These Layered Christmas Bars are inspired by an old recipe we changed up to create a Christmas treat that our family loves. These bars make a great treat to add to a Christmas basket for gift giving, or as part of a dessert bar for holiday parties.

Originally published on December 15, 2021, this post has been updated on November 22, 2025.
A piece of Layered Christmas Bars on a white plate with a close up of a Christmas tree in behind the plate. There is an ornament that says Merry Christmas in red writing on a white background.

Layered Christmas Bars are essentially Hello Dolly Bars, and we’ve modified the ingredients to make them more festive for Christmas. These bars have that sweetness you expect from Hello Dolly Bars, along with the crunch, with a festive flavour for Christmas.

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What Makes These Bars Different?

The addition of cranberries is just one change. Dark and white chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate and butterscotch chips is another change for this dessert.

These ingredients change the flavour just enough to make these bars different from the original recipe.

The combination of cranberries and white chocolate adds festive colours and flavours to make these bars festive for the holidays.

Ingredients For Layered Christmas Bars

To make this recipe, you will need:

Graham cracker crumbs. This is what the base is made of.
Butter. Softened butter is what binds the graham crumbs to form the base.
Dark Chocolate Chunks. Dark Chocolate balances the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Shredded coconut. This adds flavour and texture to these bars.
Dried Cranberries. If you can find unsweetened cranberries, they would be best because there is already a ton of sweetness in the other ingredients. This is also the red for Christmas.
Pecans. Nuts add crunch.
White Chocolate Chips. These add sweetness, and it is white for Christmas.
Sweetened Condensed Milk. This is the final ingredient added to the bars, and it is the glue that holds all the other toppings together.

Warning: These layered Christmas Bars are very sweet. Although there is no added sugar in the recipe, the ingredients in the bars are already quite sweet.

Variations and Substitutions

One of the substitutions that we make for the kids, especially, is the cranberries. Not everyone likes cranberries, so another option is chopped maraschino cherries. This still adds to the festiveness of Christmas with colour. Usually, we will halve or quarter the cherries.

Dark chocolate is also not everyone’s favourite. So it can be replaced with semi-sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate.

The pecans can be swapped for any other nut. We use pecans because one of our children has allergies to peanuts, cashews, and pistachios, but not pecans. Walnuts are another great choice.

You can also use a combination of pecans, walnuts, and any other nuts.

Easy To Make Christmas Bars

Also known as 7 Layer Bars or Magic Bars, Hello Dolly bars are easy to make. And this recipe for Christmas Layered Bars is no exception.

You need one bowl, one pan, and one measuring cup. That’s it! We don’t even use a spoon because the only mixing is done with your hands.

Great For Sharing

These bars are perfect for sharing. We cut the squares into smaller pieces, 12-16 pieces per pan, for adding to Christmas treat boxes for family, friends, and neighbours.

Pair these bars with a mix of Christmas cookies and bars. We like to make holiday gift packages with these bars, cookies and other treats like our festive M&M Blondies.

Storing Layered Christmas Bars

These bars keep well at room temperature in an air-tight container. They will stay fresh for up to 3 days on your counter. We like to cut the bars and store them in holiday tins.

Alternatively, you can store them in the fridge for up to one week. Allow to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

You can also store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving. Slicing them before freezing is recommended because they thaw faster.

Have you made this recipe? We would love to hear about it. Leave a comment below to let us know what you think.

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