This Is the Most Popular Cookie Recipe on Pinterest

December is here, which means it’s time to break out those holiday cookie cutters from deep within the oven's bottom drawer (which you're using wrong, by the way!) and start baking festive goodies for your loved ones.

While some prefer using grandma’s smudged, flour-stained recipe cards for baking, others scour Pinterest to find both traditional and creative versions of their holiday favorites. And there is one recipe in particular that is getting lots of attention.

This M&M Cookie Bars recipe from the blog No. 2 Pencil has racked up more than 364,000 saves (and counting!) on Pinterest, earning its spot as the most popular cookie recipe on the site this month. Essentially, it's a simple chocolate chip cookie cake recipe—but with the addition of green and red M&Ms alongside white chocolate chips, it turns into a festive and eye-catching treat.

The recipe calls for ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen, and many bakers will find that it's nearly foolproof to make. However, it calls for two cups of sugar and three cups of various chocolate-based morsels, making this cookie rather rich—and one that should definitely be reserved for special occasions. If you choose to bake your way through the M&M Cookie Bar recipe, be sure to stick to a single serving and help your family enjoy in moderation.

But just because this popular recipe isn't "healthy" doesn't mean that you can't make holiday cookies a little bit lighter! We have a wealth of Christmas cookie recipes that fit our nutritional guidelines, still just as delicious and satisfying as the richer counterpart, but minus hair-raising amounts of added sugar as well as heart-stopping counts of saturated fats.

If you're looking to try something new that you haven't made before, start browsing through Cooking Light's 120 plus healthy holiday cookies. We're certain you'll find a easy recipe to follow at home.

Maybe you're trying to make a batch of holiday cookies to give as gifts this year? This dough recipe can be made in a huge batch and is used to create nine different varieties to send to family and loved ones (don't forget to mail them in time for Christmas, too). And we also have gluten-free recipes that contain

But if you're dead set on baking something classic this holiday season, we took 30 of the most popular holiday cookie recipes and reworked them to be much lighter than before. You can still enjoy an indulgent holiday treat and rest easy knowing you've slashed calories, fat, and added sugar.