Close-up of a stacked no-bake cookie dough bar with chocolate chips, M&M's, and chocolate topping.

These delicious homemade cookie dough bars are a colorful and yummy treat. A buttery batter is mixed with mini chocolate chips and M&M's with a melted chocolate topping for a rich, irresistible dessert!

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Prep Time25

Total Time3 25

Servings

I’ve made these no bake cookie dough bars often for parties and family gatherings, and they never last long. The buttery cookie dough base is studded with mini chocolate chips and M&M’s, then topped with a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache.

If you’ve ever found yourself sneaking spoonfuls of cookie dough straight from the bowl, this recipe is your dream come true.

Flat lay of measured ingredients for cookie dough bars including flour, butter, brown sugar, condensed milk, and mini M&M's.

2 cups all-purpose flour, heat treated
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup mini m&m’s

For The Ganache Frosting

6 ounces finely chopped semi-sweet baking bar
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
½ cup mini M&M’s

Ingredient Notes

Can I use chocolate chips instead of a baking bar for the topping? You can, but baking bars melt more smoothly. If you only have chips, use a high-quality brand with real cocoa butter.

Serving Ideas

These bars need a solid 3–4 hours in the fridge to set. Slice too early, and the topping will slide off. Patience pays off. For the cleanest edges, dip your knife in hot water, wipe it dry, and then slice. Repeat between cuts. This keeps the ganache from cracking and the bars looking neat.

Perfect for bake sales, potlucks, or just because Tuesday needs a little pick-me-up, these bars hit that nostalgic sweet spot we all crave.

Make it seasonal – Swap the M&M’s for holiday colors or themed candies to fit any celebration.

Storage Instructions

Store in the fridge for up to five days.
Freeze for up to two months. Let bars thaw in the fridge before serving.
These bars actually benefit from an overnight chill, so they’re a perfect prep-ahead dessert.

Heat-treating – Your flour needs that 8–10 minute oven time to kill bacteria. Don’t let it brown. If it starts to brown in the oven, it will taste toasty, not neutral. Keep it pale. Cooling it fully before mixing prevents clumps in the dough.

Don’t panic at the “sandy stage” – When you add the flour to the butter-sugar mixture, it will look like damp sand with lumps. That’s exactly right. Once the sweetened condensed milk goes in, everything smooths out into classic cookie dough texture.

Overhead view of cookie dough batter being stirred with mini chocolate chips and M&M's using a white spatula.

Fold, don’t stir hard – When adding the chocolate chips and M&M’s, gently fold them in. Stirring too aggressively breaks the candies and can streak the colors into the dough.

Cool your ganache before pouring – The chocolate and cream mixture should rest for a couple of minutes before going onto the cookie dough. If it’s too hot, it can soften or melt the dough layer.

Spreading chocolate frosting over cookie dough bars in a baking pan, followed by sprinkling M&M's on top while the frosting is still soft.

Reader Reviews & Feedback

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Made these for my daughter’s sleepover and the kids went wild for them!” – Sarah

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “These bars taste exactly like cookie dough. My husband even asked me to make a double batch next time.” – Rebecca

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “The chilling step felt long, but worth it. The bars sliced perfectly, and I’ll be making them again for the holidays with red and green M&M’s.” – Jamie

Close-up of thick cookie dough bars topped with a smooth chocolate ganache and colorful mini M&M’s, showing the chewy cookie dough center packed with chocolate chips and candy pieces.

✨ Bottom line: These cookie dough bars deliver all the fun of sneaking dough from the bowl but in a polished, sharable, chocolate-topped square.

Cookie Dough Bars

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time 25

Total Time 3 25

Servings

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Ingredients

Cookie Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour, heat treated
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup mini m&m’s

Topping

6 ounces semi-sweet baking bar, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
½ cup mini m&m’s

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a medium rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread out the all-purpose flour into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, being sure not to allow the flour to brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes or until it’s no longer warm to the touch before adding to the cookie dough.
Line an 8×8 straight-sided baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Be sure to allow enough parchment to hang over the sides of the pan to ensure easy lifting to remove the bars from the pan once fully chilled.
In a large mixing bowl beat on medium speed, using a handheld mixer, the butter and brown sugar for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat again just until combined.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour to the bowl. Once all the flour has been added the mixture will resemble coarse sand with a few small lumps. This is ok. When the sweetened condensed milk is mixed in, the texture will then resemble raw cookie dough.
Add the sweetened condensed milk to the bowl and mix on low until all the ingredients are fully combined and no dry pockets of flour remain.
Carefully fold in the mini chocolate chips and mini m&m’s, being sure not to break apart the mini m&m’s too much, until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Transfer the cookie dough to the prepared baking pan and spread into an even layer. Set aside while preparing the topping.
To a microwave safe bowl add the chopped semi-sweet baking bar and heavy cream. Heat on high for 1 minute then allow to rest for 30 seconds before stirring to a smooth consistency.
Stir in the light corn syrup until fully incorporated.
Allow to cool for 4-5 minutes before pouring the chocolate over the cookie dough, spreading it into an even layer then top evenly with the mini m&m’s.
Place into the refrigerator to chill for 3 -4 hours to allow the cookie dough to chill and the chocolate layer to firm up.
Once chilled, gently lift the cookie dough bars out of the pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Slice into 16 (2×2 inch) squares and serve.

Notes

It is essential to heat treat the all-purpose flour prior to using in this no-bake recipe as the heat kills any potential bacteria that may be found in the raw flour.
Be sure to scrape out all the sweetened condensed milk from the can and add it to the bowl to ensure the proper texture of the cookie dough.
You can substitute 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for the chopped baker’s bar. Be sure to use a good quality chocolate chip to ensure it melts properly when heated with the heavy cream.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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