These Chewy Noels are a classic holiday treat, perfect for your Christmas Cookie platter. They’re a buttery, chewy walnut bar topped with powdered sugar!
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Hello my friends!! It’s only the beginning of December, and I am well on my way to gaining all the holiday weight. You would think I was planning on hibernating or something, the amount of cookie calories I have consumed the past 10 days! Today is Day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies and I am extra EXTRA happy about all the cookie recipes that we have made so far.
Today’s recipe is one you may not have heard of! I hadn’t, until recently. I was going through my Grandma’s old recipe boxes looking for inspiration for my Christmas Cookie list, and came across this delicious Chewy Noels cookie recipe! I was intrigued, just by the name alone! When I made them for the first time, I knew I had to include them on the list. They are totally different from any other cookie recipe included this year…it’s a buttery, brown sugar cookie bar, that has a crackly top and is loaded with walnuts. The texture is soft and chewy, and the flavor is rich and buttery. The powdered sugar on top is not only festive, but adds a little extra sweetness! I have a feeling you are going to love these!
How To Make Chewy Noels
In my Grandma’s recipe she mets butter right in the baking pan in the oven while the oven is preheating, which I thought was a fun trick. You certainly could use nonstick spray, and coat the pan as well, but the butter adds to the flavor!
Also, I highly recommend lining your baking pan with foil. This recipe has a lot of sugar in it, which adds to the chewy texture, but also means they will stick to the pan if not greased properly. The foil helps remove the bars from the pan much more easily. You could also use parchment paper!
You can sub out pecans in this recipe for the walnuts as well. If you aren’t a nut fan, there really isn’t a way around them in this Chewy Noel Recipe.
The texture of the bars is really outstanding and totally different from a blondie bar. It’s chewy, but so soft. The tops get crackly and sweet when they’re baked and look really pretty…BUT…adding a little powdered sugar to the tops makes them extra festive!
I can imagine enjoying these Chewy Noel bars with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, or as a sweet treat for dinner.
It’s nice to have a little variety on your Christmas Cookie platter, and these are the perfect addition!
If you missed any of the first 9 days of Christmas Cookies, I have them all listed right under the recipe. Go catch up!!
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Chewy Noels
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
- Category: Cookie Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
These are an old fashioned Christmas Bar that my Grandma used to make! Easy, sweet, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 11×7 baking dish with foil. Place the butter in the pan and place the pan in the oven while it preheats to melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, remove the pan from the oven and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together the brown sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda until combined. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. Stir in the nuts and spread into the pan with the melted butter.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the center is set.
- Allow to cool completely, cut into bars and then dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days.
I actually prefer these bars to sit overnight and cut them the next day, the flavors seem to meld together and the texture becomes denser and chewy.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 179
- Sugar: 14.2 g
- Sodium: 217.5 mg
- Fat: 8.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
- Cholesterol: 36.1 mg
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Find more recipes like this:
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Day 2: Crock Pot Peppermint Pretzel Candy
Day 3: Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Day 4: Peanut Butter Balls
Day 5: Cookies and Cream Marshmallow Bars
Day 6: Gingersnap Cookies
Day 7: Cranberry Pistachio Bliss Bars
Day 8: Frosted Egg Nog Cookies
Day 9: Black and White Cookies
Day 10: Chewy Noels
My mother who would have been 101 years old now made this exact recipe every year. She always piped the word Noel on each bar with red or green frosting. I think I need to make a batch this year. Thanks for the reminder.
These sound so delicious!
Made these last night with gluten free flour, they are delicious! Great recipe.
These were SO good and smelled amazing!!! Nice addition to my Christmas cookie tins this year. Definitely a keeper!
Thank you Shelly!
Chewy and the top had a slight crunch more so the corners actually. They were not overbaked.
Even flattened this way, they are so tasty and easy to put together.
They are delicious. I used walnuts.
Cheers!
They are delicious and easy to quickly put together. Alas mine were flat like a cookie. More flour? Baking powder?
I made them in the 11 x 7 inch pan lined with foil. I used non-stick foil. Is that the issue?
The cookie bars were sticky on the bottom even the next day.
Any advice? THANK YOU! ?
They are a stickier bar for sure, but they shouldn’t be flat! What was the texture?
Hello, I had the same problem. Any recommendations.
Thank you Shelly. Appreciate the feedback. If you never toasted the nuts, I won’t ether. 🙂 That will save me time too.
Shelly, looking forward to making these extra-special treats as they are your grandmother’s recipe.
How well do they freeze, without the sugar on top first? No need to toast teh nuts first?
Ana above asked about making these in an 8 x 8 inch pan. Any changes in the baking time?
Thank you!
You could make these in an 8×8, absolutely! They are definitely freezable, and wait to dust them with powdered sugar until after they have thawed 🙂 And you could absolutely toast the nuts! You don’t have to, as I never have, but you certainly could!
These sound delicious. And I can’t wait to try the recipe
So the only butter in the recipe is the 2 Tablespoons?
can i bake this in a 8×8 pan?
Yes 🙂