Celebrate the holidays with a sweet holiday M&M blondie recipe. These chewy Christmas Blondies are a delicious and festive way to get into the holiday spirit.
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If you are like me, you love baking during the holidays. I love it when the house is filled with the scent of peppermint or molasses from these peppermint Oreo cookies or these molasses crackle cookies. Plus, there is always something delicious to snack on.
Filling trays with sweets like reindeer chow, peppermint Oreo truffles, or cranberry Christmas cookies for neighbors and friends is so much fun and a great way to show people you are thinking of them.
M&M blonde brownies are one of my favorite treats to make when I need a quick and easy dessert. This time I turned them into a Christmas treat that was fun and colorful.
Why Make These Holiday Blondies
- Soft, chewy, and filled with Christmas colors and cheer.
- Great for a crowd, holiday parties, or a cookie exchange.
- One bowl recipe making clean up a snap.
- Fun, festive, and easy to make.
- No fancy equipment needed.
- Easy to change up the colors for any occasion.
- Bonus - Try this chocolate chip cookie version.
Key Ingredients
Other than the Christmas M&M's, all of the ingredients for these M&M blondies are easy to find and available all year round.
- Butter - softened unsalted butter is used for this recipe
- Brown Sugar - gives the blonde brownies a caramel like texture
- Eggs - adds moisture and richness.
- Baking Powder - Provides some lift to the bars.
- Vanilla Extract & Salt - Adds flavor and balances out the sweetness.
- Flour - This is the primary ingredient that gives the blondie some body.
- M&M's and Sprinkles - Holiday candies and bright colors add Christmas spirit to each bite.
- Chocolate Chips - Adds an extra chocolate hit to the bars. You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate chips.
How to Make Christmas Blondies
Follow these steps and this Christmas blondie recipe will be perfect every time. And trust me, once you make them, you will want to make them again and again.
- Mix the softened butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add the eggs and mix again.
- Add the dry ingredients and slowly mix it together until a soft dough forms.
- Gently stir in chocolate chips, M&M's, and sprinkles.
- Spread the batter in a prepared pan. Top with extra candies and sprinkles and bake until golden brown. Insert a toothpick in the middle to check for doneness. There should be a few moist crumbs on it.
Storage Recommendations
Storing - To maintain freshness, keep your cooled holiday blondies in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place for 3-4 days.
Freezing - Wrap the entire block or individual bar in plastic wrap and foil, then place in a freezer safe bag and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bring to room temperature before serving.
FYI - Freezing the bars may cause the holiday M&Ms to discolor when they thaw out.
Tips and Tricks
I have made blondies hundreds of times over the years and have tried and tested them in many different ways.
- Under bake the blondies for a softer texture. I recommend cooking them for 22-23 minutes. Bake them for 25 minutes if you are taking them to a party or event because they will set up a little better. Gooey blondies are best for eating at home.
- These blondies will look under baked when they come out. They will set up as they cool off. Do NOT bake any longer than 25 minutes, or they will be hard later after they cool.
- These blonde brownies are very versatile. Change up the mix in's with different color M&M's for whatever event or season you need.
- You can also use Reese's pieces, chopped cookies, nuts, dried fruit, or sprinkles as mix-ins. Or maybe all of the above! Wink, wink!
- Make sure to let the pan of blonde brownies cool before cutting into squares.
- Serve a blondie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge for a decadent dessert.
Recipe FAQs
The ingredients used are what make them different. Blondies have a brown sugar and vanilla base giving them a caramel flavor. Regular brownies have a cocoa powder and sugar base giving them the chocolate flavor.
The perfect blondie should be chewy and and a little bit gooey in the center, yet still firm around the edges. 25 minutes is the max you will want to cook them, or they will be hard after they cool.
Over mixing the batter will add too much air to the batter which causes blondies to deflate after baking. Under baking blondies is another reason blondies sink in the center. Try baking 1-2 minutes longer next time.
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Recipe
Christmas Blondies
Celebrate the holidays with a sweet holiday M&M blondie recipe. These chewy Christmas Blondies are a delicious and festive way to get into the holiday spirit.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup holiday M&M's + extra
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup holiday jimmies +extra
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spray a 9x13 glass baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. This will take 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the salt, baking powder, and flour and slowly mix it into the butter mixture. The mixture will be thick like cookie dough. Stir 1 cup M&M's, chocolate chips, and ¼ cup sprinkles gently into the batter.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the extra candies and sprinkles.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes. Let the cookie bars cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
- Underbake the blondies for a softer texture. I recommend baking them for 22-23 minutes in a glass pan. Bake them for 25 minutes if you are taking them to a party or event because they will set up a little better. Gooey blondies are best for eating at home.
- These bars will look under-baked when they come out. They will set up as they cool off. Do NOT bake any longer than 25 minutes, or they will be hard later after they cool.
- Blonde brownies are very versatile. Change up the mix-ins with different color M&Ms for whatever event or season you need.
- You can also use Reese's pieces, chopped cookies, nuts, dried fruit, or sprinkles as mix-ins.
- Make sure to let the pan of blonde brownies cool before cutting into squares.
- For a decadent dessert, serve a blondie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 202Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 2g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
Sam
How should I adjust bake time for a metal pan?
Jocelyn
I usually bake them for about 22 minutes in a metal pan. They will be gooey in the center, but they set up if you let them sit overnight.
Amanda
Followed the recipe, and they are like raw in the middle of the pan 😔
Jocelyn
How long did you bake them? Were they warm when you cut into them? They do continue to set up the longer they cool.
Katie
I followed this recipe exactly as written. Baked for 23 minutes. They just crumbled. Seems like way too much flour? I could tell by the batter this would happen but I figured I’d trust the process…. Big fail.
Jocelyn
I'm so sorry this happened. We honestly make these all the time and they are always super gooey and not crumbly when I bake them for 23 minutes. How did you measure your flour?
Shelley
Hi! Made these for Christmas Eve. Followed directions to a ‘T’ even removed them at 25 minutes and they were hard as a rock when they cooled so much so the edges crumbled when I cut them. They were best when I cut a small piece out of the corner to test them when they were warm. Received many compliments but don’t know that I’ll try them again.
Jocelyn
I am so sorry to hear these turned out hard for you. I would definitely bake them closer to the 22 minutes since your oven must bake hotter. We make blondies all the time, and they are never "hard as a rock" when I bake for the full 25 minutes. I had a few questions that could have affected the outcome. What type of pan did you use? (glass or metal) How do you measure flour? (scoop the cup in or spoon the fluffed flour) Have you ever used an oven thermometer to check the temperature? Some ovens run hotter and bake faster. I hope those help and you try them again.