Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
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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
- Combine the cooled butter and sugars. Add your eggs and vanilla and stir until everything is combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- 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
Yes! This dough will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Just make sure to cover it tightly.
This cookie dough is designed to be baked in a baking pan and is not ideal for making actual cookies. If you tried to scoop and bake this dough, you would end up with cookie pancakes that spread all over your cookie sheet! Try my popular chocolate chip cookies instead! 😊
Yes! Just add them in when you add the chocolate chips. Use approximately 1-1 1/2 cups of coarsely chopped nuts. Pecans or walnuts are great options!
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
Equipment
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
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
Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. These cookie bars may also be frozen.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
I wanted to make these for my husband’s lunch box and remembered I was out of eggs! You can substitute applesauce for eggs! They turned out awesome!
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookie bars, Angela! 🙂
I’ve been baking for my big family for many years and these chocolate chip bars are THE BEST! Absolutely perfect. It’ll be the only one I use in the years ahead. Thank you for sharing this keeper!
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookie bars Cari! 🙂
Amazing!! So easy to make and so tasty!! Huge hit in my house! 😀 Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad you enjoyed the cookie bars! 🙂
I feel compelled to start with OMG like other reviewers, these bars are seriously that good. I had never made a bar type cookie but I ran across the idea on another page(Tollhouse) but their review were terrible. So I landed here somehow and boy I’m sure glad I did.
Thanks for the great recipe!
I am so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
This recipe is a hit! I made it in a heart-shaped pan for Valentine’s and my coworkers and family gobbled it up. Thanks!
You have some lucky co-workers, Mia! That’s very kind of you to bake for them! I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it! 😃
My family loves how chewy they are. MADE them at Christmas and were a hit. They were kind of hard in 2 days covered with plastic wrap. Saw you make these on the Kitchen.
Hi JoAnn! was the plastic wrap airtight? They should be able to keep longer than 2 days before losing their softness.
MADE these at Christmas and were a hit. My husband likes how chewy they are. Saw you make them on the Kitchen. They were kind of hard after 2 days COVERED with plastic wrap.
Hi Joanne! I don’t really recommend just covering them in plastic wrap as that typically isn’t tight enough to keep the air out. They will dry out if left out, an air tight container is a better option if you have one. I am glad you enjoyed them though! 🙂
Made a couple times now and they don’t come out done… Checked my oven temp and it’s right on. Also seems heavy on the chocolate chips, and I say that as a fan. Still delicious.
Hi, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t be coming out done in that amount of time for you, but I would just recommend baking them a bit longer, then. Easy fix 🙂
Glad you otherwise enjoyed!
Am making a double pan to send back to college with my son. He and his buddies will devour them tomorrow during Super Bowl! Thank you so much for the easy recipe. It came together quick and tastes great!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them, Chris!
OMG, these cookie bars are amazing. I make them for my high school kids that have been out shoveling and just loves the warm surprise when they can in!! Will definitely be making them again, thanks for sharing!!
I’m so happy to hear you and your kids enjoyed them!! Thank you for commenting, Annie! <3
I sort of made these yesterday and they were fantastic! I did not melt my butter, room temp, used 3 whole cold eggs and 60% bittersweet chocolate! Yum! Thank you Sam!
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Kelley! 🙂
I would like to adapt this to a recipe using quick oats and cookie butter. Could I just add those to this recipe, or do I need to tweak some things?
I’m sorry, Katie. I have not tried these types of adaptations so I am not sure how it would work. If it works for you, I’d love to know how it turned out. 🙂
OMG … just made these. Absolute perfection! I have been looking for a decent chocolate chip cookie bar for ages. I will look no further! Thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Tiffany! 🙂
Just pulled these out of the oven, baked for my grandkids lunches. I had to try a corner and OMG, these are amazing!
I have stopped looking for an easy chocolate chip bar. Your changes are spot on.
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Cath! 🙂
I want to freeze these so that my grandkids can have them for their packed lunches. How well do they freeze? Thank you.
I have not tried freezing them, but you shouldn’t have any issues doing so. Just make sure they are wrapped tightly and then stored in an air tight container. 🙂