The BEST Christmas Cookie Bars

stack of red and green m&m christmas cookie bras

The BEST Christmas Cookie Bars

Turn my soft & chewy TikTok viral chocolate chip cookie bars into the ultimate Christmas cookie bars! Add whatever mix-ins you like; holiday m&m's, caramel, chocolate chips, pretzels, and more!

Cut into 48 bite-sized squares for the perfect addition to your cookie platters!

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookie

Keyword christmas cookie bars

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 16

Total Time 30

Servings -24 squares

Calories 414kcal

Author Melissa Rose

Ingredients

¾ cup unsalted butter (not margarine) 1 ½ sticks, you will be melting this
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 yolk (i.e. 1 whole egg + 1 extra egg yolk)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour *see notes section below, you can add an extra ¼ cup flour if your dough is too runny

Mix-Ins (2 cups total)

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup red & green m&m's
½ cup pretzels, broken
½ cup chewy caramels, chopped I use Kraft or Werther's Soft
2 tablespoons holiday sprinkles I use "jimmies"

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Chop caramels into smaller pieces (for Kraft caramels, I cut each into 8 smaller pieces).
In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, melt unsalted butter (¾ cup, 1 ½ sticks) for 20-30 seconds until JUST melted. (If your butter is steaming, let it cool down for a few minutes. Butter that is too hot can result in greasy bars and/or will cause the eggs to cook.)
Add in light brown sugar (¾ cup) and granlated sugar (½ cup) use a spatula to stir until combined (* do not use a mixer!). Add in egg (1 large), extra egg yolk and vanilla extract (2 teaspoons). Mix until combined.
Stir in baking soda (1 teaspoon), baking powder (¼ teaspoon), and salt (½ teaspoon).
Add in all-purpose flour (2 cups*) and mix until all the flour disappears into the dough.
Add mix-ins of choice. I used the following: semi-sweet chocolate chips (½ cup), milk chocolate chips (½ cup), pretzel pieces (½ cup), caramel pieces (½ cup), and sprinkles (2 tablespoons).
Press dough into a greased or parchment-lined metal 9x13" pan until smooth. If desired, press on a few extra mix-ins to the top for aesthetics.
Bake at 350°F for 16-18 minutes until edges and top are lightly golden brown and center no longer looks wet; some ovens may need up to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and place entire pan on a cooling rack.
Allow the cookie bars to cool completely before removing from pan. Slice into 12 large, 24 medium, or 48 bite-sized squares (photo reference in blog post), then enjoy! To keep fresh, cover pan with saran wrap or place bars in airtight continer for up to 3 days (after that they start to dry out). See notes below for freezing tips.

Notes

*Flour: If your dough is super runny even after sitting for a few minutes, you can add an additional ¼ cup of flour. But give it at least 5 minutes until you do this, as the dough will be on the softer side until the butter starts to cool.
Chocolate chips: While I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can also use milk, dark, white chocolate, peanut butter, etc!
To freeze: To freeze, cool the bars completely before placing them into an airtight container or freezer bag for storage. These will keep in freezer for 1-2 months.

Nutrition information is auto-calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Based on 12 bars.

Nutrition