By Derby weekend again. Made Derby pie, same recipe, because Derby pie is not a thing you improve, it's a thing you maintain, like a road or a marriage or a smoker. Went to the outdoor store Saturday to buy a new cooler and Clay was working and he said Dad, I'll ring you up. He rang me up with his employee discount, which saved me eleven dollars, and the eleven dollars felt like a gift more valuable than eleven dollars because my son is ringing up purchases and giving discounts and counting change and being a man in a store, and three years ago he was in a garage with a rifle, and the distance between those two things is not measured in miles or years but in choices, daily choices, and Clay has been choosing correctly for a long time now.
Took Nadia from Amber's arms Saturday when they visited Lexington. She's two months old, gaining weight, those dark eyes still watchful and studying. I told her about Derby pie. I told her about the Kentucky Derby. I told her that her great-grandfather Earl never watched horse racing. She looked at me with an expression that was either interest or gas, and I chose interest because I am a grandfather and I will interpret all ambiguous baby expressions in my favor.
Derby pie is the serious dessert, the one you don’t change. But Nadia is two months old and she’ll be eating real food before I know it, and when she’s old enough to sit at a table and reach for something sweet, I want her reaching for something that looks like a celebration — something loaded and colorful and unapologetically over the top. These bars are that. Clay’s doing well, Nadia’s here, and some weekends call for more than one dessert.
Loaded M&M’s Oreo Cookie Bars
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 Oreo cookies, roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup M&M’s candies, divided
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal.
- Mix the base. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth and combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk until the mixture is glossy, about 1 minute.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined — do not overmix. The batter will be thick.
- Fold in mix-ins. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos, chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup of the M&M’s, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for topping.
- Bake. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Scatter the reserved M&M’s over the top, pressing them in lightly. Bake for 23—26 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is just barely done — a toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and cut. Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before lifting out and cutting into 16 squares. Cooling fully gives you clean cuts and a fudgier texture.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 215 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 115mg