Christmas bar cookies are baked from scratch cookie dough with holiday sprinkles mixed in, along with festive chocolate M&M candies making them delicious treats that everyone enjoys! They are fun to make and are ready in 30 minutes. All you need is the Christmas music cranked up to set the mood!
Christmas cookies are a staple around here as soon as December hits! We love getting together and having a party where we let the kids cut out and decorate sugar cookies. But there are a few times where I don’t really feel like making actual cookies, so cookie bars come in handy!
As for the other Christmas goodies, our lineup consists of peppermint cookies, Reese copycat Christmas trees, and chocolate coconut bars which could really be baked for any occasion! You may even catch up sipping on a Dirty Snowman or a glass of eggnog!
Why You’ll Love Christmas Bar Cookies
- Fun to make and way more festive than the average cookie!
- It’s a simple holiday dessert ready in 30 minutes.
- Easier and less prep work compared to regular cookies.
What Ingredients do I Need for this Christmas Bar Cookie Recipe?
- unsalted butter
- light brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- red and green M&Ms
- Christmas jimmies
- additional Christmas sprinkles for sprinkling over the baked cookie bars
Pro Tip: Set you egg out ahead of time so it can come to room temperature so the dough mixes easier.
How to Make Christmas Cookie Bars
PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Whisk together the butter and sugars in a large bowl. Then add the egg and vanilla. Pour in the salt and flour just until it’s moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips, m&ms, and jimmies.
BAKE: Transfer the cookie dough batter to the lined baking pan. Top with the remaining sprinkles and candy then bake for 20 minutes. All the cookie bars to cool on a wire rack in the pan.
SLICE AND SERVE: Lift the bars out by the overhanging parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Slice into 9 large squares.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of chocolate chips, candy, and sprinkles. The amount we used gave us lots of chocolate and sprinkle flavors, along with a chewy blondie.
- Jimmy sprinkles work the best when adding to the dough because they do not bleed. If you are using a different type of sprinkle, only add those to the top just before baking. When stirred in they turn the batter a greenish-brown color.
- Avoid overmixing the batter because it can make the cookie bars tough and crumbly.
Fun Fact
The tradition of putting out cookies for Santa actually started during the Great Depression to try to show kids to be thankful.
Variations
- For other holidays, swap the candy and sprinkles out for a different color.
- You can also sprinkle white chocolate chips on top or minis.
Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
Unlike a traditional batch of cookies, these are made in one pan, then sliced into bars once they have finished baking. They taste just like a regular, thicker cookie.
More Christmas Desserts You’ll Love
Christmas Bar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup red and green M&Ms
- ¼ cup Christmas jimmies
- additional Christmas sprinkles for sprinkling over the baked cookie bars if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush an 8×8-inch square baking pan with a bit of the melted butter and line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
- In a large bowl, whisk remaining butter and sugars until smooth. Whisk in egg and vanilla until fully incorporated.
- Add flour and salt and mix just until moistened (do not over mix). Fold in ½ cup chocolate chips, ⅓ cup of the M&Ms, and jimmies.
- Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the top with the remaining M&Ms.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Set the pan on a wire rack and sprinkle with additional sprinkles, as desired. Cool completely. Using the parchment overhang, lift the blondies from the pan and transfer them to a cutting board. Cut into squares.
Notes
Nutrition
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