Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Skip the scooping and make your chocolate chip cookies in a pan instead! These buttery, soft and chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars require no mixer, no chilling, and no fuss. Recipe includes a how to video.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Lazy Way

These chocolate chip cookie bars are the dessert you’re looking for when you’re having a lazy day and are in need of a cookie fix. When you’re craving all the goodness of a warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie, but can’t muster the energy to whip out the electric mixer, let alone the patience to scoop and rotate baking sheets.

With no mixer, no chilling, and no scooping, these chocolate chip cookie bars are your perfect lazy-day dessert. They’re just as soft, chewy, buttery, and delicious as their cookie counterparts, but they take a fraction of the time to prepare.

Whether you’re in need a quick sugar fix, a last-minute party or potluck dish, or you just don’t have the energy to scoop a single cookie, I’ve got you covered. Let’s get right to it.

What You Need

As we’ve already established, making perfectly chewy cookie bars isn’t as simple as dropping a regular cookie dough recipe in a pan. Instead, you want a dough that’s designed to be enjoyed in bar form. Here’s how to make it:

• Melted butter. Melted butter (rather than softened) coats every molecule of the cookie dough for the best, buttery taste. Just remember to let it cool for a few minutes before adding it!
• Light brown sugar + granulated sugar. We’ll use more brown sugar than white for more moisture (softer cookie bars!) and better flavor.
• Eggs + an extra yolk. I added an extra egg yolk for chewier, more tender cookie bars.
• Flour. Use your average all-purpose flour here.
• Cornstarch. This is my secret ingredient for soft baked goods! Cornstarch also prevents the cookie bars from being too cakey–after all, they are cookie bars, not cake bars.
• Baking powder. This recipe uses less leaveners than your average chocolate chip cookie since the cookie bars are contained in a pan.
• Vanilla + salt. Because you can’t have flavorful chocolate chip cookies without these two!
• Chocolate chips. My preference is to use semisweet chips, but if want to use another kind, feel free.

If you’re like me, you might also want to grab some vanilla ice cream to serve alongside these bars while they’re warm. Or, you can let them cool and eat them cookie-style too!

SAM’S TIP: I like to reserve a handful of chocolate chips for sprinkling on top of the bars just before baking. This ensures that the tops of the bars will have a perfectly studded surface!

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

1. Combine the cooled butter and sugars. Add your eggs and vanilla and stir until everything is combined.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spread the dough into a parchment lined baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F. Let the bars cool slightly before cutting and serving.

SAM’S TIP: This recipe can be made in a 9×13 or 9×9 pan. I prefer using a 9×9 because it results in thicker, chewier bars. If you make yours in a 9×13, the bars will need to bake about 5-10 minutes less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie bars. Recipe includes a how-to video!

4.91 from 110 votes

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Course: cookie

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 bars

Calories: 395kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter melted and then cooled for at least 5 minutes
• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
• ▢ ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk room temperature preferred
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ¼ cups (285 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch (cornflour in the UK)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Recommended Equipment

• ▢
  9×9 baking pan
• ▢
  Mixing bowls

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a 9×9" (23x23cm) pan (see note) by lining with parchment paper (or lightly grease and flour).
• Combine melted (cooled) butter and sugars in a large bowl, stir well.
  1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• Add eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir until well-combined.
  2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
  2 ¼ cups (285 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
• Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
  2 cups (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake on 350F (175C) for 35 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown.
• Allow to cool before cutting and serving (don’t cool too long, though — these are amazing when served still slightly warm!)

Notes

This recipe can also be baked in a 9×13 pan for about 24-30 minutes. Note that recipe times given are for metal pans, if you use a ceramic or glass pan the cookie bars will likely take longer to bake through, so always use the toothpick test to check for doneness.

Storing

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. These cookie bars may also be frozen.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bar | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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