20 Best Christmas Cookie Bars for Holiday Baking

These Christmas cookie bars are made with a brown sugar blondie base filled with colorful holiday M&M's and sprinkles. The dough is spread into a baking pan, topped with extra candies, and baked until the edges turn golden. They have a chewy texture with a buttery, slightly toffee-like flavor from the brown sugar. They're also freezer-friendly, making them a convenient option for preparing Christmas treats ahead of time.

Eggnog takes center stage in these frosted sugar cookie bars, with the classic holiday drink added to both the dough and frosting. Nutmeg and rum extract bring out the eggnog flavor, while a buttery cookie base provides a delicious foundation. Once baked and cooled, the bars are covered with homemade eggnog frosting and finished with sprinkles. Everything comes together in one pan, saving you the trouble of rolling and cutting individual cookies.

Chocolate and peppermint come together in these layered cookie bars featuring crushed Oreos, cocoa powder, and red and green M&M's. The chocolate cookie base is baked in a sheet pan, then covered with a rich white chocolate fudge topping made with sweetened condensed milk. Crushed candy canes add a refreshing peppermint flavor and a colorful finishing touch. Once the topping sets, the bars can be sliced into squares for Christmas dessert trays or homemade treat boxes.

These classic sugar cookie bars feature a buttery vanilla cookie base dotted with colorful Christmas sprinkles. The thick dough is pressed into a square baking pan and baked until golden brown. After cooling, it's topped with a generous layer of homemade cream cheese frosting made with butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. A final scattering of sprinkles adds holiday color, and you can serve the bars immediately or let the frosting set for a firmer finish.

These red velvet sugar cookie bars combine the rich chocolate flavor of cocoa powder with the sweetness of a classic sugar cookie. The dough is pressed into a baking pan and baked, creating thick, dense bars with slightly crisp edges. Once cooled, they're covered with homemade cream cheese frosting made with butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Their bright red color and creamy white topping make them an eye-catching addition to Christmas dessert platters.

Skip the cookie cutters with these adorable Christmas tree sugar cookie bars! An almond-and-vanilla-flavored dough is baked in a rectangular pan, then covered with green buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles. After cooling and decorating, the bars are sliced into triangles to resemble little Christmas trees. The recipe makes 24 tree-shaped cookies, making it a fun option for holiday cookie trays without the hassle of decorating each one individually.

Enjoy the familiar cinnamon-sugar flavor of homemade snickerdoodles in an easy-to-slice bar form. The dough combines butter, shortening, vanilla, and cream of tartar before being pressed into a baking pan and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. After baking and cooling, the bars are cut into squares with chewy centers and a sweet cinnamon topping. There's no chilling or rolling required, and they can even be frozen for later.

A vanilla sugar cookie base gets a refreshing peppermint twist in these frosted holiday bars. The dough includes sour cream and is pressed into a baking pan before being baked until lightly golden. Once cooled, it's covered with homemade peppermint frosting made with butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Crushed candy canes add a colorful crunch, and the finished bars can be cut into squares or triangles for Christmas cookie trays.

Fresh or frozen cranberries bring bursts of tart flavor to these buttery, sugar cookie-style dessert bars. Orange zest and vanilla are mixed into the dough before the cranberries are folded in and everything is spread into a baking pan. Once baked and cooled, the bars can be finished with a dusting of powdered sugar or a simple homemade icing. Optional sliced almonds or white chocolate chips add extra variety, and the recipe can be prepared ahead and frozen for later.

These hot chocolate-inspired dessert bars feature a layer of toasted marshmallows sandwiched between rich chocolate batter. Melted semisweet chocolate, cocoa powder, vanilla, and optional hazelnut liqueur give them their deep chocolate flavor. The first layer is baked, topped with marshmallows and briefly broiled, then covered with more batter and baked again. With gooey centers and a slightly crisp top, these chocolatey squares can also be cooled and packaged for holiday gifting.

Buttery shortbread and creamy salted caramel come together in these layered cookie bars. The homemade dough is divided, with one portion baked to form the crust while the remaining dough chills in the refrigerator. A filling made from melted caramel candies, milk or cream, and vanilla is spread over the baked base, then covered with crumbled cookie dough before returning to the oven. Each square has buttery cookie layers surrounding a chewy caramel center, making these a delicious addition to holiday dessert trays.

Molasses, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves give these gingerbread cookie bars their classic Christmas spice flavor. The dough is spread into a baking pan and baked until set, creating a chewy base for the homemade cream cheese frosting. A scattering of colorful holiday sprinkles adds a cheerful finishing touch. The recipe makes 24 bars, making it a convenient choice for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, or sharing with friends and family.

Red and green confetti sprinkles are mixed directly into the vanilla sugar cookie dough in this colorful Christmas recipe. Instead of baking individual cookies, the dough is pressed into a large baking sheet and baked as one batch. After cooling, the bars are covered with homemade vanilla buttercream frosting and decorated with crushed candy canes and additional holiday sprinkles. The recipe makes 36 servings, giving you plenty of festive squares for cookie platters or homemade Christmas gifts.

Turn an entire pan of sugar cookie bars into a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with this creative recipe. The buttery vanilla cookie base includes sour cream and cornstarch for a soft, bakery-style consistency. Once the bars have cooled, a parchment paper template is used to outline a Christmas tree, which is filled with piped green buttercream and colorful sprinkles.

These adorable Grinch sugar cookie bars use packaged sugar cookie mix to make Christmas baking especially simple. The prepared dough is pressed into a baking pan and baked until the edges turn golden brown. Once cooled, the bars are covered with vanilla frosting tinted bright green and cut into squares. A single red heart sprinkle on each piece completes the Grinch-inspired look without complicated decorating.

Turn refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough into cute little reindeer with this easy five-ingredient recipe. The dough is baked in a round cake pan, cooled, and covered with chocolate frosting before being sliced into wedges. Mini pretzels become antlers, candy eyes create the faces, and red or brown M&M's serve as noses. There's no fancy piping required, making these a fun Christmas baking activity for the whole family.

Peanut butter, old-fashioned oats, and mini chocolate chips give these Santa-inspired cookie bars their delicious flavor and chewy texture. Christmas-colored peanut butter M&M's are mixed into the dough, while red and green sprinkles add a cheerful finishing touch. Everything is pressed into a rectangular baking pan and baked until the edges are lightly golden. With plenty of chocolate and peanut butter in every square, these make a tasty addition to Christmas Eve cookie plates and holiday gatherings.

Inspired by millionaire's shortbread, these layered dessert bars feature a buttery vanilla shortbread crust, creamy dulce de leche filling, and smooth semisweet chocolate topping. The homemade caramel is prepared with sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar, and butter before being spread over the baked crust. For a Christmas-inspired finish, decorate the chocolate layer with red, green, and white chocolate swirls or colorful candies. The recipe makes 48 bars and can be prepared ahead or frozen for later.

Bring a little humor to your Christmas dessert table with these ugly sweater-inspired sugar cookie bars. The homemade dough combines vanilla and almond extract and is pressed into a baking pan, eliminating the need to roll and cut individual cookies. Once baked and cooled, the entire surface is decorated with homemade buttercream frosting, colorful candies, and playful Christmas sweater designs. The finished creation is sliced into 24 bars, making it a fun option for ugly Christmas sweater parties and cookie exchanges.

These Christmas magic cookie bars are packed with layers of chocolate, coconut, butterscotch, and crunchy walnuts. A buttery graham cracker crust forms the base, followed by sweetened condensed milk and a generous sprinkling of the remaining ingredients. Red and green M&M's add a colorful holiday touch, with extra candies pressed into the top after baking. Once completely cooled, the bars are sliced into squares for an easy addition to Christmas dessert platters.