You’ve probably heard of cookie exchanges…they happen quite a bit around Christmastime. Well, how about a Valentine cookie exchange? I was invited to one a few years ago and it was great! It’s always fun to make (and eat) Valentine-themed treats! I was a little short on time, so I needed to make something fairly easy, but still wanted it to be very yummy. I had seen lots of recipes for cake mix bars and cookies, so I thought I’d come up with my own version of Red Velvet bars made with cake mix. Any Red Velvet recipe sounds good for Valentine’s Day, right?
These bars are actually more like brownies than cookies, with lots of M&M’s® and semi-sweet mini chocolate chips added in! If you’re looking for a simple Valentine treat to make, with lots of yummy chocolate flavor, you’ll want to try these out!
Red Velvet M&Ms Bars
RED VELVET M&Ms BARS by NancyC
Makes a 9×13″ pan
- 1 (16.5-ounce) box of Red Velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines®) Signature Red Velvet Cake Mix)
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup canola oil or light olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 (11.4-ounce) bag Valentine M&M’s® (about 1 2/3 cups), divided
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease or line a 9×13″ baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
Mix cake mix, egg, oil, milk, and vanilla extract until blended—your batter will be fairly thick, but still stirable. Fold in the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of the M&M’s, stirring to distribute evenly in batter (save the rest of the M&M’s for sprinkling on top).
Press batter evenly into your prepared 9×13″ pan and sprinkle with the remaining M&M’s, pressing them into the batter. Bake at 350˚F for 23 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean (the toothpick may have a red tint to it when you pull it out). Cool completely, then cut into bars (if you lined your pan with parchment paper, lift the bars out of your pan with the parchment paper edges, and cut into bars).
Recipe from NancyC | nancy-c.com
These bars hit the spot if you’re wanting something chocolatey! What kinds of goodies are you making for Valentine’s Day?
Sharing at Meal Plan Monday, Saturday Sparks, Farmhouse Friday, Weekend Potluck, Fiesta Friday, Grace at Home, Thursday Favorite Things, Full Plate Thursday, Wow Me Wednesday, Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party, Wonderful Wednesday, Inspire Me Monday.
NancyC 
Those look delicious! What a fun idea to have a Valentine’s day exchange. Pinned.
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Yes, a Valentine cookie exchange is a nice change of pace! 🙂
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Sounds amazing, my niece would go crazy over these M&M bars!
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What a yummy-looking Valentine’s Day treat! My husband would love them!
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Thanks, Donna! 🙂 Hope you and your husband enjoy them! 🙂
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These look beautiful and positively yummy! I don’t know if I’d have the courage to make them myself. I’m afraid they would all end up in my belly! Smiles, Linda at Paper Seedlings
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Ha, that’s true for me too, Linda! I have to be careful when I make recipes like this! 🙂
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Hi Linda—I visited your blog and saw your wonderful bird drawings, but wasn’t able to add a comment for some reason 😦 This is what I was trying to post: “Wow, Linda! Your drawings are wonderful! You definitely need to keep this up, even if you aren’t able to draw every day! “
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These look absolutely delicious! And easy to make, which is much appreciated. 🙂
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I’m featuring you this week!
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Wonderful! Thanks so much, Richella! 🙂
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