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These Christmas blondies are chewy brown butter bars loaded with red and green M&M’s and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and they’re the first thing I want in a cookie exchange box!! Think of them as a Christmas M&M cookie bar with a shiny, crackly top and a rich, fudgy center. Everything bakes in one 8×8 pan, so you get 16 festive squares with no scooping.
I first shared these holiday blondies in 2022, and a few of you told me the centers stayed raw or oozed out of the pan. Fair enough! So I reworked the whole recipe with browned butter, a 3-minute whip, a little baking soda, and a longer bake, plus clear signs for when to pull them from the oven. If you see older comments about gooey centers, those are about the original 2022 recipe, not this one. Want the everyday version? My chocolate chip M&M blondies work all year.
Quick Look: Christmas Blondies with M&M’s
- 🍪 What it is: A chewy brown butter blondie packed with Christmas M&M’s and chocolate chips.
- ⭐ Why it works: Browned butter cooks off extra water, so the center bakes through.
- 💛 Why you’ll love it: Crackly top, fudgy center, and toffee flavor in every square.
- ⚠️ What to watch for: Slicing early makes them look raw, so cool them at least 1.5 hours.
- 🍳 Pan notes: Use an 8×8-inch pan lined with parchment, with overhang for lifting.
- ❄️ Make ahead: Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Why This Recipe Works
This Christmas blondies recipe takes a few more small steps than my first version, and each one helps the middle bake through. If you already love brown butter bakes, these sit right next to my fudgy brown butter brownies and chocolate chip brown butter blondies.
- Browned butter removes some of the water and adds toffee and butterscotch flavor
- Whipping the warm butter, sugar, and eggs for 3 full minutes builds the shiny, crinkly top
- A little baking soda gives the bars gentle lift, so the middle bakes evenly
- All brown sugar and no white sugar keeps them chewy and fudgy
- A longer bake and a full cool let the center set, so the squares slice cleanly
Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Christmas Blondies with M&M’s
- Why This Recipe Works
- Key Ingredients
- Substitutions and Additions
- How to Make Christmas Blondies
- Expert Tips
- How to Tell When Christmas Blondies Are Done
- Christmas Blondies for Cookie Boxes
- Christmas Blondies FAQs
- More Christmas Bars and Cookies
- Christmas Blondies with M&M’s Recipe
Key Ingredients
- Butter: It gets browned first, so this is not the recipe to skip that step. Salted or unsalted both work.
- Light brown sugar: This recipe uses no white sugar, which is what keeps these bars so fudgy. Pack it into the cup.
- Egg and egg yolk: You need 1 whole egg plus 1 extra yolk for that rich, chewy texture.
- Baking soda: Just 1/4 teaspoon. It’s new to this recipe and it matters!
- Christmas M&M’s: Regular or mini both work. Save a few extra to press on top.
- Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet balances all that brown sugar.
Full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Additions
- Other holidays: Swap the colors! My Valentine’s Day M&M’s blondies and patriotic M&M’s blondies use the same idea.
- Peanut M&M’s: Use them in place of the regular M&M’s for more crunch.
- Different chips: Try peanut butter chips, or use white chocolate chips like my white chocolate blonde brownies.
- Nuts: Mix in chopped nuts for an extra fun texture.
How to Make Christmas Blondies
- Brown the butter and whip. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment, leaving overhang on the sides. Brown the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden specks appear and it smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and cool for 5 to 8 minutes, until warm but not hot. Add the brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, then beat on medium-high speed for 3 full minutes, until pale, thick, and glossy.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix-ins. Fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt with a rubber spatula just until the flour streaks disappear. Don’t overmix. Add the 1/2 cup M&M’s and 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
- Fold it together. Gently fold until the M&M’s and chocolate chips are evenly mixed through the thick dough.
- Spread in the pan. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan and press a few extra M&M’s into the top.
- Bake. Bake for 23 to 26 minutes, until the edges are set and golden brown, the top is shiny and crackled, and a toothpick an inch from the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool and slice. Cool completely in the pan for at least 1.5 to 2 hours, then lift out with the parchment and slice into 16 squares.
Expert Tips
- Trust the visual cues. Ovens vary, so go by the edges, the top, and the toothpick instead of the clock.
- Cool the butter first. It should feel warm, not hot, before the eggs go in.
- Be patient with cooling. Warm blondies look underbaked even when they’re done. In a hurry? Finish them briefly in the fridge.
- Warm one up. A few seconds in the microwave makes a square ooey gooey again.
How to Tell When Christmas Blondies Are Done
Most of your questions on this recipe came down to doneness, so here’s exactly what to look for:
- Edges: Set, golden brown, and pulling slightly from the pan.
- Top: Shiny and crackled.
- Toothpick: Inserted 1 inch from the center, it comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter.
The center will still look a little soft when you pull them, and that’s okay. They finish setting as they cool!
Christmas Blondies for Cookie Boxes
These Christmas blondie bars look so cute in a cookie exchange box, and squares are easy to stack and share at holiday parties. Pair them with my Christmas M&M’s chocolate chip cookies, Christmas sugar cookie bars, and Christmas magic cookie bars for a full tray.
Want some variety on the plate? Add this marbled Christmas sugar cookie recipe and my chewy molasses cookies. You’ll find even more ideas in my 22 days of Christmas cookies list.
Christmas Blondies FAQs
Christmas blondies usually look raw for one of two reasons: they came out too early, or they were sliced while warm. Bake until the edges are golden and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs, then cool them for at least 1.5 hours.
Christmas blondies take 23 to 26 minutes at 350°F in an 8×8-inch pan. Ovens vary, so check for set golden edges and a shiny, crackled top.
Yes, I recommend it for these Christmas blondies. Browning cooks off some of the butter’s water, which helps the center bake through, and it adds a rich toffee flavor.
Christmas blondies, also called Christmas blonde brownies, get their flavor from brown sugar and butter instead of cocoa. These are studded with red and green M&M’s and chocolate chips.
Store Christmas blondies in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or 1 week in the fridge. Freeze them for up to 2 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours.
More Christmas Bars and Cookies
If you tried these Christmas Blondies or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments! I love hearing from you!
Christmas Blondies with M&M’s
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter browned and cooled until warm
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Christmas M&M’s regular or mini, plus extra for pressing on top
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Swirl occasionally as it foams until golden brown specks appear at the bottom and it smells nutty, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour into a mixing bowl and cool for 5 to 8 minutes, until warm to the touch but not hot.1/2 cup butter
- Add the brown sugar to the warm browned butter and mix to combine. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed with a mixer or whisk for 3 full minutes, until pale, thick, and glossy.1 cup light brown sugar, 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, and salt with a rubber spatula just until the flour streaks disappear. Do not overmix.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
- Fold in the M&M’s and chocolate chips. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan and press a few extra M&M’s into the top.1/2 cup Christmas M&M’s, 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Bake at 350°F for 23 to 26 minutes, until the edges are set and golden brown, the top is shiny and crackled, and a toothpick inserted an inch from the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- Cool completely in the pan for at least 1.5 to 2 hours, then lift out with the parchment and slice into 16 squares.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yummy but definitely were so gooey you couldn’t even pick up a piece even after a couple hours and some might think raw. (I’d like to hope a single egg would be cooked by then lol) Turned out better after a while in the fridge!
These are very gooey!
Update, November 2026: Thank you for this, Kristen! I reworked the recipe so the bars set up properly now, with browned butter, a longer bake, and a full cool in the pan.
The flavor of these was really great, but unfortunately they would not cook right. I baked them for the original time said and they were raw in the middle. I kept cooking them for more and more time until I reached a total of around 35 minutes, and they were still raw in the middle. I even tried another batch and had the same result. It wasn’t my oven because I made cookies that turned out fine the same day.
Nicki, I’m so sorry these didn’t work for you, and thank you for telling me! I reworked this recipe in November 2026 with browned butter, baking soda, a longer bake, and clear doneness cues, so the center bakes through now. If you give them another try, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
I made these a cooked them for 17 min as directed, then noticed they didn’t look fully cooked so I kept them in for an extra 2 min. They still didn’t look great, but I pulled them out and half an hour later they oozed out of the pan. I’m not sure what went wrong, but I wish the recipe would indicate how to know it’s ready to pull out of the oven, since different ovens work differently and 17 minutes might not be the same across the board.
Thank you so much for trying the recipe and for your feedback! You’re absolutely right that oven times can vary quite a bit, so visual cues are super important with blondies. A good sign they’re ready is when the edges look set and lightly golden, while the center still looks a little soft (they’ll finish setting as they cool). You can also do the toothpick test: it should come out with a few moist crumbs, but not raw batter. Hope this helps for next time 🙂
Update, November 2026: Jamie, you were right, this recipe needed better doneness cues! I reworked it and added them to the post, along with a longer bake time. Thanks so much for your feedback!