Christmas Chocolate Bars with Sprinkles – Cookie Cutter Magic
Let Me Tell You About My Christmas Chocolate Bar Mishap (and Triumph!)
I swear, these Christmas Chocolate Bars with Sprinkles have seen me through more than one holiday panic. There was that one year when my brother-in-law appeared unannounced; I had basically run out of every single cookie in the house—except for a lone tin of these bars. (He honestly thought I bought them from a fancy shop, cheeky sod.) For me, making these isn’t just about sweet treats; it’s a shortcut to feeling festive when the oven timer and my sanity are running neck-and-neck. Plus, there’s just something hilarious about seeing everyone fight over who gets the tree-shaped one (and yes, that end piece never looks quite perfect, but who cares?). Actually, if you want a break, sneaking off to make these can be a life-saver; just say you have to melt the chocolate and you’ll buy yourself a few minutes of peace.
Why I Keep Coming Back to This Recipe
I make these bars whenever the Christmas to-do list gets a bit wild and I can’t face another batch of complicated baking (whoever invented cut-out snowflake cookies with royal icing must secretly be a Grinch, just saying). My family goes crazy for these partly because you can shape them like Christmas trees, stars, snowmen—anything really. Also, no one complains as long as there are enough sprinkles and, let’s be honest, sprinkles could jazz up a sandwich. If you’re like me and have occasionally burned a batch of biscuits, you’ll love that these bars basically can’t burn.
What You’ll Need (But Go Ahead and Wing It)
- 400g good quality milk chocolate (or just whatever chocolate bars you have lurking in the cupboard—I’ve melted anything from supermarket brand to the odd fancy bar left form a gift)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter (I tried margarine once, turned out fine. So if butter is nowhere to be found… use what you’ve got)
- 1/4 cup crushed biscuits (digestive, graham crackers or even those random vanilla wafers—my gran used to swear by McVitie’s though, bless her)
- 2 tbsp mini marshmallows (optional but my kids insist—it’s chaos otherwise)
- Pinch of salt (sounds weird, but it really makes the chocolate pop, trust me)
- All the festive sprinkles you have! (Go wild. I even used some gold stars I found in the back of the pantry. Still don’t know how old they were. We survived.)
How I Actually Make These (Sometimes With a Little Chaos)
- First, line a baking tray with parchment or foil. Doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect; just crumple it into the corners, no one cares. Pop on your favorite playlist. Or in my case, turn on the telly and hope the dog doesn’t eat a marshmallow.
- Break up the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Top with the butter. Either melt over a pan of gently simmering water or, if I’m in a hurry, just microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring in between. (Actually, stirring is the key—the less patient I am, the lumpier it gets. But if you like pockets of unmelted chocolate, live your bliss!)
- Once it’s lovely and glossy, stir in the crushed biscuits, marshmallows, and the salt. This is where I usually sneak a taste, ignoring all the warnings about raw ingredients—so sue me.
- Spread the mixture onto the tray in a roughly 1cm thick layer. Doesn’t have to be a perfect rectangle. Honest, mine always look a bit wobbly.
- This is the fun part: go wild with the sprinkles on top. Press them in a little, so they stick. Sometimes my daughter makes a sort of sprinkle bombing run, so be warned—it gets messy.
- Bung the lot into the fridge for at least an hour. The hard part, truly, is waiting. I usually forget it’s in there and then remember when someone asks where the chocolate smell went.
- Once set, lift out and use your favourite cookie cutters to stamp out shapes. If you don’t have cutters, just chop it up with a knife. On second thought, I sometimes just break it apart with my hands. Pure rustic (read: lazy) style.
Things I Learned the Hard Way
- If your chocolate seizes and looks all grainy, don’t panic. Add a splash of milk and stir like you mean it—almost always comes back silky (not always, but hey, it’s chocolate so still edible!)
- Let the bars sit out for a minute before stamping with cutters or they’ll just crack into weird unidentifiable blobs. Unless you like abstract art.
Wild Variations (Some Worked, Some… Didn’t)
- Once I tried white chocolate with freeze-dried raspberries—honestly, a bit too sweet for me, but the colour was brilliant.
- Peanut butter swirled in before setting? Surprisingly great (unless you’ve got nut allergies, don’t risk it).
- Tried melting leftover Easter bunnies one year. Not sure what was in them, but the bars tasted kinda funny. Would not repeat.
My Go-To Gear (But Improvise if Needed!)
- Heatproof bowl—though one year I just used a Pyrex jug, worked fine
- Baking tray—and if you don’t have one, a dinner plate lined with foil does the job (learned this at a friend’s place, in an emergency)
- Cookie cutters (you can cut shapes with a knife or even the edge of a drinking glass if you’re feeling resourceful)
How Long Do These Bars Keep (At Least in Theory)?
So, they’ll keep 3-5 days in an airtight tin in the fridge, but honestly, in my house it never lasts a full day. If you do hide a piece for yourself, I recommend the back of the veggie crisper—no one looks there (don’t quote me).
Serving Them Up… Or Just Eating Over the Sink
I like to pile them up on a platter right in the middle of the table. My aunt insists on putting each piece in a mini paper cup, which looks adorable but feels a bit extra to me. Sometimes we box up a few in cute bags to give the neighbours (or sneak into lunchboxes, shh). Oh, and they’re amazing dunked in coffee—give it a whirl.
Lessons From Past Fails (Trust Me, Don’t Rush These)
- I once tried cutting them before they’d fully set—total carnage. Let them chill, it’s worth it!
- Don’t go overboard on the biscuit bits unless you want a crumbly mess that refuses to stick together. Learned that the hard (crunchy) way.
Your Christmas Chocolate Bar Curiosities Answered
- Can I use dark chocolate instead? Oh, for sure! The grown-ups in my family prefer it that way. Kids sometimes complain it’s “too strong,” but honestly, what do they know?
- What’s the trick if I don’t have marshmallows? Leave them out, or toss in chopped fudge, cranberries, whatever’s to hand. I promise, it still works.
- Can I freeze these? Yeah, you can—just pop slices between sheets of parchment and bag them up tight. They get a little softer after thawing, but taste is still fab.
- Help, my chocolate won’t set! If your kitchen is as tropical as mine gets with the oven running, pop the tray in the freezer for half an hour. Usually does the trick.
- Where do you get cool sprinkles? Honestly, I just stock up at Bakeworld or check out Sprinkle Pop’s Christmas range. If you want bargain stuff, check out BBC Good Food’s review of baking decorations—that’s how I found the gold stars!
Well, I could go on all day about these bars—honestly, did you know my dog once tried to run off with three in his mouth? Anyway. Christmas just wouldn’t be the same without a little chocolate (and chaos). Let me know how your batch turns out (or just send photos if it’s too much to share in person… I get it!).
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 oz (340g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
- 1/3 cup festive holiday sprinkles
Instructions
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1Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal.
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2In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract.
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3Add flour and salt, mixing until a soft dough forms. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan.
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4Bake for 18–20 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool completely in the pan.
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5In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and heavy cream in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Pour melted chocolate over cooled shortbread base and spread evenly.
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6Before the chocolate sets, press cookie cutters lightly into the chocolate surface and sprinkle generously with holiday sprinkles. Chill until set, then use the outlines to cut festive shapes into bars.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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