Christmas M&M Cookie Bars – Gooey, soft and fluffy cookie bars loaded with M&M’s and chocolate chips. So easy to make and perfect for a cookie exchange or holiday party!
I love to bake all types of Christmas cookies during the holidays. There’s just something about baking on a cold winter day that is so cozy and comforting! These M&M bars are always on my list to bake, as well as ginger molasses cookies, snickerdoodles, rolo pretzel sandwiches and sugar cookies.
Christmas bar cookies
I’m excited to share these delicious M&M cookie bars with you today! They make the perfect treat for a cookie exchange or holiday party. They’re gooey, festive and filled with chocolate chips AND M&M’s! Plus they’re so easy to make, too!
Cookie bars have to be one of my favorites. I’ve made so many different versions, like sugar cookie bars, congo cookie bars, Oreo cookie bars and more. I have to say, this M&M cookie bars recipe is one of my favorites! I finally perfected them just in time for the holidays and trust me, you want to make them. They are so delicious!
Ingredients for M&M bars
I love that these Christmas cookie bars take only a few ingredients to make. At the beginning of the holiday season, I’ll typically stock up on Christmas colored M&Ms for holiday baking. I usually have all of the other ingredients on hand, which makes this an easy go-to Christmas cookie recipe.
- Flour
- Butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla
- M&M’s
- Chocolate chips
- Baking soda
- Salt
How to make M&M cookie bars
Scroll down for the printable M&M cookie bars recipe.
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a 9×13″ pan with foil.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars with a mixer for 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla and mix.
- Then add flour, baking soda and salt and stir.
- Fold in M&M’s and chocolate chips and add dough to pan. Place a few extra M&M’s and chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is barely golden brown. Allow to cool completely, then remove and slice.
TIP: For thinner M&M bars, use a 15×10″ pan instead.
Quick tips for M&M bars
- You can make these M&M bars anytime throughout the year! Just pick up colored M&M’s that match the occasion or holiday.
- Don’t have M&M’s on hand? Replace M&M’s with 1 cup chocolate chips.
- To top with glaze, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of milk. Drizzle over M&M bars once cooled.
- Make sure to line your baking pan with foil! This really helps the Christmas cookie bars to cook evenly.
- M&M bars will keep at room temperature stored in an airtight container for about 3 days, or about 5 days in the fridge.
- To freeze, wrap in foil then place in an airtight container. They will last in the freezer for a couple of months.
M&M Cookie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips (plus more for tops if desired)
- 1 cup M&M’s (plus more for tops if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. For thick bars, line a 9x13" pan with foil. For thinner bars, line a 15x10" pan. Leave an over hang for easy removal. Then spray with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl using a mixer, cream together the butter and sugars for 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt and stir mixture just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and M&M’s (saving about 1/4 cup for the top).
- Scoop cookie dough into the pan. Then place extra M&M’s and chocolate chips on the top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is barely golden brown. Allow to cool completely, then remove and slice.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Enjoy!!
*gasp!* These look DIVINE. I do love a good Christmas cookie :)
Una deliziosa ricetta e un bellissimo blog!!! Complimenti, ciao!!!
The only problem with these is that if I bake them while my boyfriend is there, he will eat them all and not give me a chance to try them haha. These look sooo yummy!
This looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I like how you decorated them as well, very ‘Christmasy’ LOL xx
OOhhhh, I love this! It’s the perfect thing to bring to all those holiday parties coming up! I love that there’s just a hint of glaze…
These look amazing! Please come link up at MoMomma Monday!! Runs all week and starts every Monday!
THIS looks sooooo good! cant wait to try it!
These are super pretty, and well. M&Ms can’t ever be wrong!
I just wanted to leave a little note letting you know that I made these last weekend and they were wonderful! I used a smaller baking dish so my bars turned out about 3 times as thick as the ones in your picture (also lead to a cook time of nearly 40 minutes.) SO SO YUMMY! Thank you.
tried these today but it had a very bad aftertaste… unfortunate since they looked so good! Not sure if i did something wrong because I thought I followed the instructions perfectly… I used yellow sugar instead of brown. Could that have been it?
Yes, try brown sugar next time… it gives them the perfect flavor.
I normally love your recipes – your green chile enchiladas are a family favorite, and your orange dream cupcakes are delicious! But I had problems with this recipe, even though I followed the instructions exactly. At 20 minutes of baking time, the inside of the pan was still soupy. I had to bake them another 15 minutes before the toothpick came out clean, and at that point they had browned so much that they weren’t as pretty as yours. They still taste good, but I was disappointed in the appearance since I made them for a bake sale. Normally my oven bakes okay, so I don’t know what the problem was. Just wanted to give others a heads up that they may need to plan for a little extra baking time!
Oh no! Did you line your pan with foil? That seems to really help evenly cook them. Also make sure your oven is all the way heated before sticking them in. Merry Christmas!
I just made these about an hour ago. I too had to leave them in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Overall they were delicious!
Hi! I made these…but, mine were THICK. I used a 9×13 baking pan. Yours look thin. Which is one of the reasons, I tried this recipe. But, maybe next time I’ll use a bigger dish…b/c I would like them thin like your picture!
Also, my baking time ended up being about 15 minutes longer b/c they were so thick! I’ll try a larger pan next time and see! :)
making the m&m cookie bars as we speak! smell yummy!
Yumm!! How did they turn out? I hope you have a happy holidays! xo
Can you freeze these like you would cookies? Would they still be the same after defrosting?
Yes, these ones freeze up nicely. :)
YUM! I made these last night for a cookie exchange and I think they’re delicious! They’re sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Cooking time way longer than 20 minutes. I used same size pan, and cookies were thicker…still yummy
Hi is this 1 and 1/2 cups butter or one 1/2 cups butter ?
Hi Kelly! 1 1/2 cubes!
I’m confused about the amount of butter to use. You listed it as 1 and 1/2 cups butter but you also said 12 TB which is only 3/4 cup butter. If you are suggesting 1 and 1/2 cups of butter, then you mean 24 TB. Please advise. Thanks!
Now I’m confused about the butter. How much? 1.5 cups? 0.5? Something else? Also, about how many bars does this make? I need about 4 dozen so I want to know how much to increase the recipe. Thanks!
It is 1.5 cubes of butter or 12 TB of butter! Sorry for the confusion! :) They are made in a 13×9 baking sheet, so it depends how big you cut them! I usually get about 20 from this sheet!
Hi Eileen! Sorry about the confusion, it is 1.5 cubes of butter or 12 TB! Hope that helps! :)
Would these freeze well? I am looking for a cookie recipe for a cookie exchange for work but they need to be freezable as we are exchanging a lot and a few weeks before christmas.
Yes, I think this recipe will freeze well! :) They would be yummy for a cookie exchange!
Can’t wait to try these and several other recipes. Thx!
I love these christmas cookie bars, they are one of my favorites! I hope you enjoy them Dana! :)
Is it 1 and one half sticks of butter which = 12 TB?
Yes it is Peggy! :)
How many bars will this recipe make? I need 84 cookies for a cookie exchange. I’m trying to figure out how much of each ingredient i will need. Thanks!
Hi Emalee! It depends on how big you cut them! Since they are cooked in a 13×9 baking sheet, you will get 20-35! Hope that helps! :)
Hi, do you use dark brown sugar or light? They look delicious!!!
I always use light! :)
I am making these today for Sunday, how should I store them and will they still taste good two days later???
Yes, they will stay good for two days in an airtight container!
what is TB? Im not a baker so I don’t know what that means.
TB=Tablespoon! :)
LOL I thought so but didn’t seem like enough milk but okay! Im going to make these tomorrow with my nephew. He likes to bake
Hi! how long do these keep? :)Â
At room temperature, a few days. In the refrigerator, maybe a week or so? But I cannot imagine having any worries – they always are eaten quite quickly around here. ;)
If you’re making them for an event, I’d make them a day ahead and leave them at room temperature. I’d leave some airspace and either cover them with a clean dishtowel or set the lid on, but not air tight (which can make them reabsorb the moisture of the icing and then the texture can get a little weird – or maybe that’s just my house?). :)
TB=tablespoon, correct?
and is it 325 Fahrenheit or Celsius ?
Tablespoon, correct! And 325 Fahrenheit, which equates to 165 Celsius. :)
YUMM, these sound perfect for my cookie bake party :) Thanks!
How many eggs does this call for? I don’t see it in the ingredients list.
2 eggs! :)
Love this recipe!!!! So easy to make and grabdkids love them.
So glad you enjoyed them! :)
These are on my must-make list!
M&M bars are the best!!! I love that you used the red and green m&m’s for the holidays.
An easy way to change for any holiday! :)
These cookie bars are SOOOOO yummy! My kids loved them!
I’m so glad! Thanks for leaving an comment and review Jennifer! :)
I absolutely love these!! They are festive & so good!!
These look so fun with the festive red and green m&m’s but love the idea of changing it up during the year. Maybe even doing the customize M&M’s for the kids’ birthdays.
My kiddos go bonkers for these! Perfect for the holidays.
Our family LOVES these easy cookie bars!
I love these so much and I love your recipe.
Made these for church luncheon. Very easy to whip up and feed a crowd. The sides got a little more crispy but the middle was perfect!