Christmas Bar Recipes

Cool them completely, then chill the pan for at least an hour, and overnight for cheesecake and curd bars. Line the pan with a parchment sling so you can lift the whole slab out and cut it on a board. Use a long, sharp knife, dip it in hot water, wipe it dry and wipe it again between cuts. Press straight down instead of sawing, and trim the edges first if you want every square to match.

Metal is the default for bars. It heats fast and evenly, so the edges and the center finish together. Glass holds heat longer and can overbake the edges before the middle sets, so if glass is all you have, lower the oven by 25 degrees F and start checking early. To change size, compare area: a 9x13 pan holds about twice what an 8x8 does, so double or halve the recipe. Thicker bars need more time and thinner ones less, so watch the bars, not the timer.

Start with the edges. Cookie bars and blondies are done when the edges are golden and pulling away from the pan and a toothpick in the center comes out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. Cheesecake and curd bars are done when the edges are set and the center still has a slight jiggle. Bars keep cooking in the hot pan and firm up as they cool, so pulling them a minute early beats a minute late.

Most bars freeze for two to three months. Freeze the slab whole, or cut it and layer the squares between sheets of parchment in an airtight container, then thaw in the fridge. Cookie bars, blondies, pecan bars, crumb bars and cheesecake bars all freeze well; add frosting, drizzle and sprinkles after thawing so they look fresh. Skip the freezer for curd bars and anything with meringue on top, which weep as they thaw, and bake those a day or two before you serve them.

A crumbly crust usually means it was not pressed firmly enough or was cut while still warm. Press the dough into an even layer with the bottom of a measuring cup, prebake it if the recipe says to, and let the bars cool fully before cutting. A parchment sling with the paper hanging over two sides stops anything from sticking and lets you lift the slab out in one piece.

Put the color on top. Our Naturally-Colored Sanding Sugars come in red and green and get their color from plants, not synthetic dyes. Scatter them over frosting or a glaze while it is still soft, and the fine crystals add a little sparkle and crunch to every square. Cranberries, raspberries and pistachios bring red and green too, which is why so many bars on this page lean on them.