or Chocolate Cake Mix Christmas M&M Cookies.

Valentine Brown Sugar Bars

Yield: 9 bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Valentine Brown Sugar Bars are a sweet treat.

Ingredients

1 cup light brown sugar, packed
⅓ cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup Valentine M&M's, divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter the bottom only of an 8 x 8 inch square pan and line. with parchment paper, allowing some parchment to hang over the sides. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, combine the brown sugar and melted butter until well combined. Add in the egg and vanilla, mixing until both are incorporated.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the brown sugar mixture and stir until all the flour is incorporated. Mix in ½ cup of the Valentine M&M's.
Spread batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining M&M's.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool completely before cutting.

Sweet Valentine’s Day Desserts

Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Tarts by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Burrata with Cherries in Wine by Art of Natural Living
Cake Batter Fudge by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Chocolate Coconut Dream Martini by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Easy Mississippi Mud Pie by That Recipe
Keto Chocolate Mug Cake by Our Good Life
Sweetheart Brownies by Red Cottage Chronicles
Valentine Brown Sugar Bars by Family Around the Table
Valentine’s M&M’s Cookie Bars by Blogghetti

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Originally published in 2016; Updated 2020

Comments

Cheese Curd In Paradise says

February 2, 2020 at 9:59 pm

I love those holiday m&m’s in your bars! These are one of my weaknesses and would not last long at my house!

Dorothy Reinhold says

January 28, 2020 at 8:01 pm

Now this sounds like a tasty treat! I love that you can celebrate different holidays with different color candies!

Amy (Savory Moments) says

January 28, 2020 at 2:55 pm

My kids love M&Ms so these bars would be a perfect treat for them! I actually just bought some of the Valentine’s ones and think I’ll be making these!

Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck says

January 28, 2020 at 8:52 am

I’m always in for any recipe that uses M&M’s!!! Especially when I get to use holiday colored ones! Cute and delicious!!!

Inger @ Art of Natural Liivng says

January 26, 2020 at 12:26 am

I love the holiday M&Ms! These would be so much fun!

Jen says

January 21, 2020 at 1:03 pm

So easy, yummy and beautiful. My family loved having this for dessert!

Lisa Kerhin says

January 21, 2020 at 11:00 am

I love baking with M&Ms and using all brown sugar in recipes seems to give the baked goods more of a softer bite…love it

Hezzi-D says

January 20, 2020 at 11:10 am

Love these bars. They would be great for any holiday!

Karen says

January 20, 2020 at 1:59 am

These are adorable! I am so motivated to get the M&Ms!

Liz @ Books n' Cooks says

January 19, 2020 at 4:32 pm

I love a good blondie recipe, and the festive M&Ms are such a nice touch.

Wendy Klik says

January 19, 2020 at 7:55 am

I think you’re right. The perfect lunchbox treat. I know the Teen will think so as well.

Joanne Rawson says

February 13, 2017 at 5:21 pm

These sound so yummy!

Marlys / This and That says

February 12, 2017 at 3:24 pm

These are perfect for Valentines and I love how versatile that they can be by just changing the colours of M&M… great for any holiday or season

tina says

February 10, 2017 at 9:53 am

I am obsessed with m&m’s lately so these cookie bars are on my must make list!! Welcome to The Fill The Cookie Jar group 🙂

Cindy L. Kerschner says

February 4, 2017 at 6:12 pm

I love these blondies for Valentine’s Day. Those bits of color are so inviting!

Amy | Amy's Cooking Adventures says

February 3, 2017 at 11:24 pm

Yummy! These look great!

Joanne/Wine Lady Cooks says

February 3, 2017 at 4:57 pm

Hi, welcome to the group, it’s so nice to meet you. The Brown Sugar Bars are a delicious Valentine’s Day treat.

Erin @ Making Memories says

February 3, 2017 at 12:45 pm

I would eat this entire batch! Yum!

Susan says

February 2, 2017 at 9:26 pm

We make a similar bar but with chocolate chips. I can’t wait to try making your version with Valentine’s M&Ms.

Audrey says

February 2, 2017 at 7:32 pm

My munchkin would go crazy for these. He loves M&Ms. Glad you joined us on FTCJ.

Kris ~ Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies says

February 2, 2017 at 6:22 pm

I need to get some M & M’s tomorrow so I can bake these over the weekend!

Cynthia says

February 2, 2017 at 3:30 pm

I would love to have one of these (or two) in my lunch box! They look so good and I love the fact that you can switch them up for any holiday! Thanks so much for being a part of the Fill The Cookie Jar group. So glad you are here!

Nichole says

February 2, 2017 at 11:07 am

Welcome! Those bars look worth every bit of the necessary elbow grease.

Wendy Klik says

February 2, 2017 at 9:45 am

Welcome to #FTCJ Ellen. Happy to have you and these cookie bars that are perfect for any occasion. Love the idea of using school colors.

Valentine Brown Sugar Bars