Soft, chewy blondies loaded with dried cranberries, crunchy walnuts, and a blast of colorful M&M’s. It’s the kind of easy holiday bar that disappears before you even pour coffee.
Why You’ll Love These Blondies
You get the buttery chew of a classic blondie with pops of tart cranberry and melty chocolate candy. They’re festive without trying too hard and perfect for bake sales, parties, or cookie trays. If you like these, you’ll love our Malted Milk Cookie Tart.
Ingredients
Blondie Base
- Butter, softened
- Granulated sugar
- Brown sugar (packed)
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Eggs
- Vanilla
Mix-ins
- Flour
- Dried cranberries
- M&M candies (any variety—classic, mini, dark, cherry cordial)
- Walnuts, chopped
Equipment
- 9×9-inch baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking spray
- Stand mixer (or hand mixer)
- Rubber spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep the pan.
Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with foil, letting it hang over the edges. Coat the foil with cooking spray. - Start the blondie base.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter on medium for 30 seconds. Add both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. - Add the eggs + vanilla.
Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla. - Add the flour.
Beat in the flour on low until just combined. - Fold in the goodies.
Stir in the dried cranberries, M&M’s, and walnuts. - Bake.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake 25–30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. - Cool + cut.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Lift the blondies from the pan using the foil, cut into squares, and serve.
If the edges brown too fast, your oven runs hot—tent loosely with foil during the last 10 minutes.
Tips for Success
- Don’t overmix after adding flour or the blondies get tough.
- Let them cool fully before cutting—warm blondies will crumble.
- Press a few extra M&M’s on top before baking for a picture-perfect finish.
- Swap walnuts for pecans, pistachios, or leave them out for nut-free bars.
- Use mini M&M’s for the most even chocolate distribution.
Substitutions & Variations
- Holiday twist: Use red-and-green M&M’s for December trays.
- Cranberry swap: Dried cherries or chopped dried apricots work well.
- Nut-free: Simply omit the walnuts.
- Extra chocolate: Add ½ cup white chocolate chips.
Serving Suggestions
Pair these with:
- A holiday cookie platter
- Peppermint hot chocolate
- Vanilla ice cream (warm + cold contrast is excellent)
Storage & Make Ahead
- Room temp: Store airtight up to 3 days.
- Fridge: Up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Wrap tightly and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- For more easy bar-style desserts, try our Toll House Pie
Bake a pan, cut generous squares, and watch them vanish.
Cranberry M&M Blondies
Soft, chewy blondies loaded with dried cranberries, walnuts, and colorful M&M candies—perfect for easy holiday baking.
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Dessert
AmericanServes: 16 servings
Equipment
- 9×9-inch baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Cooking spray
- Stand mixer (or hand mixer)
- Rubber spatula
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter - softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp teas salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 5 oz M&M candies - mini, dark, whatever you feel like (they even have cherry cordial ones that would be awesome in these).
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 square baking dish with foil, extending foil over the edges. Coat foil with cooking spray; set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Mix in sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
- Add eggs one at a time.
- Mix in vanilla until incorporated. Gradually beat in flour on low speed until just combined.
- Mix in the cranberries and M&M's.
- Spoon the batter into prepared pans, using a spatula to smooth out.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
- Cool completely on wire rack.
- Using edges of foil, lift blondies out of the pan. Cut into bars and serve.
Notes
- Soften the butter—not melted—for blondies that stay chewy, not cakey.
- Press a few M&M’s on top of the batter before baking for better color and texture.
- Let the bars cool completely before cutting so the centers stay fudgy.
- Swap walnuts for pecans or skip the nuts entirely.
- Use mini M&M’s for the most even chocolate in every bite.
- Add ¼ teaspoon cinnamon for a warm holiday twist.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 228IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional informations provided as a courtesy and is only an approximatation. Values will changes based on ingredients used.
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FAQs
Can I make these without a mixer?
Yes. Melt the butter slightly and mix by hand.
Can I double the recipe?
Yes—use a 9×13 pan and bake 5–10 minutes longer.
Can I skip the nuts?
Absolutely. It won’t affect texture.
Why did my blondies turn cakey?
Too much mixing or too much flour. Spoon and level your flour for accuracy.
What a fun recipe 🙂
You just made my morning brighter…how could I resist. I love Etsy too…addictive!
These sound awesome! I love M&M anything!
Oh I love Etsy, so many great ideas in there!
I have always been a fan of the blondie…they are so delicious and you can mix them up all you like!
M&M’s just make you smile, don’t they? They make such playful brownies. And they fit very well with Garfield! I think our bedroom looks totally like a hotel room. Isn’t that horrible? I don’t even know how to begin changing it because we have a balcony and so huge sliding glass doors. The previous owners left very expensive drapes hanging that also keep the room nice and dark at night. They’re not going anywhere any time soon, but they’re…well, hotel-type drapes. It’s hard to make the rest of the room look not-hotelly when the main-focus wall does.
I need a blondie.
Love that you used the comic pages for the background. If I still got the Sunday paper I would have to steal that idea from you. As for decorating, I wish I could do something like those decals, but I have weird walls in my apt that are textured so I don’t think they would stick very well. And I plan to be moving far away from Memphis in a year. Even though I’ve lived in my apt for 3 years now I have yet to hang curtains. I do have some art and pictures on the walls though!
Blondies are one of the favorite things my grandmother used to make! I like this M&M idea!
I love decals! For a while I was trying to convince the boyfriend we should get one of those full wall photographs of a hawaiian sunset. He thought I was crazy. Our wall is still boring and white.
And hooray for blondies. I think they’re so much better than brownies! These look tasty and fun.
oh my, those look incredible! i love the addition of cranberry! yum!
YUM!!! What a combination! These sound crazy delicious. 🙂
Hi! I just love how you paired these fabulous looking blondies with the comics! The color combination is too cute. Thank you for sharing this with me! I know what I need to have after dinner tonight!
Ah, new curtains, Ikea furniture… sounds like my neck of the woods! Congratulations on your new decor. Blondies make a place homey, too!
Projects take for-ev-er! We have a list and it’s always growing. Sigh. BTW I love blondes but I don’t think I’ve added cranberries to any yet.