Description
Delight in these festive Christmas Cookie Bars, a perfect holiday treat combining chewy cookie dough with white chocolate chips, colorful red and green M&M’s, holiday sprinkles, and crunchy nuts. Easy to prepare and great for sharing, these bars bring a joyful burst of flavor and color to your seasonal celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Mix-ins and Toppings
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup red and green M&M’s
- 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal of the bars after baking.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter together with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and creamy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time to ensure smooth incorporation, then add the vanilla extract and mix well.
- Mix Dry Ingredients into Wet: Gradually add the whisked dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring gently just until combined to avoid overmixing.
- Fold in Mix-ins: Fold in the white chocolate chips, red and green M&M’s, holiday sprinkles, and the chopped nuts if using, distributing them evenly throughout the dough.
- Spread Dough in Pan: Evenly spread the cookie dough into the prepared baking pan and gently press a few extra M&M’s and sprinkles onto the surface for a festive appearance.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool and Slice: Allow the cookie bars to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Once cooled, use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out and slice them into 24 equal pieces for serving.
Notes
- These cookie bars freeze exceptionally well; wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Perfect for holiday gifting—package in festive tins or boxes.
- Feel free to swap the red and green M&M’s for other candies or sprinkles to suit different seasonal themes.
- For nut allergies, omit the walnuts or pecans or substitute with seeds.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
