Brown Butter Christmas M&M Cookie Bars.
Salty-sweet Brown Butter Christmas M&M Cookie Bars for your Christmas week cookie baking. Homemade chocolate chip cookies, made with browned butter, vanilla, and plenty of milk chocolate Christmas M&M’s. The cookie dough is pressed into a baking dish and baked until just golden on top. There’s nothing not to love about these sweet and festive Christmas cookie bars. Each bite is slightly crisp on the edges, but soft and gooey in the center…with a few milk chocolate kisses and a pinch of sea salt on top. Christmas cookie perfection and super easy too!
We’re just three days away from Christmas and I’m cramming in some of the very best last-minute recipes. And when I say very best, I really mean it. While these cookies are not overly creative or different, they’re a cookie bar I’ve been wanting to share with you guys for years…and years. These cookies really are the BEST, so I saved them for last. And just in time for the mad rush of Christmas baking that’s about to take place over the next few days.
I’ve shared the story of my mom’s cookie bars before, but growing up her cookies were always everyone’s favorite. Many times she’d make classic chocolate chip cookies. But more times than not she’d be short on time (surprise surprise). So instead of rolling out the dough, she’d press the dough into a baking dish to make cookie bars.
Bars certainly aren’t anything we haven’t all seen before, but something about Mom’s cookies bars made them better than all others. And the honest truth? With a cookie bar, you get more cookie per “serving”, plus a doughy center that’s, yup…roll your eyes back delicious.
The Christmas Story.
It’s pretty simple. I make these every single year on the days leading up to Christmas. Most everyone in my family loves a cookie bar more than any other kind of dessert. They’re simple yet, kind of fancy…in our own hillbilly sort of way. We all just love a good cookie, especially ones made with double the chocolate.
Seeing as Christmas is only days away, I obviously needed to make these bars festive. I’m not usually someone who loves to bake with candies, but I’ll make an exception for the holidays.
Enter these milk chocolate Christmas M&M Cookie Bars. These bars have that extra special Christmas touch that makes them delicious and oh so festive too.
The details.
With time so tight during the final days before Christmas, these are the perfect super easy Christmas cookie to bake.
There is one thing that MAKES these cookies…a bit of golden browned butter.
You’ll brown both sticks of butter. It’s a small extra step, but the browned butter really does add so much depth of flavor to these cookies. It’s worth the extra time, which is really quite minimal anyway.
The “special” Christmas touches.
…semi-sweet chocolate chips. Nothing special here, pretty classic but you need them.
…Holiday M&M’s, the most important “special touch”. These are what make these true Christmas cookies.
…sweet milk chocolate kisses on top. Are these needed? Not really, but they sure are delicious. And since it’s Christmas, the more chocolate the better!
…a little pinch of flaky sea salt, for a little salty-sweet touch.
What I love about these cookies is that they’re easy to make, require no chilling, and take less than an hour…so simple.
But my favorite part? These bars are perfectly crisp on the edges, yet soft, gooey, and almost underdone in the center…which in my option make for the BEST cookie bars. A real deal, roll your eyes back, deliciously GOOD cookie. Tip? Try a bite…or two while these are still warm. You might need to use a fork to eat them, but there’s nothing better. DELICIOUS!
I’m not normally such a decadent cookie person, but I really like to do it up for the holidays. They only come once a year, and there’s only a few days left. So let’s just have fun, enjoy every minute of the season, and do these bars up right!
And with that, here is my Christmas week suggestion. Let’s bake cookies on Tuesday night and enjoy them while watching our favorite holiday movies. BUT, be sure to make a double batch. Then package that second batch up in a cute cookie box to gift to someone in need of a little Christmas cheer. I know it may be cheesy and I’ve said this way too much lately, but…
‘Tis the season for giving!
Looking for other Christmas cookies? Here are my favorites:
Easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Brown Butter Christmas M&M Cookie Bars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Brown Butter Christmas M&M Cookie Bars
Slightly crisp on the edges with soft and gooey centers. Christmas cookie perfection and super easy too!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup Christmas M&M's...or more!
- 10-12 Hershey's Milk chocolate kisses, halved
- flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
-
1. Add the butter to a skillet set over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Stick in the freezer to chill, 10-15 minutes, but no longer.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the browned butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Add the vanilla, beating to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Stir in the M&M's, then remove 1 cup of cookie dough and set to the side. To the remaining dough, stir in the chocolate chips. Press the dough into the prepared baking dish. Now to take the reserved dough and press it on top to mostly cover. If desired add additional M&M's. Bake 18-22 minutes, until golden brown, but a little doughy in the center. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the kisses over the cookies Return to the oven for 1-2 minutes to gently melt the chocolate.
5. Sprinkle with flaky salt. Eat warm let cool and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days...or eat warm...which is delicious and recommended.
Our Favorite Recipes
Winter Pomegranate Salad with Maple Candied Walnuts.
These look so yummy! Would they work as individual cookies as well? Merry Christmas!
Hey Megan,
Yes, that would work well, follow the rolling instructions for these:
https://dev.halfbakedharvest.com/salted-caramel-pretzel-snickerdoodles/
I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Amazing! My family really loved these bars
Hey Clare,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I know it’s not about these bars, but thank you for all your recipes! I just made chex mix for the few days leading up to Christmas, and the Hot Chocolate Lace cookies. Both are delicious- thank you!
Thank you so much Bethany!! xTieghan
I’m having trouble finding red and green m&ms, any suggestion for a substitute to give an equally festive look?
Hey Alex,
You could add some sprinkles! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made these last night on a whim and I am so glad I did!!! The entire pan is gone …there are only two of us…..
One of my favorite things I’ve ever made , I usually don’t leave comments but felt like I had to so everyone would know how good this is!!! I only had m&ms on hand, so I didn’t use chocolate chips or the Hershey’s kisses and it still came out delicious !!!!!!!! Thanks so much for the recipe !!!!
Hey Jane,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Would gluten free flour substitute well in this recipe?
Hey Gray,
Yes, you can use an equal amount of GF flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were so much easier to make than I thought and oh so festive! Will definitely make again.
Hey Maria,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Just made them! I used mini Christmas m &m’s because that was what I had and I’m not brave enough to hit the store this close to Christmas. They are fabulous and we’re so easy to whip up! Thank you and Merry Christmas from Canada! 🎄🇨🇦
Hey Barbara,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Just made this tonight and it was wonderful!
Hey Marnie,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe! I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These are so good!! But they rose almost too much and seemed more like brown butter m&m cake bars rather than thinner, chewy cookie bars. They were obviously still delicious but any idea why this happened? Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! They really aren’t meant to be thin:) Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were easy to make (my 11 yr old did most of the work) and came out perfect!
Hey Kate,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Just made these and they are so perfectly yummy! Love the combo of brown butter, chocolate chips, M&M’s and flaky salt. Thanks for another wonderful recipe, Tieghan!
Hey Ann Marie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Is this supposed to use unsalted butter? I felt like mine turned out REALLY salty?? Thanks
Hey Jules,
I always use salted butter. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I had a hard time with these being too doughy at 350 for like 27 minutes. Should I do a higher temp?
Hey Kailey,
I would just add 1 minute or two to your baking time. I hope this helps! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These are SO good. Very festive and easy to make. Perfect to bring to the hospital for an Xmas eve treat for those working!!
Hey Stephanie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
My all time favorite cookie is the nestle chocolate chip cookie pan variation so I was hesitant to try a new version. These are delicious! I had to cook much longer than the allotted time.
Hey Megan,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Just made these, and the addition of the browned butter is genius.. I have been baking for many years and never thought of adding browned butter, but the flavor is well… drool worthy.. The hardest part of the recipe is cutting the kisses in half :)..Thanks again for the great recipe..
Hey Gail,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
wow!! these are amazing! I made them last night, but waited till this morning to taste them. now the hard part will be where to hide them from my 19 year old son so they’ll be some later today lol! thanks Tieghan for another awesome recipe!
Hey Karen,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi there! Excited to make these! I don’t know if I missed it, but what temperature do I bake these at? Thanks!
Hey Mimi,
You will bake these at 350, as stated in step 2:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
My daughter made this today. We did not have the “kisses” – they are light and crunchy with the m n’ m’s- unlike some bar cookies that are heavy and dense- super yummy! This is a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Cheri,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Am I the only one who can’t get the salted butter to brown? I’ve had no problem browning unsalted butter in the past but am just getting melted yellow salted butter
Hey Dana,
So sorry you are having issues with browning the salted butter, I only use salted butter. Let me know how I can help! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can I sub for a flax egg? Pregnant and don’t want underdone egg 🙃
Hey Tatiana,
I have not tried this recipe with a flax egg, but if you bake these until cooked the egg should be fine:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Just made these and they’re fantastic! I’m obsessed with your recipes and blog everything is perfect!!! Happy holidays!
Hey Sara,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Made it and it was delicious! Tips for cuttign the hershey kisses in half without the tip crumbling off? I found mine were often crushed (though tasty nonetheless…just not very aesthetic).
Hey Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! I use a super sharp knife to cut the kisses:) Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were so good and super easy to make!
Thanks so much Lindsay! xTieghan
my family and i ate these in a day. SO DIVINE. (couldnt find the christmas M&Ms though so we had to pick the red and green ones out of a 1lb multicolor bag!!)
Hey Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad you enjoyed! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
These were delicious! My husband and I devoured them the past few days! Thank you!
Hey Marie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
THESE WERE A HUGE HIT, GONE IN JUST 1 1/2 DAYS! ALREADY BUGGING ME TO MAKE ANOTHER PAN. MY ONLY ADVICE IS DON’T OVERBAKE. I WAS EXPECTING A DARKER LOOKING BAR BECAUSE OF ALL THE BUTTER IN IT, NOT THINKING DUH, YOU ALREADY BROWNED THE BUTTER. SO, I KEPT ADDING A FEW MINUTES TO THE BAKE TIME AND THE OUTSIDE BARS WERE OVERDONE. THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR RECIPE, THIS IS NOW ON MY PERMANENT LIST FOR CHRISTMAS BAKING!
Hey Michelle,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Delicious! Love the brown butter and salt.
Thanks so much Cassandra! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This is the third recipe of yours that I have made in two days! So happy I found you. Will be making this gain. So easy and delicious!
Hey Chris,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
So delicious! There’s a few too many steps to truly categorize it as “easy” IMO, but if you do not care for the aesthetics of having an M&M-only top layer, you can omit the step of removing one cup of dough for later use. Taste-wise, these were too good to even give away for my Christmas cookie handouts!
Hey there,
Thank you so much for giving the cookies a try, I am so glad they were enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I’d seen a friend make these and just HAD to make them for myself. They are so incredible that I had to make them the week after Christmas to have more for myself! I don’t know what gives these cookies such a unique flavor but they might be the best cookie ever!
Hey Paige,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I am so glad you enjoyed! xTieghan
These were out of this world AMAZING! One of the best cookie bar recipes I have every tried. Loved them! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Alexandria,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Hi Teagan,
I also live at altitude, so was wondering if I should follow your baking directions exactly, or make modifications for altitude still?
Thanks!
Hey Nina,
You can follow the recipe as is! I hope you love them:) xTieghan
Never got around to making these before Christmas but ant to try them now! I’m just going to use all chocolate chips instead since I don’t need it to be festive, just wanted to check then that there is no real reason to separate the dough into two layers right?
Hey Kristin,
Yes, that is correct! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love browned butter everything so I was so excited to try these. They looked beautiful coming out of the oven but ended up being really cakey…. I thought they would be more chewy? Did I do something wrong or is that how they are supposed to turn out?
Hey Kiran,
These are a cookie bar so they definitely have a different texture than a chewy cookie. I hope this helps, thanks for trying the recipe! xTieghan
Made these for the neighbors for Christmas and they were a hit!! My fiancé was sad we had to give them away!
Hey Kirstin,
I am so thrilled that you have enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for making it:) xTieghan
These are incredible! The browned butter really adds a nice touch. Just came out of the oven and half the pan is gone. Thanks so much for this!
Hey Jaime,
I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great week! xTieghan