These Valentine Cream Cheese Cookie Bars are so good you might not want to share them!

Omigosh! When Erica made these amazing Cream Cheese Oreo Cookies, I knew I had to modify her recipe to fit my love of cookie bars. Yes, I'm a cookie bar addict. While I LOVE eating any sort of cookie, I'm often too lazy to actually spend the time to make cookies, so I modify a lot of my recipes and make them into bars! One pan, and none of that in and out in the oven {{Can you see I have ZERO patience?}}

So I had to try these cream cheese cookie bars with the new, Valentine White Cheesecake m&m candies! Those "limited edition" and "seasonal" food products always get me at the store. I grab a bag or two and hoard them. I ration them if I eat them from the bag, stashing them in the back of the cupboard so no one can see them and I'm sure to pick the perfect recipe to use them for because I know they won't be around all the time.

These bars are like a dense cheesecake-like shortbread. They are decadent and rich with butter and cream cheese and taste amazing! You don't have to add color to your batter, but if you do, try Americolor Soft Gel Paste in Deep Pink. It's available in this coloring kit and is my favorite food coloring.

Yield: 16

Valentine Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

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These Valentine Cream Cheese Cookie Bars are so good you might not want to share them!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1-¼ cups flour
• 1 package (8 oz) White Cheesecake m&m Candies, divided
• Pink Food Coloring

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 and line a square baking pan with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with cooking spray and set aside.

Beat butter and cream cheese together for 60 seconds in a mixer. Add sugar and beat well.

Beat in egg and vanilla.

Add flour, beating just until combined.

Reserve ½ cup of m&m candies. Fold the remaining candies into the batter.

Press batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with reserved candies. Gently press them into the batter.

Bake for 25-28 minutes or until edges begin to brown and batter is set.

Let cool completely, remove from pan and discard foil. Cut into 16 squares.

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