Description
Soft, chewy dessert bars loaded with melty chocolate chips, festive M&M’s, and a hint of vanilla sweetness. Buttery sugar cookie base bakes into tender thick bars with colorful candies, perfect for holiday gifting or parties.
Ingredients
1 cup packed brown sugar
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup unsalted butter, softened (1½ sticks)
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Christmas M&M’s, divided (½ cup in batter, ½ cup on top)
¼ cup white chocolate chips (for topping)
Instructions
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Preheat oven: Set to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9×13‑inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease.
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Cream butter and sugars: Using a mixer on medium speed, beat brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
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Add wet ingredients: Mix in eggs and vanilla extract until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
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Incorporate dry ingredients: Add baking soda and salt, then gradually mix in flour until just combined.
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Mix additions: Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips and ½ cup M&M’s.
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Assemble: Spread dough evenly into the prepared pan with a spatula. Sprinkle remaining M&M’s and white chocolate chips over the top.
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Bake: Bake 26–30 minutes until lightly golden and set at the edges.
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Cool and slice: Let cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars.
Notes
Use room-temperature butter and eggs for smooth mixing.
Avoid overmixing dry ingredients to keep bars tender.
Add white chocolate chips near end of baking to keep bright.
Cool bars thoroughly for clean slices.
Store airtight at room temperature up to 5 days, freeze up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (1/24 recipe)
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 21 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
Keywords: christmas cookie bars, m&m dessert bars, holiday baking recipes, chewy chocolate chip bars, easy christmas bars