Description
These festive Christmas Cookie Bars combine the classic flavors of cinnamon and vanilla with crunchy M&Ms and milk chocolate chips, baked into a deliciously thick and chewy traybake. Perfect for holiday gatherings, these cookie bars are easy to prepare and make a colorful, sweet treat everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 275 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 55 g granulated sugar
- 135 g light brown sugar
- 1 medium egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add-ins
- 200 g red, green, and brown M&Ms
- 150 g milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare the tin: Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Line a 9×9 inch square baking tin with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, whisk together the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cornflour, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Set aside.
- Melt butter and combine sugars: In a larger bowl, melt the unsalted butter. Add the granulated and light brown sugars and whisk for about 2 minutes until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture is smooth.
- Add egg and vanilla: Stir in the egg and vanilla extract, whisking briefly until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture along with all but a handful of the Christmas-colored M&Ms and the milk chocolate chips. Use a spatula to mix until a thick cookie dough forms.
- Press dough into tin and decorate: Firmly press the dough into the prepared baking tin. Press the reserved handful of M&Ms into the top of the dough for decoration.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the cookie bar looks dry and set.
- Cool and serve: Allow the cookie bars to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, cut into 4×4 or 5×5 squares depending on your preferred size. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute M&Ms with any other colorful candy or chocolate chips if preferred.
- Ensure the cookie bars cool completely before cutting to avoid crumbling.
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Using parchment paper makes for easy removal from the tin.
- If you prefer softer bars, reduce baking time by a few minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Christmas cookie bars, holiday cookie bars, festive cookies, M&M cookie bars, chocolate chip bars, traybake cookies
