If you're looking for a festive treat to serve this Easter Sunday, these Cadbury Egg Cookie Bars are the perfect match! The base is a chewy and gooey chocolate chip cookie filled with crushed Cadbury Mini Eggs. Then it has a creamy frosting on top, making each bar even more decadent, with additional Cadbury eggs to elevate the presentation.
Recipe Essentials
- 🍽️ Course: Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 26 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 9
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Soft-baked, chewy chocolate chip cookie bars topped with creamy vanilla frosting and ultra-sweet Cadbury egg bites.
- 🍚 Best Served With: Cinnamon hot chocolate, milk, or coffee for a cozy dessert moment.
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes, bake the bars ahead, frost before serving, and store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Summarize and Save This Content On
I like to make these delightful Cadbury bars all spring! The frosting is a beautiful pastel blue that just screams April and May, so you can make them for any occasion you like, even just a chocolate chip cookie craving! I promise that the flavor, texture, AND look will wow guests and your family.
Some more cookie bar recipes for you to try include almond cookie bars and peanut butter cookie bars.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- You can make it ahead of time for parties: These Easter dessert bars are easy to prepare in advance, so you can have them ready for a party or event.
- It's great for stress-free entertaining: This is an incredibly easy recipe that minimizes work and stress, so you can make it whenever you like.
- It's easy to transport: You can easily pack up these Cadbury cookie bars and take them to a potluck or someone else's party to share without worry.
Ingredients
The most important ingredients needed for this Cadbury egg cookie bar recipe are listed below. The remaining are baking staples you likely have in your kitchen right now.
- Butter: There's butter in the cookie bars and in the buttercream. I use unsalted for both, but for the bars, it must be melted to achieve that chewy texture so they aren't cakey. Softened butter is best for the frosting to keep it creamy and lump-free.
- Sugar: The combination of brown and white sugar in the cookie dough ensures the dough has the perfect amount of moisture, with golden edges and a soft center. Powdered sugar sweetens the frosting so it isn't grainy.
- Cadbury eggs: You might use the mini chocolate-filled eggs with the crispy colored shells, not the creme eggs. These chop and crush nicely and don't melt as they bake.
- Food coloring: I prefer gel food dye over liquid to keep the buttercream thick, just like with these dyed Easter eggs with food coloring.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Sprinkles instead of speckles: Skip the speckle mixture and just add pastel or Easter sprinkles to the frosting instead.
- White chocolate chips: Swap the semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips for extra richness.
- Change the frosting color: Make these pastel pink, purple, yellow, etc., instead of blue to keep the theme, but switch it up.
- Add almond extract to the frosting: Use 1 teaspoon of almond extract instead of vanilla to give it a nutty flavor.
These M&M Easter cookies and this Easter bark are ones you want to check out if recipes like this are your thing.
How to Make Cookie Bars with Cadbury Eggs
Before you get started on these Cadbury cookie bars, preheat your oven to 350F and line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper. You may use cooking spray, but the parchment makes it easier to take the whole thing out and to slice.
Step 1: Prepare the cookie base and add it to the pan. Combine the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl and then stir in the dry ingredients until a soft dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped Cadbury mini eggs, and spread the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.
Step 2: Bake and cool. Stick the pan in the oven and bake the cookie dough for 22-26 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Then, allow it to cool.
Step 3: Make the frosting. Combine the frosting ingredients in another mixing bowl, beat until smooth and creamy, and add a drop of food coloring at a time until you reach your desired blue shade.
Step 4: Frost and decorate. Spread the frosting onto the cookie and scatter whole and chopped Cadbury eggs. Finish it with the cocoa mixture to add a speckled design before slicing and enjoying it with cinnamon hot chocolate.
Expert Tips
- Cool completely before frosting: These Cadbury egg cookie bars should be cooled completely before you add the frosting. If they're still warm, the frosting will melt and make a mess.
- Crush the eggs instead of chopping them: If you like, you can place the mini Cadbury eggs in a Ziploc bag and crush them instead of chopping them.
- Chill before slicing the cookie bars: To get the cleanest slices possible, I recommend placing the Cadbury egg cookie bars into the refrigerator for a few minutes. Chilled bars slice more easily, especially since the fridge will slightly set the buttercream.
- Storing the Easter bars: Store the cookie bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or at room temperature for up to 2 days.
If you like Cadbury egg desserts, you should try these Cadbury egg cookies and these Cadbury mini egg cookies.
Serving Suggestions
- Create a delicious spread of Easter desserts featuring these cookie bars with Easter chocolate strawberries and Easter Oreos.
- Enjoy a showstopping holiday meal of air fryer ham with pineapple glaze and cream cheese mac and cheese, and then finish with Cadbury egg cookie bars as a sweet treat.
- Cookies and ice cream are a lovely pair, and a scoop of sprinkles ice cream would complement one of these Cadbury bars perfectly.
Recipe FAQs
These Cadbury bars are done when the centers are soft, but the edges are set and slightly golden. The center will continue to set as it cools!
Yes! I recommend freezing them without the frosting. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe container. You may freeze the Cadbury mini egg bars for up to 3 months!
Overbaked Cadbury bars will be very dry and crumbly. The soft center may seem underbaked, but that's ok! It will continue to cook when it comes out of the oven and will be fully set once it completely cools.
These Easter chocolate chip cookies and this Easy Easter cake recipe are worth taking a look at if you enjoy recipes like this.
Cadbury Egg Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Base
- ¾ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup chopped Cadbury Mini Eggs
Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Blue gel food coloring
Topping
- ½ cup Cadbury Mini Eggs whole and chopped
- Speckling Mixture
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1-2 teaspoons water
Instructions
For the cookie bar base
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
- Stir in the flour, baking soda, and salt just until a soft dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped Cadbury Mini Eggs.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 22-26 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the center is set but still soft.
- Let the cookie base cool completely before frosting.
For the buttercream
- In a medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the softened butter and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until completely combined. Add a small amount of blue gel food coloring at a time, and mix until you reach your desired pastel shade. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Spread the buttercream evenly over the cooled cookie bars using an offset spatula.
Decorate
- Press whole and chopped Cadbury Mini Eggs gently into the frosting.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and water until combined. Dip a clean pastry brush or paintbrush into the mixture and flick lightly over the bars to create a speckled effect.
- Allow the frosting to set slightly in the refrigerator before slicing.
Notes
- The center of the cookie will be soft, and the edges will be set and start to brown when it's ready to come out of the oven. The middle will continue to set as it cools.
- Allow the Cadbury egg cookie bars to cool completely before adding frosting to keep it from melting.
- Overbaked cookie bars will be very dry and crumbly. The center doesn't need to be fully set or firm, so keep an eye on them as they bake!
Leave a Reply