Frosted Christmas M&M Cookie Bars are delicious sugar cookie bars filled with holiday candy and topped with buttercream frosting. An easy and festive holiday treat.
Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
These sugar cookie bars are all dressed up for the holidays. Filled with red and green M&M candies, these bars are topped with buttercream frosting and festive sprinkles.
Cookie bars are a nice alternative to baking individual cookies. A whole batch of dough can be baked at once in one pan. When life gets crazy especially during the holidays, cookie bars are a great time-saving option. They are quick and easy to make and are perfect for all of your holiday festivities.
- cookie swaps
- school holiday parties
- church potlucks
- neighborhood parties
- last-minute treats
- cookie platters or dessert buffets
Tips for making M&M Cookie bars
- Butter and oil - this recipe uses a combination of butter and oil which yields a very moist cookie bar. Use a flavorless oil such as grapeseed, canola, or vegetable oil.
- No chilling required - this dough does not need to chill before baking. Spreading isn't an issue when baking bars in a sheet pan. (This recipe calls for a quarter sheet pan. This is the one I use.
- Cool bars before frosting - allow the bars to cool completely before frosting. We don't want melted frosting. Decorate the frosting with M&Ms and holiday sprinkles. I used these nonpareils.
- Serving - cut the bars into squares or triangles as I did in these pictures. Cookie cutters can also be used to cut out festive shapes.
This recipe is fun and festive for the holidays but can also be adapted for any season.
Frosted Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- ½ cup oil ((grapeseed or canola or similar))
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 10 ounces holiday M&M candies
Buttercream frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- holiday M&M candies (for topping)
- red, white, and green nonpareils (for topping)
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, oil, sugar, and light brown sugar. Cream together until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until well incorporated.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add the M&M candies and fold them in by hand. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared quarter sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or mostly clean. Allow the bars to cool for 30 minutes before frosting.
Buttercream frosting
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter and process until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Add the cream and vanilla extract and mix until light and fluffy.
- Remove the bars from the pan and spread the frosting evenly over the top. Decorate with M&M candies and red and green sprinkles. Cut into squares or triangles.
- Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending upon the exact amounts and specific ingredients used.
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