M&M Christmas Cookie Bars are an easy to make holiday dessert! Super soft & chewy goodies that only need 4 ingredients. Perfect for the busy holiday season.
My friends, do you love holiday M&M’s? I’m completely obsesessed. I get so excited when with each & every season & the new holiday colors are available.
Yes, I am completely aware that they are just like the regular rainbow of normal M&M’s. But I think it is that the holiday colors are only available for a limited time. Plus they signify that whatever holiday it is that is coming is getting really close.
So when I start seeing them in the stores, I stock up & I make as many treats with them as I can.
Christmas Cookie Bars
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It had been a while since I had made a good bar recipe. I have been so focused on making cookies, that the yummy bars had gone to the wayside.
So I was going through grandma’s old cookbook & found a super easy recipe for some cookie bars. The recipe only required 4 ingredients so I was immediately sold.
God love grandma & her insanely easy recipes. I think that is where I get it from. That need to pare things down & make recipes as simple as possible. She was the queen of that & I, fortunately, got my hands on all her notes so I can do that too.
These cookie bars are so stinkin’ easy to make & packed full of these pretty little red & green M&M’s.
They seriously make me smile from ear to ear & I can’t get enough. But they do make really great treats for all those holiday parties, so you may want to plan for that. With as easy as these are, you can’t go wrong.
Here are some commonly asked questions
Should I use salted or unsalted butter?
I personally use whatever I have on hand. But if you are watching your salt intake, stick with the unsalted butter for these cookies. Grandma’s original recipe used unsalted butter but then I tried it with salted butter & liked them just the same.
What is the best way to store leftover cookie bars?
The easiest way is to either place the individual bars in a large airtight container & store at room temperature, or you can just cover the baking pan with foil & leave out on the counter. A large plastic bowl with a lid or a zip-top bag works great too.
How many does this serve?
This recipe usually makes 9-12 cookie bars for me – depending on how I choose to cut them. But really, it depends on how small or large you want them. I like to make 2 cuts lengthwise making 3 rows. Then I make 3 cuts going the other direction to make the 12 bars or 2 cuts to make 9. But you can cut them however you like.
Holiday Cookie Bars
Can this recipe be doubled?
Yes, but you will have to still bake in 2 separate baking pans. I don’t recommend doubling the dough & baking in one larger pan.
Can I use another flavor of cake mix?
Yes, absolutely. These are also great with yellow or white cake mix.
HOW DO YOU MAKE M&M Christmas Cookie Bars?
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9×9 pan & then line with parchment so that it hangs over on 2 sides for easy bar removal.
- Mix together the cake mix, eggs & butter in a large bowl until well combined.
- Fold in M&M’s.
- Spread the dough into prepared pan & press into an even layer.
- Bake 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Toothpick test should come out mostly clean.
- Press additional M&M’s into the tops of the bars before they set.
- Allow the bars to cool to room temperature before trying to remove from the pan or cut them.
- Use the overhanging parchment to lift the bars out of the pan & cut to the desired size.
Do I have to chill the dough?
Nope- that is the thing I love the most about making cookie bars – no chill time needed. I can enjoy them soon after the craving hits or at the last minute when I realize I haven’t prepared anything for the evening.
Holiday Cookie Bars
To make this recipe you will need…
- vanilla cake mix
- eggs
- butter
- holiday M&M’s
Products I love when making M&M Christmas Cookie Bars…
This M&M Christmas Cookie Bars recipe is so EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have all of these items on hand! OR maybe you have never made cookie bars before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love the how quick & delicious these are. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making these yummy bars.
- vanilla cake mix
- holiday M&M’s
- parchment paper
- this metal baking pan
- mixer
- mixing bowl
- spatulas
- measuring cups
Definitely perfect for holiday treat lovers everywhere!!
M&M cookie bars recipe
If you love this M&M Christmas Cookie Bars recipe, you’re going to love these other easy holiday recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
More Cookie Bar Recipes
- M&M Sugar Cookie Bars
- Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookie Bars
- Cherry Pie Bars
- Birthday Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- St. Patrick’s Day Cake Mix Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Patriotic Cookie Bars
Best Christmas Cookie Bars Recipe
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M&M Christmas Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup butter - melted 1 stick
- 2 cups holiday M&M’s
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a 9×9 pan & then line with parchment so that it hangs over on 2 sides for easy bar removal.
- Mix together the cake mix, eggs & butter in a large bowl until well combined.
- Fold in M&M’s.
- Spread the dough into prepared pan & press into an even layer.
- Bake 25-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Toothpick test should come out mostly clean.
- Press additional M&M’s into the tops of the bars before they set.
- Allow the bars to cool to room temperature before trying to remove from the pan or cut them.
- Use the overhanging parchment to lift the bars out of the pan & cut to the desired size.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
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