Christmas Cookie Bars
These Christmas cookie bars are pure holiday joy in every bite. Soft, buttery cookie dough is packed with festive M&M’s, crunchy pretzels, and colorful sprinkles, making each square a little celebration of sweet and salty flavors. They’re cheerful, delicious, and ridiculously easy to grab and share, perfect for gift trays, holiday parties, or sneaking a bite (or 3) while decorating the tree! Every bite is like a cozy, crunch, chocolatey hug for the holidays!
Mix & Match the Holidays
One of the best things about these Christmas cookie bars is how easy they are to customize with your favorite holiday treats. Swap in Lindor chocolates, peppermint bark, crushed candy canes, or even festive toffee bits, anything that makes you feel merry and bright. The cookie dough is the perfect base for experimenting, so every batch can be a little different and totally personalized for the seasons!
While so many Christmas desserts lean heavily into peppermint and intense sweetness, these cookie bars hit the perfect salty sweet balance. The crunchy pretzels give just the right amount of salt to contrast the chocolatey and candy, making them ideal for anyone who finds traditional holiday treats a little too sugary. They’re festive and delicious without being overwhelming, so even if peppermint isn’t your thing, or you usually shy away from sweet desserts, these bars are impossible to resist!
Why I Measure in Grams (and You Might Want To, Too)
If you’ve ever made the same recipe twice and gotten two totally different results, the measuring method is often the reason.
Professional bakeries almost always measure by weight, not volume. Measuring cups leave room for inconsistency—especially with ingredients that pack differently depending on how you scoop or pour them. A scale removes all of that guesswork.
One of the biggest offenders is sugar. Different sugars (and even the same sugar measured by different people) can vary wildly in volume, but 100 grams is always 100 grams. Measuring by weight gives you repeatable, bakery-consistent results and cuts down on extra dishes at the same time.
A food scale is one of the best (and most affordable) investments you can make for your kitchen if you love baking and want your recipes to turn out exactly the same every time.
Ingredients To Prepare
Before baking, take a few minutes to gather the ingredients below and to ensure that they are soft, chewy, and perfect for the Holidays!
Once you have all of the ingredients ready to go, you’re officially set up for Christmas Cookie Bars success. I always recommend measuring everything out ahead of time so the process is smoother, and you can focus on making the best cookies possible!
Christmas Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup pretzels crushed
- 1 cup M&M’s red and green
- 1/4 cup Christmas sprinkles
- handful of pretzels
- handful of M&M’s red and green
- 1 tbsp Christmas sprinkles
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F convection.
- In a bowl (or stand mixer with paddle attachment), beat room-temperature butter with granulated sugar for 1–2 minutes, until the mixture turns an off-white color.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Fold in all-purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Next, gently fold in crushed pretzels, sprinkles, and M&M’s until evenly distributed.
- Press the cookie dough evenly into an 8×8” square pan.
- Bake for 18–20 minutes, then let the bars cool completely before cutting into 3×3 squares (for 9 bars, like pictured).
- Eat fresh, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 8 days.
Nutrition
Private Notes
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