These simple shortbread bars are packed with holiday flavor thanks to candy canes. Candy Cane Crumble Bars make a fabulous addition to your holiday cookie platters!
I love a good dessert bar on a cookie platter and these candy cane crumble bars are a fabulous alternative to Christmas cookies.
They're essentially shortbread cookie bars with a candy cane crumble white chocolate topping. Shortbread is the perfect blank canvas for the peppermint to truly shine.
And I'm sure Santa wouldn't mind a candy cane crumble bar or two on his Christmas Eve cookie plate. They'd also be a hit at the holiday cookie exchange!
🎄 How to make candy cane crumble bars
These candy cane bars are pretty simple to make and consist of two parts- a shortbread crust and a white chocolate topping.
The shortbread crust dough will be nice and crumbly and you'll want to set about ¾ cup of it aside to add to the candy cane topping. Press the rest of it into the bottom of a greased 9x9 pan.
The topping is simply condensed milk and white chocolate chips all melted together! After the shortbread crust bakes for a bit, you'll pour the white chocolate mixture over the top.
And then sprinkle the crushed candy canes mixed with the rest of the shortbread crumbles over the top. And pop back into the oven to bake some more.
I highly recommend buying candy canes already crushed if you want to avoid crushing whole ones yourself.
The most important thing. Wait until these are cooled absolutely completely before cutting into them. You can do it! I have faith in you.
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If you don't, the candy cane crumbles will be all gooey and sticky and your knife will not be very happy.
But I promise that the wait is worth it for this totally 100% holiday treat.
Candy cane crumble bars are kind of like a fruity crumble bar, but also kind of like a blondie with white chocolate filling. Basically, just the best ever holiday treats.
And so deliciously festive!
I highly recommend including them on a Christmas dessert plate that also has candy cane cookie dough bars and Cornflake chocolate chip candy cane cookies.
Does anyone actually eat candy canes right from the package these days? I don't think so. But when added to desserts, they're so festive and tasty.
I hope you're all having a glorious holiday season and are getting all prepared for the holidays.
What are your favorite candy cane treats?
For more wonderful cookie recipes fit for the holiday cookie platter, check out my Gingerbread Shortbread Cookies with Eggnog Glaze or my Eggnog Linzer Cookies.
📖 Recipe
Candy Cane Crumble Bars
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 can (14 oz.) condensed milk
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup crushed candy canes (about 7-8 candy canes)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9″x9″ baking pan.
- In a stand mixer (or large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), cream together butter and brown sugar, until fluffy.
- Add flour to the mixer and mix gently until it comes together and turns into coarse crumbs.
- Press the dough mixture onto bottom of the prepared pan, reserving about ¾ cup of the crumbs to use for the topping. Bake shortbread crust for 9 minutes.
- When crust is almost done baking, make filling. In a medium saucepan, heat condensed milk and white chocolate chips over medium heat until melted and smooth.
- Take crust out of oven and pour white chocolate mixture over the shortbread.
- Mix together the remaining crumbs and crushed candy canes together. Sprinkle mixture on top of the white chocolate layer and bake for another 18-20 minutes, until top is set.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
Simply Life says
haha, agreed- I'm so excited to see the movie!
Beth says
I can't believe she was home the entire time. I mean we weren't just singing at the top of our lungs.... we were belting out in our best vibratos which I'm sure sounded like a zoo full of dying animals! So embarrassing! I also forgot that was the first time you met Adam.... and his brother too, right? This recipe looks delicious.... thanks!
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says
I am so excited for the movie!!! But even more excited for Christmas 🙂 These bars sound insanely good, I love the liberal use of white chocolate chips and condensed milk!
Shannon says
look at how oozy those are!!! yum. what a great cookie 🙂
Colleen @ Culinary Colleen says
These look so festive! I don't really like candy canes on their own, but I love them in other desserts. Weird?
Michelle Collins says
I am not prepared at all for the holidays. We are finally getting our tree this weekend, and I just barely started Christmas shopping this week!
Sarah K. @ The Pajama Chef says
i'm psyched for Les Mis too...and i usually am not a big movie person either.
lena says
hi sues, are you talking about the song' i dreamed a dream'? i
m not familiar with the names of the songs in les miserables , i'm only aware of this song and it's a beautiful song. Your candy bars looks very pretty and that oozing choc..mmm..yum!
Betty says
I've been alternating Le Mis with Christmas tunes myself. 🙂 These bars look wonderful- I love peppermint!
Erica says
Um, yum! Pretty and delicious. So festive. I adore Les Mills!! I saw it for the first time on a doherty middle school chorus field trip. Fact. I am mostly ready for Christmas. One last gift to get!!
Emily @ A Cambridge Story says
I love the ooze! Makes it more decadent, I think 🙂 Definitely seeing Les Mis Dec 26! Can't wait.
Megan says
These look like they have all the best textures... gooey, crumbly, and crunchy.
Kristina says
I am sooooo making these this week! Yum!