Christmas Cookie Bars: The Easiest Festive Treat

Welcome to your new favorite holiday recipe! These Christmas Cookie Bars are the ultimate solution for festive baking without the fuss. Imagine the delightful taste of classic Christmas cookies, but transformed into a simple, shareable bar format. You get all the cheer and flavor with half the work. This recipe is designed for busy home cooks who want to create delicious, crowd-pleasing treats for family gatherings, holiday parties, or a cozy night in. We’re skipping the individual scooping and chilling for a straightforward, press-in-the-pan dough that bakes to perfection every time.

Our goal is to deliver a perfectly chewy, buttery, and festive bar loaded with classic holiday flavors. This is the recipe you’ll come back to year after year. Let’s get baking!

Why You’ll Love These Christmas Cookie Bars

• Incredibly Easy: This is a one-bowl wonder. The dough comes together in minutes, and there’s no need to chill it. Just mix, press, and bake.
• Perfect for a Crowd: A single 9×13 inch pan yields plenty of bars, making it ideal for sharing at holiday events or for gift-giving.
• Customizable & Fun: This recipe is a fantastic base for your creativity. We’ll cover some fun variations, but feel free to add your favorite holiday mix-ins.
• Soft, Chewy, and Delicious: We’ve perfected the texture. These bars are thick, wonderfully soft, and packed with buttery, brown sugar flavor, just like the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Key Ingredients for the Perfect Holiday Bars

The magic of these Christmas Cookie Bars comes from simple, high-quality ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to create this festive treat.

For the Cookie Bars:

• Butter: Use unsalted butter, melted. This ensures a wonderfully chewy and dense texture.
• Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar provides moisture and a rich, caramel-like sweetness.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness and contributes to the perfect crisp edges.
• Eggs: Two large eggs bind the ingredients and add richness.
• Vanilla Extract: A splash of pure vanilla extract is essential for that classic cookie flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for our bars. Make sure to measure it correctly!
• Baking Soda: Gives the bars just the right amount of lift.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the other flavors.
• Christmas Sprinkles & M&Ms: This is where the holiday magic happens! Use a festive mix of red and green sprinkles and holiday-themed M&Ms.

For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

• Butter: Softened, unsalted butter creates a creamy, luscious base.
• Powdered Sugar: For sweetness and a smooth consistency.
• Heavy Cream or Milk: To achieve the perfect spreadable texture.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances the creamy flavor of the frosting.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these simple steps to bake the most delicious and festive Christmas Cookie Bars your family has ever tasted. It’s a straightforward process that guarantees great results.

Part 1: Making the Cookie Dough

1. Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars out later.
2. Combine Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
3. Add Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix with a spatula until just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
4. Fold in the Mix-Ins: Gently fold in 1/2 cup of the Christmas M&Ms and 1/4 cup of the sprinkles. Reserve the rest for the topping.

Part 2: Baking the Bars

1. Press and Bake: Evenly press the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
2. Cool Completely: Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. It’s crucial they are at room temperature before you attempt to frost them, otherwise, the frosting will melt. For a treat with a different flavor profile, you might enjoy these blackberry cheesecake brownies.

Part 3: Frosting and Decorating

1. Prepare the Frosting: While the bars cool, prepare the frosting. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until combined. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, then beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add more cream, one teaspoon at a time, if needed to reach your desired consistency.
2. Decorate and Serve: Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars. Immediately top with the remaining M&Ms and sprinkles. Let the frosting set for about 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

Tips for the Best Christmas Cookie Bars

To ensure your cookie bars are the star of the holiday dessert table, here are a few expert tips.

• Do Not Overbake: The key to a soft and chewy cookie bar is to slightly underbake them. The bars will continue to cook from the residual heat of the pan after you take them out of the oven.
• Measure Flour Correctly: For the best texture, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Never pack the flour down.
• Let Them Cool: Be patient! The bars need to cool completely before frosting and cutting. This prevents a melty mess and ensures clean, neat slices. If you’re looking for another easy holiday treat, try these Pecan Pie Crescent Rolls.

Creative Variations

Flavor Twists to Try

• Chocolate Chip: Swap the M&Ms for 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips for a classic flavor.
• White Chocolate Peppermint: Use white chocolate chips instead of M&Ms and add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract to the dough. Top with crushed candy canes.
• Funfetti Holiday: Use only sprinkles (about 3/4 cup in total) for a festive “funfetti” style bar.

How to Store Your Cookie Bars

Proper storage keeps your Christmas Cookie Bars fresh and delicious. You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you’ve used a cream cheese-based frosting, store them in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can freeze the unfrosted bars for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before frosting and serving.

FAQs About Christmas Cookie Bars

The Perfect Holiday Treat

These Christmas Cookie Bars are more than just a recipe; they’re a way to create sweet holiday memories without the stress. They are guaranteed to be a hit wherever you take them. We hope you and your loved ones enjoy this simple, festive, and delicious treat. If you make them, we’d love to see! Share your creations and tag us on Pinterest.

Christmas Cookie Bars Recipe

Christmas Cookie Bars: The Easiest Festive Treat

The easiest Christmas Cookie Bars recipe! These soft, chewy, no-chill bars are packed with festive sprinkles and M&Ms, then topped with a simple buttercream frosting. Perfect for holiday parties and cookie exchanges.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 24 bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 250

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the Cookie Bars

• 1 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1.5 cups light brown sugar packed
• 0.5 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 cup Christmas M&Ms divided
• 0.5 cup Christmas sprinkles divided

For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

• 0.5 cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2-3 tbsp heavy cream or milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

• 1 9x13 inch Baking Pan
• 2 Mixing Bowls
• 1 Electric Mixer

Method

 

Cookie Bar Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Gently fold in 1/2 cup of the Christmas M&Ms and 1/4 cup of the sprinkles.
5. Evenly press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
6. Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before frosting.

Frosting and Decorating

1. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low.
2. Add the vanilla and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, then beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add more cream if needed.
3. Spread the frosting evenly over the cooled bars. Immediately top with the remaining M&Ms and sprinkles.
4. Let the frosting set for about 30 minutes before cutting into 24 bars.

Notes

Do Not Overbake: For the chewiest texture, remove bars from the oven when the edges are just golden and the center is set.
Cool Completely: Ensure bars are at room temperature before frosting to prevent melting.
Parchment Paper Sling: Leaving an overhang of parchment paper makes it easy to lift the entire block of bars out of the pan for clean cutting.