15 Easy Bar Cookie Recipes for Christmas, Beginner-Friendly 2026

If you want a full holiday tray without spending December standing at the oven, these 15 easy bar cookie recipes for Christmas are the ones I keep on hand. Every one of them is a single pan, a single pour, and a single bake, which means a whole batch of cookies happens in one go instead of a dozen round trips to check on a baking sheet.

They are deliberately simple. Short ingredient lists, no piping bags, no candy thermometers, no complicated frosting. Bake them for the cookie exchange, pack them for the neighbours, or set two or three on the table and call it done. If you’re still building your holiday shortlist, our 12 easy Christmas cookie recipes covers the shaped-and-stamped side of the season, so these bars cover the rest.

15 Easy Bar Cookie Recipes for Christmas at a Glance

Times below are total working time, start to finish, and do not include the final cool before you cut. Difficulty is judged on technique, not on how many bowls you dirty.

Recipe	Time	Difficulty	Best for
1. Classic Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies	40 min	Easy	Absolute beginners, first-time bakers
2. Classic Peanut Butter Bar Cookies	38 min	Easy	Kids baking with you, big batches
3. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies	42 min	Easy	Texture variety on a platter
4. S’mores Bar Cookies	35 min	Easy	Campfire-flavoured holiday parties
5. Peppermint White Chocolate Bar Cookies	45 min	Easy	Candy cane flavour, snowy plates
6. Gingerbread Bar Cookies	44 min	Easy	Spice lovers, December baking days
7. Sugar Cookie Bar Cookies with Frosting	55 min	Easy	Decorating with children, celebration plates
8. Chocolate Peppermint Bar Cookies	42 min	Medium	Fudgy centres, grown-up gifting
9. Pecan Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies	43 min	Easy	Nuttier platters, festive tables
10. Toffee Almond Bar Cookies	48 min	Medium	Layered showpiece bars
11. Lemon White Chocolate Bar Cookies	44 min	Easy	Bright flavours, afternoon tea
12. Coconut Chocolate Bar Cookies	41 min	Easy	Crunchy tops, beachy winter looks
13. Cranberry White Chocolate Bar Cookies	43 min	Easy	Tart-sweet holiday colour
14. Classic Shortbread Bar Cookies	45 min	Medium	Cake tins, gifts that travel well
15. Salted Caramel Chocolate Bar Cookies	55 min	Medium	Showstopper dessert tables

Three of these are the ones I hand to a nervous baker: number 1 has eight ingredients and no decorating, number 7 forgives almost any amount of spreading, and number 14 is the most forgiving of all. Number 8 is the only one here I’d call medium for a first attempt, because a fudgy centre runs a fine line between underbaked and perfect.

1. Classic Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

This is the control recipe for the whole list: one bowl, eight ingredients, and a forgiving bake. The edges crisp and brown while the middle stays soft and slightly gooey, which is exactly what a bar cookie should be.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 24 min · Total: 40 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups (220 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt, for the top

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment, letting it overhang two sides.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes, until pale and slightly fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat 30 seconds more, until fully combined.
4. Fold in the flour and baking soda with a spatula until no dry streaks remain.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips, keeping a handful back to press over the top.
6. Press the dough into the pan in an even layer, then scatter the reserved chips and the flaky salt across the surface.
7. Bake 22 to 24 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centre still looks slightly underdone when you peek.
8. Cool in the pan for at least 2 hours, then lift out the parchment and cut into 9 squares.

Tip: Pull the slab out while the centre still looks a touch underdone. It firms up as it cools, and a bar baked an extra five minutes turns dry and cakey in the middle. Do not cut it hot, or the squares will smear and pull apart.

Swap it: Use dark chocolate chunks instead of semisweet chips, or swap in 1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts and 3/4 cup chips for a nuttier version.

Storage: Keep airtight at room temperature for 4 to 5 days. Freeze in a single layer for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes before eating. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

2. Classic Peanut Butter Bar Cookies

Two layers of peanut butter cookie sandwiched together, baked in the same pan. The edges crisp and the middle stays fudgy, so each square is genuinely a little sandwich rather than just a flat slab.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 12 min · Cook: 26 min · Total: 38 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

For the bottom layer:

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the filling and top:

• 1/2 cup (130 g) creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (65 g) unsalted butter, softened

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Mix the bottom layer ingredients and press the dough into the pan in an even layer.
3. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, until the top looks dry and the edges pull from the sides.
4. Cool 20 minutes on the pan, then spread the peanut butter filling evenly to the edges, leaving a small border.
5. Beat the butter and sugar for the top layer, add the egg, then spoon it over the filling in small dabs so it does not smear the peanut butter.
6. Spread the top layer to the edges and press it gently with the back of a spatula.
7. Bake 16 to 18 minutes more, until golden at the edges.
8. Cool fully in the pan, about 2 hours, before cutting into 9 rectangles.

Tip: Use a natural creamy peanut butter that pours and spreads rather than one that’s stiff and slightly crumbly. Thick nut butter leaves white streaks in the filling that never blend in.

Swap it: Sunflower seed butter works in the filling for a school-safe tray, and works in the top layer too. Sunflower butter or pumpkin butter also covers the almond-butter note nicely.

Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, and bring back to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Freeze for up to 2 months between layers of parchment. Contains peanuts, wheat, dairy and egg.

3. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

The chewy-crisp one on the table. Rolled oats soak up the brown sugar and set the bars slightly firmer than a classic chocolate chip, so they hold a clean cut edge and travel well to an exchange in a tin.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 12 min · Cook: 28 min · Total: 42 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (45 g) rolled oats
• 3/4 cup (95 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes, until light.
3. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then stir in the oats, flour, cinnamon and baking soda.
4. Fold through the chocolate chips.
5. Press the dough into the pan in a compact, even layer, about 1 inch thick.
6. Bake 24 to 28 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and the centre still has a slight give when pressed lightly.
7. Cool in the pan for 2 hours, then lift out and cut into 9 squares.

Tip: Give the oats 5 minutes of soaking in the wet mixture before the flour goes in. Old-fashioned rolled oats hold moisture and land soft, while quick oats dissolve and leave you with a plain cookie bar.

Swap it: Double the oats to 1 full cup and drop the flour to 1/2 cup for a more substantial, almost pie-bar texture. For gluten-free, use certified gluten-free rolled oats and a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, and check that your oats are labelled gluten-free.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for 5 days; they keep their texture a day longer than most cookie bars. Freeze up to 3 months. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

4. S’mores Bar Cookies

A chewy cookie base under a layer of chocolate and marshmallow, with graham crackers on top pressed into the surface. It tastes like a campfire in a pan, and the marshmallow top does the decorating for you.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 18 min · Total: 35 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

For the cookie base:

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

For the topping:

• 1 cup (170 g) semisweet or milk chocolate chips
• 10 large marshmallows, halved
• 8 whole graham crackers

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Beat the butter, both sugars, egg and vanilla until smooth, then fold in the flour and baking soda.
3. Press the dough into the pan and bake 15 to 17 minutes, until the edges are set and pale golden.
4. Scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the hot base.
5. Arrange the halved marshmallows cut side down in a tight grid, then lay the graham crackers over the top, breaking them to fit.
6. Return to the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, until the marshmallows puff and turn golden at the edges.
7. For darker, toasted tops, switch the oven to broil and watch for 1 to 2 minutes, staying close by.
8. Cool 45 minutes before cutting into 9 squares, then lift each square out with a spatula.

Tip: The graham crackers go on before the final bake so they toast and set into the surface, not after. If you add them on top once the marshmallows have puffed, they slide off the first slice.

Swap it: Use cinnamon graham crackers for a spiced version, or swap the chocolate for 1 cup butterscotch chips. Golden Oreos work in place of the graham crackers if you want a shortcut.

Storage: Best on the day it is baked. Covered at room temperature they stay soft for 2 days, though the graham cracker topping softens. Freeze in a single layer for up to 1 month. Contains wheat, dairy, egg and gelatin (use vegan marshmallows to make it vegetarian).

5. Peppermint White Chocolate Bar Cookies

A buttery, soft bar with white chocolate chunks and crushed peppermint candy pressed into the top. It tastes like a candy cane without the sharp aftertaste that comes from using too much extract.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 26 min · Total: 45 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup (135 g) white chocolate chunks
• 1/3 cup (50 g) crushed peppermint candy

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, until creamy.
3. Add the egg and peppermint extract and mix until completely combined.
4. Fold in the flour and baking soda, then the white chocolate chunks.
5. Press into the pan, scatter the crushed peppermint over the surface, and press it in very lightly so it does not sink.
6. Bake 24 to 26 minutes, until the edges are light golden and the centre still looks slightly pale.
7. Cool in the pan for 2 hours, then cut into 9 squares.

Tip: Measure the peppermint extract with a teaspoon and stop there. Half a teaspoon reads as peppermint; a full teaspoon turns medicinal, and no amount of sugar will hide it. Crushed peppermint candy is milder than extract, so use both together rather than doubling either.

Swap it: For a dairy-free version, use a solid coconut oil or vegan butter in place of the butter, and dairy-free white chocolate. Alternatively, drop the extract and add 1/2 cup more white chocolate plus 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows for a peppermint-chip bar.

Storage: Because white chocolate softens quickly, keep these in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container, and take them out about 20 minutes before serving. Freeze for up to 2 months. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

6. Gingerbread Bar Cookies

A one-bowl, one-spoon gingerbread that chews soft and keeps for days. Molasses gives the dark, deep flavour that plain brown sugar only half manages, and it is what makes these taste baked rather than merely spiced.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 12 min · Cook: 28 min · Total: 44 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100 g) dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 g) unsulphured molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup (85 g) white chocolate chunks, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes, then stir in the molasses, egg and vanilla until the mixture is glossy and even.
3. Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda and stir just until the last dry streak disappears.
4. Fold in the white chocolate chunks if using.
5. Press the dough into the pan; molasses makes it sticky, so wet your hands and press it flat with your fingertips.
6. Bake 24 to 28 minutes, until the top springs back and the edges are firm and dark.
7. Cool in the pan for 2 hours, dust lightly with powdered sugar, then cut into 9 squares.

Tip: Cloves are the spice people overdo. A quarter teaspoon is plenty once the cinnamon and ginger are in the bowl. Measure the spices with the spoon you would use for salt rather than a heaping teaspoon of baking spice.

Swap it: If you have no molasses, use 1/4 cup dark corn syrup plus an extra teaspoon of ginger, or use 3/4 cup dark brown sugar in place of the molasses and the sugar. For a sandwich version, cut two slabs and fill with vanilla ice cream right before serving.

Storage: Wrapped at room temperature for 5 days, and the texture improves on day two. Freeze for up to 3 months. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

7. Sugar Cookie Bar Cookies with Frosting

A soft, buttery sugar cookie base under a simple vanilla frosting you can spread with a spoon. This is the one to make with children, because the decorating is a paint job rather than a test of piping skill.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 20 min · Cook: 24 min · Total: 55 min including frosting · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

For the bars:

• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

• 4 tbsp (60 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp milk or cream
• Holiday sprinkles, for the top

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Beat the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until very pale and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and vanilla, then fold in the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Press the dough into the pan and bake 20 to 24 minutes, until pale golden at the edges and just set in the centre.
5. Cool completely in the pan, at least 90 minutes; frosting a warm bar melts and slides off.
6. Beat the frosting butter until smooth, then add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, beating 2 minutes until thick and spreadable.
7. Spread the frosting over the cooled slab with the back of a spoon, leaving a 1/4 inch bare border around the edge.
8. Add sprinkles, then let the frosting set for 15 minutes before cutting into 9 squares.

Tip: Pull the bars out while the centre still looks faintly underdone and pale. Sugar cookies go from soft to dry quickly, and a fully browned sugar cookie slab has nothing left to give. Cool completely before frosting, even if it costs you half an hour.

Swap it: For a glaze instead of frosting, warm 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 2 tbsp milk and a few drops of vanilla until pourable, then drizzle and let it set. Red and green food colouring in half the frosting makes a two-tone spread without a second batch.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days; the frosting needs the chill. Freeze unfrosted bars for up to 3 months and frost them the day you need them. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

8. Chocolate Peppermint Bar Cookies

The fudgiest of the fifteen, built on a brownie-style base with a dark chocolate cap and peppermint stirred through. It needs a close eye in the last few minutes, because the line between fudgy and dry is thin.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 25 min · Total: 42 min · Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp (142 g) unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (180 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup (135 g) white chocolate chunks
• 1/3 cup (50 g) crushed peppermint candy

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat, then whisk in the sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt while the butter is still warm.
3. Whisk in the egg, vanilla and peppermint extract.
4. Fold in the white chocolate chunks and about half the crushed peppermint.
5. Spread the batter into the pan and scatter the remaining peppermint over the top.
6. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until the top looks set and the edges have pulled slightly from the pan.
7. Cool in the pan for at least 3 hours, or overnight, then cut into 9 squares with a sharp knife.

Tip: The lower oven temperature is doing the work here. At 325°F (165°C) the centre sets as a fudgy crumb rather than drying out, and pulling the pan at 25 minutes is what separates fudgy from overbaked. A toothpick should come out with moist crumbs, never clean.

Swap it: For a darker, more adult bar, use unsweetened chocolate chopped in place of the white chocolate, and drop the candy topping to 1/4 cup. For a lighter, mintier version, use semisweet chunks and mint extract instead of peppermint.

Storage: Covered at room temperature for 4 days, and it slices cleanly from the pan only when cold. Freeze between layers of parchment for up to 3 months. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

9. Pecan Chocolate Chip Bar Cookies

Toasted pecans bring a real crunch against the crisp browned edges, and the semisweet chips stay a little soft in the middle. Toasting the nuts first takes two minutes and is the whole difference between good and very good.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 26 min · Total: 43 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (85 g) pecans, roughly chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Toast the pecans in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking often, until fragrant. Cool them before adding to the dough.
3. Beat the butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla.
4. Fold in the flour, baking soda and salt, then the chocolate chips and half the pecans.
5. Press into the pan and scatter the remaining pecans over the top.
6. Bake 23 to 26 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and the centre still looks slightly soft.
7. Cool 2 hours in the pan, then lift out and cut into 9 squares.

Tip: Cool the toasted pecans for a few minutes before stirring them in. Straight from the pan, the residual heat melts the chocolate chips into grey streaks, and the top of the bar loses its glossy look.

Swap it: For a nut-free tray, use 3/4 cup of sunflower seeds, or add 1/2 cup of extra chocolate chips plus sunflower seeds. Toasted sunflower seeds give you the same snap with a nut-free label for school and office plates.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for 5 days, though the pecans soften a little by day three. Freeze for up to 3 months. Contains pecans and other tree nuts, wheat, dairy and egg.

10. Toffee Almond Bar Cookies

A crumbly shortbread base, a glossy caramel layer, then dark chocolate and toasted almonds. It looks like the most involved recipe here, but each layer is one ingredient doing its own job with almost no technique involved.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 25 min · Cook: 20 min · Total: 48 min · Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup (85 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (75 g) sliced almonds
• 1 cup (170 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Rub the butter into the sugar, then mix in the flour and salt with a fork until the mixture holds together when squeezed.
3. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the pan, compacting with the base of a glass.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until pale golden, then cool 15 minutes in the pan.
5. Scatter the topping butter, brown sugar and almonds evenly over the base, leaving the edges clear.
6. Bake 12 to 15 minutes more, until the toffee bubbles and the top is deep golden. It will look loose while hot.
7. Cool 30 minutes, then melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over the top, letting it set for 15 minutes.
8. Cut into 9 squares with a sharp knife while the toffee is still slightly firm but not rock hard.

Tip: Let the toffee cool about 30 minutes before you cut. Slice it warm and the caramel layer pulls away from the base in long strings, leaving you with a half-squashed square. There is no real shortcut here; the cooling is what makes the grid neat.

Swap it: Spread 1/2 cup of soft caramel sauce over the baked base instead of the butter and brown sugar, then bake 8 minutes to set it. For a nut-free version, use extra chocolate chips in place of the almonds.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for 5 days; the toffee softens slightly in a warm room, so keep it somewhere cool. Freeze for up to 2 months. Contains almonds and other tree nuts, wheat, dairy and egg.

11. Lemon White Chocolate Bar Cookies

A bright, sunny bar that cuts through a heavy holiday spread. The lemon comes from both zest and juice, which sounds like a lot and is exactly right for this level of sweetness.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 26 min · Total: 44 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup (135 g) white chocolate chunks

Instructions

1. Zest both lemons before you cut them for the juice, or you will have nothing left to zest.
2. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
3. Beat the butter and sugar for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix until smooth.
5. Fold in the flour, baking soda and white chocolate chunks.
6. Press into the pan and bake 23 to 26 minutes, until the edges are light golden and the centre is set but still slightly pale.
7. Cool 2 hours, then cut into 9 squares.

Tip: Zest the lemons first, before anything else, and take only the bright yellow outer layer. The white pith underneath is bitter, and once it is in the bowl the bar will taste soapy no matter how much sugar you add.

Swap it: Replace the white chocolate with semisweet chocolate chips for a darker, more balanced version. Meyer lemons are sweeter and less sharp, so you can drop the juice to 1 tbsp. For a glaze, brush the cooled bars with lemon icing sugar mixed with a spoonful of water.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months, and refresh the flavour with a few drops of lemon juice on a thawed square if it tastes a little flat. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

12. Coconut Chocolate Bar Cookies

Coconut runs through the dough and back on top as a toasted layer, so each square has a soft middle and a crunchy cap. Lightly lining the pan matters more here than in any other recipe in this list, because coconut sheds oil.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 12 min · Cook: 26 min · Total: 41 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup (60 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup (130 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, for the top

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan and line it with parchment, leaving a gap at the sides so you can lift the bars out.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla.
3. Fold in the flour, baking soda, 3/4 cup coconut and the chocolate chips.
4. Press the dough into the pan and scatter the remaining coconut over the top.
5. Bake 23 to 26 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the top coconut is toasted.
6. Cool 2 hours in the pan, then cut into 9 squares while still in the pan so the edges stay clean.

Tip: Grease as well as line the pan for this one. Toasted coconut gives off oil as it bakes, and a dry parchment liner turns a clean lift-out into a set of broken corners.

Swap it: Sweetened coconut works if that is what you have; reduce the brown sugar by 2 tablespoons to compensate. For unsweetened bars with more texture, toast the 2 tbsp topping coconut in a dry pan for 2 minutes before scattering it over. Shreded coconut cannot be replaced with desiccated in a straight swap; they absorb differently, so halve the quantity.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for 4 days. Freeze in a single layer for up to 2 months, then refresh in a 325°F (165°C) oven for 5 minutes if you want the topping crunchy again. Contains coconut, wheat, dairy and egg.

13. Cranberry White Chocolate Bar Cookies

Tart dried cranberries against sweet white chocolate in a crisp buttery base. The colour alone makes it the most festive-looking bar on the table, and the sourness keeps it from being too sweet after a heavy meal.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 26 min · Total: 43 min · Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange zest, optional
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup (135 g) white chocolate chunks
• 3/4 cup (90 g) dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Chop the dried cranberries into small pieces so no single square gets a pocket of sourness.
3. Beat the butter and brown sugar for 2 minutes, then add the egg, vanilla and orange zest.
4. Fold in the flour and baking soda, then the white chocolate and cranberries.
5. Press into the pan and bake 23 to 26 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centre is set.
6. Cool 2 hours, then cut into 9 squares.

Tip: Use dried cranberries, not fresh or dried-out fresh. Fresh cranberries release water as they bake and make the base tacky, and they burst into sour spots. Chopping them finely spreads the tartness evenly so no one square dominates.

Swap it: For a stronger holiday flavour, add 1 tbsp orange juice with the zest, or swap half the cranberries for 1/2 cup dried cherries. Canned cranberry sauce, spread thin over the baked bars and topped with white chocolate, turns this into a frosted version without a second bowl.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for 5 days; the cranberries stay pleasantly chewy. Freeze for up to 3 months. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

14. Classic Shortbread Bar Cookies

Three ingredients if you count the salt, and the most forgiving bake in this collection. Shortbread only asks you not to overwork it, which is easier to do than anything else on the list.

Yield: 16 small fingers · Prep: 10 min · Cook: 30 min · Total: 45 min · Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 2 tbsp coarse or sanding sugar, for the top
• Confectioners sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Line an 8-inch square pan and, if you like, cut and press parchment squares to mark the fingers.
2. Beat the butter and sugar for 1 minute only, until just combined.
3. Add the flour and salt and mix with your fingers, or a spatula, until the dough holds together. Stop the moment it comes together.
4. Press the dough into the pan in an even layer about 1/2 inch thick, compacting it with the base of a glass so the slab bakes flat.
5. Brush the top with a little milk if you want a crisper surface, then scatter the sanding sugar.
6. Bake 28 to 30 minutes, until the edges are pale golden and the centre is barely coloured.
7. Let the slab cool completely in the pan, then cut into 16 fingers and dust with confectioners sugar.

Tip: Cold butter is right here, not room temperature. Shortbread gets its texture from staying cold and uncreamed, and the moment you soften the butter properly and beat air into it, you have made a different cookie. Bake it at 325°F (165°C) for the same reason: a lower temperature keeps the butter solid and the crumb short.

Swap it: For a chocolate version, add 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour and reduce the sugar by 2 tablespoons. If the dough cracks while pressing, work it together again for 20 seconds rather than adding more butter.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for up to 6 days, and it is the most freezer-friendly bar here: wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Contains wheat and dairy.

15. Salted Caramel Chocolate Bar Cookies

A soft chocolate cookie base, a glossy salted caramel layer, dark chocolate and flaky salt. It is the last recipe here and the one people ask about most, so it gets the full treatment.

Yield: 9 bars · Prep: 25 min · Cook: 30 min · Total: 55 min · Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients

For the base:

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the topping:

• 1/3 cup (80 g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (85 g) dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment.
2. Beat the base butter and both sugars for 2 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla.
3. Fold in the flour, baking soda and salt, press into the pan and bake 18 to 20 minutes, until the edges are set.
4. Scatter the topping butter and brown sugar evenly over the hot base, keeping a 1/4 inch border clear.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes more, until the caramel bubbles and darkens to amber. It thickens as it cools, so pull it while it still looks loose.
6. Cool 20 minutes, then scatter the dark chocolate chips over the warm caramel so they melt slightly.
7. Add the flaky salt and press the bars in the pan until fully cool, at least 2 hours.
8. Cut into 9 squares with a sharp knife, cleaning the blade between cuts.

Tip: Salt goes on after the caramel comes off the heat, not before. Flaky salt sprinkled on hot caramel dissolves into it, and you lose the granular contrast that makes the top worth eating. If you are short on time, 1/2 cup of soft caramel sauce spread over the base and baked 6 minutes sets the same layer.

Swap it: Use light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 tbsp of butter as a shortcut caramel. For a salted dark chocolate top, melt 4 oz dark chocolate with 1 tbsp of butter and spread it over the warm caramel instead of the chips.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature for 4 days. Freeze between layers of parchment for up to 2 months; the caramel softens on thawing but sets again after ten minutes at room temperature. Contains wheat, dairy and egg.

Tips for Making These

• Measure flour by spoon, not by scoop. Scooping flour packs in up to 20 percent extra, and every one of these recipes is built on an 8-inch pan with no room for a spread.
• Line the pan and let the parchment overhang. The overhang is how you lift the slab out whole instead of digging squares out with a knife and tearing the edges. Grease as well as line for the coconut bars.
• Soften the butter only when the recipe says to. Creamed recipes want room-temperature butter; the shortbread wants cool, firm butter that has not been beaten. Those are two different textures and they are not interchangeable.
• Stop mixing the moment the dry streaks go. A few lumps are fine. Once you see a smooth batter, gluten has had a full minute to develop and the bars turn tough.
• Pull the slab while the centre still looks underdone. The centre sets last, and a bar that looks pale in the middle is one that ends up soft in the middle. Bake two minutes past “set” and the whole pan turns dry.
• Let bars cool before you cut, and rotate the pan halfway. Cooling is what stops the squares smearing. A half-turn during the bake evens out a hot corner, which is usually why one edge of a home oven browns faster than the rest.

How to plan 15 easy bar cookie recipes for Christmas across three weekends

Most of these are better a day or two ahead, and the caramel and toffee ones genuinely need it. That makes a three-weekend plan realistic: start with the frosted and caramel bars in the first weekend so they can settle, do the baked chewy bars in the second, and save the shortbread and no-frosting bars for the week of the gathering, right before the season starts.

For more ideas on what to pair them with, our bakery-style homemade cookie recipes and our old-fashioned cookie collection both have sturdy classics that hold up on a platter next to these.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Christmas Bar Cookie Should You Make First?

Make the classic chocolate chip bar cookies first. They need eight ingredients, no decorating, and no frosting, and the dough forgives a slightly overmixed bowl and a pan you lined a little carelessly. If your first bar cookie comes out chewy-edged and slightly gooey in the middle, everything else in this list will make sense to you.

After that, work outward. The peanut butter bars teach you layering, the shortbread teaches you to stop mixing while it still feels like there is more to do, and the salted caramel bar is the one to attempt once you trust your oven. Fifteen easy bar cookie recipes for Christmas, one pan at a time, and a table that is full by the time everyone asks for seconds.