There’s something about a loaded Christmas cookie bar that just feels magical this time of year, and these Santa’s Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars are truly the ultimate holiday treat. They’re thick, chewy, buttery, and absolutely packed with all the good stuff — Christmas M&Ms, mini M&Ms, caramel bits, pretzels, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles. Every bite has a little surprise, and the combination of sweet, salty, crunchy, and gooey is wildly addictive. If you loved my Christmas Kitchen Sink Cookies, these bars are the faster, easier version you’ll want to make all December long.
What I love most is that everything comes together in one bowl and bakes in a single pan, which makes this recipe perfect for busy holiday schedules. No chilling dough, no scooping — just mix, press, bake, slice, and enjoy. They’re festive, they’re fun, and they stay soft for days, making them ideal for cookie exchanges, Christmas parties, or gifting. These bars truly taste like Christmas in cookie form, and Santa would absolutely approve 😉
RECIPE TIPS
Baking pan: I HIGHLY recommend using a metal baking pan for these bars. Metal conducts heat more evenly than glass, which helps the bars bake through without overbrowning on the edges. It also cools down faster — and the one I use comes with a lid, which makes transporting or storing these so easy!
Chocolate chips: I like to use milk chocolate chips in this recipe because they pair perfectly with the caramel bits and pretzels, but semi-sweet works great too. Honestly, use whatever chocolate you already have, this recipe is very mix-and-match friendly.
How to keep them soft and chewy: Just like my cookie recipes, these bars stay soft and chewy in the center. The cornstarch is key, so don’t skip it! Cornstarch helps create an ultra-tender, bakery-style cookie texture. The other secret is watching the bake time closely. I typically bake mine for about 28–34 minutes. The edges will be golden and set, but the middle will look slightly underdone — that’s exactly what you want! Let the bars cool completely in the pan. They’ll firm up as they cool and give you the perfect chewy center.
Caramel bits: Instead of melting caramel, this recipe uses Kraft caramel bits, which bake beautifully into soft, chewy caramel pockets. They save so much time and pair perfectly with the salty pretzels. If you prefer a richer caramel flavor, you can absolutely use chopped soft caramels instead, but the caramel bits make this recipe incredibly easy and still taste amazing!
Pretzels: Make sure you roughly chop the pretzels instead of crushing them into crumbs. Larger pieces hold their crunch better in the batter and give the bars that perfect salty bite to balance all the sweetness.
How to Make Them Pretty
As soon as the bars come out of the oven, gently press a few extra M&Ms, sprinkles, and pretzel pieces right on top. This gives them that bakery-style look and ensures the top stays colorful and festive instead of turning too golden in the oven. Press lightly — just enough for them to stick to the warm surface. This tiny step makes such a big difference in the final presentation and guarantees that every slice looks loaded, bright, and Christmas-ready.
These Santa’s Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars are the kind of holiday bake that people remember — they’re fun, loaded, festive, and so easy to make. Whether you’re bringing them to a party, packaging them up for neighbors, or slicing them for Christmas Eve, they always disappear fast. Once you make them, you’ll understand exactly why they’re becoming one of my favorite December recipes. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Santa’s Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups salted butter melted
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp corn starch
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup regular M&Ms
- ⅓ cup mini M&Ms
- ½ cup milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup caramel bits I used Kraft
- ½ cup roughly chopped mini pretzels
- 2 tbsp white chocolate chips
- 3 tbsp sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F and line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk together melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and glossy. Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla, then whisk until fully combined.
- Mix in flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt until just combined. Do not over mix. Add M&Ms, mini M&Ms, caramel bits, chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, pretzels, and sprinkles. Fold gently until combined.
- Spread dough evenly into the prepared pan. Press a few extra M&Ms and sprinkles on top. Bake for 28–34 minutes, until edges are golden and the center looks set.
- Right when they come out of the oven, gently press additional M&Ms, sprinkles, and pretzel pieces on top for a festive finish. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
I made these exactly according to the recipe. I watched them closely in the oven so I would not overtbake them. I took them out when the middle was just barely set. And yet they are terribly crumbly with a strange texture. And, despite all the goodies inside, they are tasteless. I crumbled some of them, mixed them with cream cheese, then dipped them in melted white chocolate, and that helped. But they are still not great. I’m not sure what else I can try to make them taste better. Any ideas?
These came out perfectly for me, as some of your cookie recipes have in the past. The texture and thickness is absolutely stunning!