Easy Gluten Free Christmas Cookie Bars
Cookie bars a delicious treat you can enjoy year-round, but Christmas cookie bars a fun way to celebrate the holidays. These delicious gluten free Christmas cookie bars, or gluten free blondies, have all the flavors of a ooey, gooey chocolate chip cookie with the texture of a chewy brownie. What could be better than that? That’s why you have to make these as your next gluten free Christmas cookies!
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I struggled with gluten free baking for a long time after I made the switch to going without gluten. But now that I’ve found my rhythm, I love experimenting in the kitchen with gluten free recipes. I still haven’t found the perfect gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe, but these gluten free cookie bars are a delicious alternative.
The combination of melted chocolate chips and chewy cookie dough makes these Christmas cookie bars a wonderful alternative to gluten free Christmas cookies this holiday season.
How to Make Gluten Free Cookie Bars
The first step to making these yummy gluten free cookie bars is to mix the melted butter and sugar together. And the good news is, you don’t need any special equipment to make these Christmas cookie bars. Just grab your whisk and mix up the sugar and butter!
Toss in a couple of eggs and some vanilla extract (don’t forget to make sure yours is gluten free before adding it in!). Whisk the ingredients together until they’re well blended.
Then, add your dry ingredients — gluten free flour, baking soda, and salt. Swap your whisk for a spoon or spatula for this step. It will make the batter easier to stir. Mix the ingredients until they’re just combined, being careful not to overmix your dough.
Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. This recipe uses a ton of chocolate chips to ensure that every bite you take of these gluten free cookie bars is packed with chocolate!
Turn Them Into Christmas Cookie Bars
Now you could simply spread the batter into the pan and bake these gluten free cookie bars as-is. But that wouldn’t be very much fun! Let’s add a little Christmas cheer to these gluten free blondies and turn them into Christmas cookie bars. Decorate the top of the cookie bars with red and green chocolate candies (I used plain M&Ms). Then, bake your cookie bars until they’re nice and golden brown.
The beauty of these Christmas cookie bars is that they can be used for any holiday! If you’re making them in the fall, add some Reese’s Pieces to the top to add fall colors to the gluten free cookie bars. And in the Spring, use pastel M&Ms for a delicious Easter treat!
Questions About Gluten Free Cookie Bars
While these cookie bars are easy to make, sometimes questions pop up. Here are the answers to some common questions about making these Christmas cookie bars:
What kind of gluten free flour should I use?
This is always biggest question I get about gluten free baking. The type of flour you choose is essential! When baking, I always use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. Without question, it is the best gluten free flour for baking!
How long should I bake these gluten free cookie bars?
I always include an estimated baking time in my recipes because oven temperatures vary greatly. Gluten free baked goods typically take a little bit longer than traditional recipes, so the bake time is increased on this recipe to accommodate that. You’ll have a little bit of leeway on the bake time of these Christmas cookie bars depending on how your like your cookies baked.
If you prefer a less-done, gooey cookie bar, check your cookies at around 30 minutes. The edges and top will be a nice golden brown, but the center of the gluten free cookie bars may still be a little soft.
For a cookie bar with a little bit of crunch, let them bake the full 40 minutes. These done cookie bars will be brown and crisp around the edges and firm in the center.
Why do I have to let them cool so long in the pan?
The key to keeping your cookie bars from falling apart when you cut them is the extended cooling time. Since your cookie bars will be cooling in the warm pan, they’ll continue baking through even after you remove them from the oven. This will allow the cookie dough to set and make it sturdier when you do remove the cookie bars from the pan. This will ensure that even those less-done cookie bars stay intact as you cut through the cookies.
Gluten Free Christmas Cookie Bars
The ooey, gooey gluten free Christmas cookie bars are the perfect holiday treat! They're filled with chocolate chips and topped with festive red and green candies, making them a great gluten free Christmas dessert for any holiday party.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten free baking flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup red and green chocolate candies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking dish by lining with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and brown sugar. Beat until smooth.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
- Add the gluten free baking flour, salt, and baking soda. Stir until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Top the batter with red and green chocolate candies.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for at least two hours, then remove from pan by pulling the edges of the parchment paper out of the pan. Cut into squares before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 455Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 227mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 2gSugar: 45gProtein: 5g
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Emily is a midwestern mom of two boys. She loves all things DIY — from home renovations to kids birthday party planning. Whether she’s making a new farmhouse craft for her home or helping her kids with a cool activity, you can bet she’s in the middle of some kind of DIY project (or three) right now!
Oh my lanta, these sound amazing and look equally as yummy!
These look SO good, and it’s getting me in the mood for planning my holiday baking. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I love having gluten free options available so I am adding this to my list. Happy holidays!
OH yes! These look incredible 🙂 Love the festive candies!!
I pinned this recipe for future use. If I know of anyone coming over that needs a gluten-free dessert I am set.
Your cookie bars are so festive for Christmas, and I love the idea of adding the different colored candies for different holidays. So simple, yet so creative!!! I will definitely be using that idea in the coming months! Thank you!
These sound delicious! I love that you added the festive touch of the Christmas colors! yum!
I love your questions area at the end. Those are a lot of the questions I usually have that I don’t remember and then have to go search for else where.
Holy moly are these good!!!! I finally nailed gluten free chocolate chip cookies with your recipe!! Even my husband, Mr. Gluten, LOVES them. Thanks for the recipe. I used King Arthur gluten free flour, by the way.
So glad your family liked them!!
What if I can’t fine Bob’s mill gluten free flour and dose the Vanilla also need to be gluten free
I have also found that King Arthur gluten free flour is a good option. You can use any gluten free flour in this recipe, but the results will vary depending on which brand you use. Some brands (like Pillsbury) are much grainer than I like. I’ve found that most vanilla extracts are gluten free, but it’s always a good idea to check the label before adding it to make sure it’s made in a facility that doesn’t also process wheat-containing ingredients.
Should they be kept in the fridge if not serving right away?
You can store them at room temperature. Make sure they’re completely cool then cover them with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.