Christmas M & M Cookie Bars
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These Christmas M&M Cookie Bars are easy to make; no chilling of the dough or mixer is required! Just grab a bowl and a whisk, and you’ll be on your way to enjoying these tasty treats in no time!
My Husband, who is a self-proclaimed cookie cake connoisseur, says these cookie bars are the best dessert he has ever had!
Me? I’m all in! Considering how easy they are to make, I love having desserts that don’t require all-day work. They are kind of like my deep-dish chocolate chip cookies, with M&Ms
We are definitely going to be making these again as we get closer to the holidays!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- Holiday Made Easy: I love that these M&M Christmas Cookie Bars are so easy to make. There is no need to chill the dough or dig out your standup mixer.
- Fun for the Family: I love making this with my kids! They can help with just about every part of it, and they love stirring in the M&Ms. However, they enjoyed eating handfuls more than adding them to the dough.
- Perfect for Crowds: You can easily double or triple this recipe and bring it to your next holiday gathering.
Ingredients needed
- Flour: I like King Arthur’s all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Baking powder: Baking powder gives the bars a gentle lift for a perfect, slightly fluffy texture.
- Salt: Salt enhances the sweetness of the sugars and the chocolatey goodness of the M&Ms.
- Sugars: I am using a combination of brown and white granulated sugar for these cookie bars.
- Eggs: Eggs bind everything together and add moisture for a perfectly chewy texture.
- Butter: Browned butter just makes everything taste better!
- Vanilla: Vanilla extract adds a warm, inviting aroma and depth of flavor.
- M&Ms: M&Ms add pops of festive fun and melty chocolatey goodness with every bite.
Christmas M&M Cookie Bar Recipe
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown and nutty. Let cool.
Step 2: Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Step 3: Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and cooled brown butter in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla extract. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Step 4: Fold in M&Ms.
Step 5: Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Pour the dough into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.*
Step 6: Allow the bars to cool for at least half an hour before cutting into squares.
Expert Tips
- Don’t overbake! You want a toothpick inserted into the center to come out ‘mostly’ clean. A few crumbs on it is ok!
- Check your bars at 25 minutes. If you notice them browning too much, loosely tent with foil.
- You can line your baking dish with parchment for easier removal!
- Leave the bars in the dish for at least half an hour before cutting them or trying to remove them.
Recipe FAQs
Overbaking is generally the biggest culprit of dry cookie bars.
The edges should be browned and set, while the center will not be completely set; a toothpick will come out mostly clean when inserted. (a crumb or two stuck on the toothpick is completely fine)
I keep them in an airtight container on the counter for about three days.
The lack of leftovers and a licked-clean baking dish has me pretty confident; I’ll be making more of these in the future! Between these cookie bars, my iced ginger cookies, and Christmas fudge, I think we are in good shape this holiday season!
Related Recipes
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Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
Equipment
- 8×10 baking dish or 10" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 stick butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat until golden brown and nutty. Let cool.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat together brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and cooled brown butter in a large bowl. Stir in vanilla extract. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Fold in M&Ms
- Grease an 8×10-inch baking pan. Pour the dough into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.*
- Allow the bars to cool for at least half an hour before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Don’t overbake! You want a toothpick inserted into the center to come out ‘mostly’ clean. A few crumbs on it is ok!
- Check your bars at 25 minutes. If you notice them browning to much, loosely tent with foil.
- You can line your baking dish with parchment for easier removal!
- Leave the bars in the dish for at least half an hour before cutting them or trying to remove them.
I made these in a cast iron skillet and it turned out perfectly!
I can’t get over how amazing these look!
These look absolutely delicious!