Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

ramblings + recipes of a semi-healthy nut

M+M Butter Cookie Bars + Exciting News!

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After last week’s Butter vs Margarine post (with lots of pros and cons on both butter and margarine), you probably know that I’m cool with having butter in moderation. Which is good, because these bars taste buttery and delicious.
M&M butter cookie bars
After having Becky’s s’mores cookie dough bars a few weeks ago, I could not get them out of my head. More specifically the cookie dough deliciousness layer on top of the mallows. I had a bar for breakfast every day for a week (no forbidden foods, remember?) after Becky snuck the leftovers to Dave and his friend when I was in the bathroom.

breakfast for dessert; peanut butter and jelly toast with s'mores bar

Since I didn’t have the recipe for the bars until today (I’m currently waiting on an experiment in the oven based on Becky’s creation), I recalled her saying something about using a lot of butter, so after searching recipes for cookie bars, I stumbled upon one on pinterest.

The author of the blog used this recipe, which I modified a whole lot to make my

delightfully flaky, sweet, chocolatey M+M Butter Cookie Bars.

M+M Butter Cookie Bars

M&M butter cookie bars

by Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert chocolate bar

Ingredients (20-25 bars)
  • ¾ cup almost completely melted butter (15 second intervals in the microwave)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 + ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 12 oz bag M&Ms or other chocolate candies
Instructions
Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan (I actually just used a baking sheet that has a slight edge) and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs. Add vanilla and almond extract.
In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients (aside from M&Ms) together.
Add dry ingredients slowly (I usually do it in 3 parts to let the wet ingredients absorb the dry properly).
With a spoon, mix in the chocolate candies.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let it cool, cut into bars and store in an airtight container.
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The irony of this recipe is that I just started work today at an “all natural” (I’ll admit, I dislike that word because it doesn’t really mean anything) cafe at a gym where I learned about healthy, quality ingredients today. Then I come home and bake up a pan full of butter and sugar and share an equally decadent recipe with you all.
M&M butter cookie bars collage

You read that right! I have a “real job” now. 

 (Apparently freelancing doesn’t qualify to some people.)

While doing orientation today, it hit me: This is the first job in my life that I am actually excited about! (Aside from my online writing gigs.)

There are many opportunities for growth here, not to mention the fact that it fits my passion for health, fitness and nutrition. There is even a 10 month program I am considering joining for a group of fitness certifications so I can further my knowledge and career options. Oh, and a free gym membership with locations around the country, including my hometown of Omaha, Nebraska!

I feel confident in the company, confident in myself (possibly due to a new hair cut..check out the before and after!) I am looking forward to learning more, meeting new people, and working in a really cool part of town. Plus, friends and family can visit me at work, which is fun!

feeling confident with a new cute short hair cut

Seriously, I came home today, cried and thanked God for this opportunity. After Dave finally getting a job offer, dealing with flack for moving with my boyfriend, all of the stress with moving to a different state, deciding to hold off on school for a bit, a long job search, and two interviews (one of which I had to memorize mission statements–yikes!), I finally feel like I’ve figured out what I’m doing here in my new home in the twin cities.

I know we need to go through times of doubt and struggle to learn and grow and all that, but goodness it feels good to have a plan and a purpose!

I love you all so much for sticking with me through all of this! You have no idea how much it means to have a group of friends (most of which I haven’t even met in person) encouraging you to keep moving forward, even on days when I can’t get out of my own head and am boggled down by my own perfectionism.

So here’s to a new day, a new opportunity and a renewed hope! And of course, a day to make delicious sweet treats!


*~Amanda aka Semi-Health Nut~*

Do you bake with butter? Lots of it??
What would be your dream job? Mine would be working for myself where I can help clients one-on-one deal with any food/exercise/body issues.


I love making new friends!  Feel free to comment below, or connect with me via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or e-mail: semihealthnut AT yahoo DOT com.  You can also follow posts via e-mail , Bloglovin, Networked Blogs, or my blog feed. Thank you so much for reading and God bless! 🙂

Reader Interactions

Comments

  25. Still loving the new hair!! Congratulations on the job it sounds like you are headed in an exciting direction and I couldn’t be happier for you 🙂

  26. Still loving the new hair!! Congratulations on the job it sounds like you are headed in an exciting direction and I couldn’t be happier for you 🙂

  27. These look delicious – even though I can’t taste these until I actually make them, I bet you can taste just how buttery they are! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing!

  28. These look delicious – even though I can’t taste these until I actually make them, I bet you can taste just how buttery they are! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for sharing!

  31. Congratulations on the job! It looks really exciting and I’m very jealous 🙂 It sounds like the perfect complement to freelancing too.

  32. Congratulations on the job! It looks really exciting and I’m very jealous 🙂 It sounds like the perfect complement to freelancing too.

  34. M&M’s are irresistible and I’m sure these bars are too! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!

  35. M&M’s are irresistible and I’m sure these bars are too! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!

  38. Congrats on your new job Amanda!! Love your hair, it looks fabulous 🙂 So do these cookie bars..yummy. Thanks for sharing at Share your Stuff Tuesdays!!