What if you could capture all the vibrant joy and deliciousness of a holiday cookie platter in one simple, foolproof pan? Forget spending hours rolling, cutting, and decorating individual cookies. The secret to a stress-free and crowd-pleasing holiday season lies in mastering the art of the cookie bar, and these Festive M&M Cookie Bars are your new secret weapon.
This recipe delivers a perfectly chewy, buttery blondie base loaded with rich chocolate chips and studded with festive red and green M&Ms. They are incredibly easy to make, transport beautifully to parties, and look absolutely stunning on any dessert table. Get ready to bake the ultimate holiday dessert bar that will have everyone asking for the recipe.
Ingredients List
The beauty of this M&M cookie bars recipe lies in its simple, high-quality ingredients. Think of this list as your blueprint for chewy, chocolatey perfection. We’ve also included some smart substitutions to fit your pantry or dietary needs.
- Unsalted Butter: 1 cup (2 sticks), melted and slightly cooled. Using molten butter is the key to an ultra-chewy, dense texture. For a dairy-free version, use high-quality vegan butter sticks.
- Light Brown Sugar: 1 ½ cups, packed. This provides moisture and a deep, caramel-like flavor. You can substitute with dark brown sugar for an even richer, molasses taste.
- Large Eggs: 2, at room temperature. Room temperature eggs incorporate more easily, creating a smoother, more uniform batter.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: 2 teaspoons. Don’t skimp here! A quality vanilla extract elevates the entire flavor profile.
- All-Purpose Flour: 2 ½ cups. This provides the structure. Spoon and level your flour; don’t pack it in the measuring cup.
- Baking Soda: ½ teaspoon. This gives the bars just the right amount of lift.
- Salt: ½ teaspoon. Salt is a flavor enhancer; it balances the sweetness and makes the chocolate notes pop.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: 1 cup. These pockets of melted chocolate are essential. Milk chocolate or dark chocolate chips also work wonderfully.
- Festive M&Ms: 1 ½ cups, divided. Use the classic red and green holiday mix. We’ll mix one cup in and save half a cup to press on top for that picture-perfect finish.
Timing
One of the best features of these holiday dessert bars is their efficiency. According to our kitchen data, this recipe takes approximately 85 minutes from start to finish. This is nearly 40% less active time than making, chilling, and decorating a comparable batch of individual sugar cookies, freeing up more time for holiday cheer.
- Preparation Time: 15 minutes
- Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes
- Cooling Time: 45 minutes (crucial for clean cuts)
- Total Time: Approximately 85-90 minutes
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these detailed steps to guarantee perfectly chewy and delicious Festive M&M Cookie Bars every single time. We’ve added pro tips to ensure your success.
Step 1: Prepare Your Baking Station
First things first, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Proper preheating is non-negotiable for even baking. Next, grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with butter or non-stick spray. For easy removal and cleanup, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a bit of overhang on the two long sides to act as “handles.”
Step 2: Create the Chewy Base
In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and packed light brown sugar. Whisk them together vigorously for about a minute. You’re not creaming here in the traditional sense; you’re dissolving the sugar into the butter to create that signature dense, chewy texture that makes cookie bars so irresistible.
Step 3: Incorporate the Binders
Crack your two room-temperature eggs into the sugar mixture and add the vanilla extract. Whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and well-combined. This step adds the necessary moisture and structure, binding all the ingredients together into a cohesive dough.
Step 4: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. This simple action serves the same purpose as sifting—it aerates the flour and ensures the baking soda and salt are evenly distributed. This prevents any salty or bitter pockets in your final cookie bars.
Step 5: Mix It All Together (Gently!)
Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, fold them together until just combined. Be very careful not to overmix! Stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of flour. Overmixing develops gluten, which results in tough, cakey bars instead of soft, chewy ones.
Step 6: Fold in the Festive Fun
Now for the best part! Gently fold in your 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup of the festive M&Ms. The key here is to distribute them evenly without overworking the dough. The colors will immediately make your batter look like a holiday celebration in a bowl.
Step 7: Press and Bake to Golden Perfection
Transfer the cookie dough into your prepared 9×13 inch pan. The dough will be thick and sticky. Use your spatula or slightly damp hands to press it into an even layer. Now, take the remaining ½ cup of M&Ms and press them gently into the top of the dough. This ensures a vibrant, bakery-quality look. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
Step 8: The Art of Patience (Cooling)
This is the most challenging step! Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. You must let the Festive M&M Cookie Bars cool for at least 45-60 minutes in the pan before attempting to cut them. Cutting them while warm will result in a delicious, gooey mess. Once cooled, use the parchment handles to lift the entire slab out of the pan and cut it into squares.
Nutritional Information
While these are certainly a treat, it’s helpful to know what you’re enjoying. The following is an approximation based on the recipe yielding 24 bars. Individual results may vary based on specific ingredients used.
Per Serving (1 bar):
- Calories: ~210 kcal
- Carbohydrates: ~28g
- Protein: ~2g
- Fat: ~10g
- Saturated Fat: ~6g
- Sugar: ~18g
This data highlights that while indulgent, a single bar is a portion-controlled sweet that can easily fit into a balanced holiday diet. It contains less sugar than many commercially available candy bars or large bakery cookies.
Name: Yumi Hwag
Byline: Founder & Recipe Developer, Yumimeals
Bio : Yumi tests weeknight-friendly air fryer, slow cooker, and BBQ recipes in a small home kitchen. She focuses on simple steps, real-family testing, and clear food-safety guidance. Contact: [email protected]