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Christmas Cookie Bars are the best blondies dressed up with holiday M&Ms and sprinkles! These are the best bars for Christmas because they’re easy to make and freezer-friendly.
Make a batch to give away to family and friends or save them for your family to enjoy through the holiday season.
Yes, you could make a big batch of cookies, but what about making cookie bars instead? You don’t have to scoop and form the dough into balls – just spread it in a pan and bake and slice. This time of year, it’s nice to make things a little easier, and these holiday cookie bars are just the way to do it.
The Best Christmas Bars with M&Ms
These are the best Christmas blondies decorated with M&Ms and sprinkles. They taste like cookies with a soft and chewy texture but are made into bars instead. And you know what? You can make them all year round – just switch up the candy and sprinkles to match the holiday or event!
But since it’s the holiday season, we’re calling these Christmas M&M cookie bars, and you will love them. They’re an excellent way to change up a traditional cookie platter! Christmas cookie recipes get all the attention this time of year, so I figured why not switch things up and give the Christmas cookie bar recipes some love? Sounds like a great idea to me!
How to make Christmas Cookie Bars Video
Ingredients You need
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter – make sure it’s softened
- Sugar: My blondies are FULL of brown sugar – pack it in the measuring cup
- Eggs, Vanilla extract, Salt, All-Purpose Flour: typical ingredients for blondies
- Baking Powder: this is different than my normal cookie bars but it adds a softens along with the chewiness from the eggs
- Christmas M&Ms: use other colors for any holiday
- Christmas sprinkles – jimmies work best
These blondies are SO east to whip up and they stay soft for days – and that butter and brown sugar make them almost toffee-tasting.
How to Make the Best Bar Cookies for Christmas
1. Preparing the pan: Line a 9×13” baking pan with foil and coat it well with cooking spray. This will make it easy to remove the bars once they’ve cooled.
2. Wet Ingredients: Cream the butter with the brown sugar with a mixer. Once combined, it will be crumbly, but when you add the eggs and vanilla, it will be smooth after you mix it.
3. Dry Ingredients: Add the salt, baking powder, and flour and mix until combined. Stir in the M&Ms and sprinkles.
4. Placing in Pan: The dough will be wet at this stage, so scoop it into the prepared pan. Spray your hands with cooking spray to make it easy to spread the dough into an even layer. Top the dough with more M&Ms and sprinkles.
5. Bake: Bake the bars at 350°F for 22 to 25 minutes or until they start to turn golden. It’s best if they are a little underbaked when you take them out because they will continue to bake in the pan as they cool.
6. Storing: Store them in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to a month.
Recipe Tips
Holiday Colors: We love these cookie bars during the holidays, but you can make them for any holiday or event and just switch up the M&Ms and sprinkles. Red and white for Valentine’s Day, pastels for Easter, your favorite sports team colors, brown and orange for Halloween… the possibilities are endless.
Measuring: When you measure the flour, be sure to use the spoon and method for the best results. This will ensure you get the right amount – so don’t scoop the flour out of the package or pack it into the measuring cup.
Storing Tip: Once your cookie bars are thoroughly cooled, keep them in an airtight container. This will prevent them from drying out and hardening. They will keep for up to a week at room temperature, or you can freeze them for up to a month.
Once you try these M&M cookie bars, you’ll want to make them again and again! They are perfect for Christmas or anytime you’re craving a delicious cookie bar treat. Enjoy!
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Christmas Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (400g) packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Christmas M&Ms or your favorite color
- ½ cup Christmas sprinkles use jimmies for best results
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13” metal pan with foil and spray well with cooking spray.
- Mix butter and brown sugar with a stand or a hand mixer until crumbly. Mix in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Mix in salt, baking powder, then flour. Stir in M&Ms and sprinkles.
- Spread in prepared pan. The mixture is wet so it’s best to spray your hands with cooking spray and then smooth the dough with your hands to get an even layer. Top with remaining mix-ins
- Bake for about 22-25 minutes until they start to turn golden. Err on the side of under baked with these – they’ll finish baking as the cool and you don’t want them over baked. Slice into bars.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.
Recipe Notes
- Use any color M&Ms and sprinkles for any holiday
- Make sure to measure your flour and sugar correctly
- Store in an airtight container and they’ll last up to a week, making them perfect for shipping.
- Jimmies are the long rod-type sprinkles (not the little round balls).
- People are reporting that these are “raw” after cooking. Having made this recipe countless times with different add ins and for this post (it’s even in my book), this is NOT the case. They will get golden brown around the edges and on top, no longer be glossy and will be a bit under done in the center when you take them out of the oven. They’ll continue to cook/set as they cool. The center of these will be quite fudgy looking (like the center of a brownie). That is intentional to keep them rich and soft. They should not be liquid in the center after cooling. They will look like the center in the pictures – if you’re expecting a fluffy sugar-cookie like center then these are not the bars for you.
- The only explanation I can think of is the type of pan matters: I normally use a metal 9×13-inch pan to bake these. Metal conducts heat more evenly – a glass pan takes longer to heat up causing things to over bake on the outside and be under done in the center. I hadn’t thought about this because all my 9×13-inch pans are metal. So use a metal pan, not glass!
Recipe Nutrition
Christmas Cookie Bars are the best blondies dressed up with holiday M&Ms and sprinkles! These are the best bars for Christmas because they’re easy to make and freezer-friendly.
Last Updated on November 30, 2022
I’m glad I didn’t read the reviews before I tried making these because it would have scared me off! These bars are so so good. Like eyes rolling back into your head good! I checked at 22 minutes and it was still gooey so I added 3 minutes. Metal pan for those who are wondering. They cut beautifully and taste amazing.
It turned out great! I did a glass pan for about 24 minutes and they were cooked all the way and nice and soft. I could have even done a little less time.
Just wanted to leave a review since the glass pans weren’t working out for some
WOW! Great cookies :)) My great-great grandson loves these with oat flours because he is gluten free 🙁 🙂
I cooked mine for 25 minutes in a metal pan. I let them set for an hour and they had not set – even on the edges. Can I put them back in the oven or will they continue to set as times goes on? They taste delicious but I can’t take them to an event tonight as they currently are. Thanks for any advice you can give.
Are they golden brown on top? They should be setting and just a bit jiggly in the center, dark golden brown around the edges. If the aren’t done but browning too fast, tent the pan with foil and continue baking. But they should be no longer wet/glossy on top when done but they still will be a little jiggly and set as they cool.
Completely cooked on top cut into them and completely gooey and raw in the middle, Cooked it for almost 30 minute and had to throw it away.
What kind of pan did you use? Do you have an oven thermometer?
I made them, they were delicious! I used a metal pan. They did take a long time to cook. I’m making them today. I will use a bigger pan and see if they cook faster. Thank you for sharing🎉
I just made these and they are perfect! Brown on the outside and gooey in the center. Switched to a metal pan at the last minute when I saw the tip and used foil. Baked 24 min. Came out as expected.
Cooked these Christmas Eve and they turned out horrible. They are completely bland which I was disappointed because they looked so great. Also like everyone else I used a glass pan BUT I did line it with foil and it still took forever to cook. Which is why I was so disappointed because I spent so much time baking these just to throw them out. I’d recommend adding nutmeg, cinnamon or some holiday spice to the batter for flavor.
Please list at the TOP of the recipe that a metal pan is needed. I used a glass pan and cooked them for over an hour and still raw. This info should be in the directions, not listed as an afterthought.
I highly recommend reading an ENTIRE recipe before beginning.
I made these tonight and for some reason the inside would not cook. I used a glass 9×13 lined with sprayed foil and the inside was just as raw as when I put them in the oven. Outside cooked perfect. I ended up cooking these for about a total of 40 minutes and they would just not cook. Smelled delicious though.
It’s the glass pan. I added a note last week to use a metal pan after getting complaints – I always use metal because that’s what I have – metal conducts heat more evenly.
Tried these last night-2 batches thinking I must have messed up the first. Glass Pan, baked 30+ mins.. still raw (not fudgy). Ideas? Do you use metal pans?
In my trying to figure out why people have been having issues, I realized it could be the metal vs glass pan. I have always used metal because that is what my 9×13 inch pan is. Metal conducts the heat easier and more evenly. Did you use foil to line your pan? Curious if that makes a difference.
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