Holly Jolly Cookie Bars: The Ultimate Easy & Festive Christmas Treat
Delight your family and friends this holiday season with the easiest and most delicious cookie bars you’ll ever bake: our Holly Jolly Cookie Bars! Packed with festive holiday M&M’s and rich chocolate chips, these bars are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Whether you’re looking for the perfect treat to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve, a thoughtful homemade gift for neighbors, or a delightful dessert for your holiday party, these bars deliver smiles with every bite. Their vibrant colors and irresistible flavor embody the spirit of Christmas, making them a staple in our holiday baking traditions.
The holiday season, for many of us, means a flurry of baking and kitchen adventures. From the moment November rolls around, my kitchen transforms into a sweet-scented wonderland, churning out batch after batch of festive goodies. While I adore traditional cookies, there’s something uniquely satisfying and incredibly simple about baking cookie bars. They eliminate the tedious steps of portioning out individual dough balls, ensuring consistent results without the worry of cookies spreading too much or losing their shape. It’s a quick, efficient, and wonderfully foolproof way to get those delicious treats from oven to plate!
These Holly Jolly Cookie Bars are a prime example of why bar recipes are a holiday baker’s best friend. You simply press the entire batch of dough into a single pan, bake, cool, and cut. The result is a perfect square of chewy, chocolatey goodness, infused with vanilla and studded with colorful M&M’s. They offer all the beloved flavors and textures of classic chocolate chip cookies but with a fraction of the effort, making them ideal for busy holiday schedules.
Crafting the Perfect Holiday Cookie Bar
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Creating these delightful cookie bars is a straightforward process, suitable for bakers of all skill levels. While I personally prefer the power and convenience of a stand mixer for thoroughly combining ingredients, a handheld electric mixer works equally well. The key is to ensure your butter and sugars are creamed together until light and fluffy, creating the foundational texture for a wonderfully soft and chewy bar. Don’t rush this step, as it introduces air into the mixture, contributing to the cookie bars’ tender crumb.
Once your wet ingredients are perfectly blended, the dry ingredients are gradually incorporated. The addition of instant vanilla pudding mix is a secret weapon here, lending an incredible chewiness and a subtle boost of vanilla flavor that makes these bars truly stand out. Finally, folding in the chocolate chips and, of course, those vibrant holiday M&M’s ensures every bite is packed with deliciousness and festive cheer. The dough will be thick, but easily spreadable into your prepared pan, ready for its transformation into a holiday masterpiece.
Commonly Asked Questions About Holly Jolly Cookie Bars
Why should I add white chocolate chips to the top after baking?
This is a fantastic baking hack for anyone who loves the look of pristine white chocolate chips! If you add white chocolate chips to your cookie dough before baking, their delicate composition often causes them to brown or caramelize when exposed to the oven’s heat. This can result in a toasted marshmallow appearance, which, while tasty, might not be the bright white aesthetic you’re aiming for.
The solution is simple: once your cookie bars are fresh out of the oven, while they are still warm and pliable, gently press the white chocolate chips onto the surface. The residual heat from the baked bars will cause the white chocolate chips to soften and melt perfectly, allowing them to adhere beautifully without changing their color. This trick ensures your Holly Jolly Cookie Bars maintain their striking visual appeal, making them even more festive and inviting.
Where can I find holiday M&M’s?
Holiday-themed M&M’s are a seasonal gem, and I always make sure to stock up as soon as they hit the shelves! You can typically find them in most major grocery stores and supermarkets starting in early November, often in special holiday baking aisles or candy sections. Due to their popularity for festive baking and snacking, they tend to sell out quickly. So, if you spot them, grab a few bags!
If you have trouble finding them locally or prefer the convenience of online shopping, holiday M&M’s are also readily available from various online retailers. Amazon, for instance, often carries them throughout the season. If holiday-specific M&M’s aren’t available, don’t worry! You can easily substitute them with regular M&M’s, or even use a mix of red and green plain M&M’s to maintain that festive color palette. Other colorful candies or sprinkles can also work as a fun alternative to keep the “jolly” in your cookie bars.
Can I make these cookie bars ahead of time?
Absolutely! These Holly Jolly Cookie Bars are excellent for making in advance, which is perfect for holiday planning. You can bake them a day or two before your event and store them at room temperature in an airtight container. If you want to prepare even further ahead, the unbaked cookie dough can be made and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature slightly before pressing into the pan for easier handling. For longer storage, you can even freeze the baked and cooled bars, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months.
How to Make Holly Jolly Cookie Bars
Making these festive cookie bars is simple, following a few easy steps. First, prepare your baking pan by lining it with parchment paper; this ensures easy removal and clean-up. Next, combine the wet ingredients: softened butter, rich brown sugar, eggs, and fragrant vanilla extract. Beat them together until the mixture is light and creamy. Then, gradually add your dry components: instant vanilla pudding mix for that irresistible chew, all-purpose flour, baking soda for lift, and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
Finally, fold in your generous portions of classic chocolate chips and, of course, the vibrant holiday M&M’s that give these bars their signature festive look. Press the dough evenly into your prepared pan and bake until golden brown and set. Remember the white chocolate chip trick – press them onto the warm bars right after they come out of the oven! Once cooled, slice and serve. It’s that easy to create a memorable holiday treat!
To make these incredible Holly Jolly Cookie Bars, you’ll need a selection of common baking ingredients, many of which you likely already have in your pantry. The quality of your ingredients can significantly impact the final taste and texture, so always opt for fresh butter and good quality vanilla extract. The instant vanilla pudding mix is a key ingredient for that desired chewiness, so don’t skip it!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Holiday M&M’s: For that signature festive color and chocolatey crunch.
- Butter: Unsalted and softened to room temperature for optimal creaming.
- Brown Sugar: Adds moisture, chewiness, and a lovely caramel note.
- Eggs: Binds the ingredients and adds structure.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the other flavors. Use pure vanilla for best results.
- Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix: The secret ingredient for extra chewiness and moisture (3.4 oz box).
- All-Purpose Flour: The main structural component of the bars.
- Baking Soda: A leavening agent that helps the bars rise slightly.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the overall flavor.
- Chocolate Chips: Classic semi-sweet chips provide a rich chocolatey burst.
- White Chocolate Chips: For pressing on top after baking, adding a beautiful visual contrast and creamy flavor.
These ingredients combine to create a symphony of flavors and textures, making each bite of these Holly Jolly Cookie Bars an absolute delight. Feel free to experiment with different types of chocolate chips, like milk chocolate or dark chocolate, to suit your preference. Just remember that the holiday M&M’s are essential for that signature festive flair!
Trust me, these delightful bars are not just easy to make, but they are also universally loved. Imagine Santa’s delight finding a plate of these festive, chewy, and perfectly sweet Holly Jolly Cookie Bars waiting for him on Christmas Eve – it’s sure to earn you a spot on the “nice” list! For an extra special touch, consider pairing them with a tall glass of cold milk or a steaming mug of hot cocoa. They’re also perfect for holiday platters, cookie exchanges, or as a sweet treat to enjoy by the fire.
Scroll to the bottom for the Printable Recipe
Gifting and Storing Your Christmas Cookie Bars
These Holly Jolly Cookie Bars aren’t just for eating at home; they make fantastic gifts! Package them in festive tins or cellophane bags tied with a pretty ribbon for a truly thoughtful homemade present. They are perfect for teachers, co-workers, friends, and family. When storing, ensure they are kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days to maintain their freshness and chewy texture. For longer storage, you can freeze the cooled and cut bars in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving, and they’ll be just as delicious as when they were first baked.
Looking for more delicious holiday goodies?
Frosted Sugar Cookie Fudge
Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies
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Rate this Recipe
Holly Jolly Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup holiday M&M’s
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix 3.4oz.
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C).
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Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy lifting. Set aside.
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In a large mixer bowl, combine the softened butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light, fluffy, and well combined (about 2-3 minutes).
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Gradually add the dry instant pudding mix, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overmix the dough.
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Gently fold in the chocolate chips and holiday M&M’s until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
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Press the dough evenly into the prepared 9×13 inch pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs.
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Immediately after removing the pan from the oven, scatter and gently press the white chocolate chips onto the warm surface of the cookie bars. The residual heat will melt them perfectly.
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Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before lifting them out using the parchment paper overhang and cutting them into squares. This ensures they set properly and are easy to slice. Enjoy your festive Holly Jolly Cookie Bars!
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.
Ready to explore more festive baking ideas? Here are some wonderful holiday recipes from other talented bloggers that you might enjoy adding to your seasonal repertoire:
Melted Snowman Bark | Tatertots and Jello
Reindeer Rice Krispies | 30 Handmade Days