Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are my go to time-saver dessert recipe. These chewy bars filled with chocolate chips get rave reviews from everyone who tries them. If you’re craving chocolate chip cookies, but are short on time, or just love a good bar cookie, then put this Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar recipe on your baking list, stat!
In this house we love all kinds of chocolate chip cookies. From Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies to Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and everything in between, we love them all.
There are few desserts easier to make than chocolate chip cookies–but these chocolate chip cookie bars win the prize for the easiest cookie ever. When you don’t have time to scoop dough into individual cookies, cookie bars are a lifesaver.
Just spread the dough in a pan, bake, slice and go! And if you are a bar and brownie lover like I am, you’ll go crazy for the thick, chewy texture these bars have.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Making cookie bars isn’t as straightforward as just using your favorite Nestle Toll House Cookie recipe and putting it in a brownie pan. Because the dough bakes all in one square, slightly different proportions are necessary to achieve the chewy texture you want in chocolate chip cookie bars.
Like my Sugar Cookie Bars, these bars turned out perfectly. And they’re so easy to make!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Recipe
Melted butter is the secret to a moist and chewy cookie bar!
To make these bars, you start by melting butter in a sauce pan, then stir in brown sugar, vanilla and salt.
After the butter mixture has cooled slightly, beat in the eggs followed by the flour and baking powder. The butter doesn’t need to be completely cooled–it just shouldn’t feel scalding hot.
Mix well to combine then fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into a greased 9 x 13 baking pan.
Bake the cookie bars for about 30 minutes or until they’ve risen and the outside edges look shiny and fully baked.
Note: Unlike other bars, you can’t test these for done-ness with a toothpick inserted into the center. The middle will be soft and doughy when you take these out of the oven so a toothpick won’t come out clean. Just like with cookies, the middle will solidify more as the cookies cool.
Do not over bake!
When the bars are done baking, remove them from the oven immediately. Before cutting the bars, be sure they’ve cooled completely. Mine take at least a full hour to cool, but I find the texture is even better when you let them rest for several hours (up to overnight) before slicing in.
After cutting the cookie bars into the desired shape, wrap them tightly to store.
Tips and Tricks for Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Line your baking pan with foil to make it easier to remove the bars.
- Dark brown sugar, with it’s higher molasses content, helps make these bars wonderfully chewy.
- The bars will look very ooey gooey when you take them out of the oven. Trust me, they don’t need more time in the oven! The bars will continue baking as they cool and, the longer they rest, the more chewy and moist the texture becomes.
- Store these bars wrapped tightly to prevent them from drying out. For an extra delicious treat, rewarm leftover bars in the microwave before serving. A few seconds is all it takes to get the chocolate chips slightly melty and bring back that fresh-from-the-oven taste.
Answers To Common Questions
- Can chocolate chip cookie bars be frozen? Absolutely, these are a great dessert item to freeze. I would suggest wrapping each bar tightly in plastic wrap, then placing them in a freezer container or freezer bag. Bars can then be individually thawed as needed.
- Can these bars be made dairy free? Yes, I would recommend using Earth Balance sticks in place of the butter.
- Can these cookie bars be made gluten free? If you have a 1:1 gluten free flour you use for baking, it could definitely be used in this recipe. Baking time may need to be extended slightly.
- Do I have to use dark brown sugar? No, you can also use light brown sugar, the dark brown sugar just give a bit more of a warm molasses flavor.
Need more cookie bars? Check out these other delicious and easy cookie bar recipes!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 11 tbsp unslated butter (salted will also work)
- 2 cups plus 2 tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar (light brown can be used as well)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs* room temperature
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chocolate chips semi-sweet or dark work well
- 1 cup chopped nuts if desired optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Melt butter, the combine in a large bowl with brown sugar and stir very well to combine. Add in salt and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix until well combined.
- Add flour, baking powder and chocolate chips. Stir until combined, but do not overmix.
- Spread batter into prepared pan and smooth to cover the entire bottom of pan. Bake for 28-33 minutes, until they have risen and their tops are shiny and golden. They may not seem as if they are completely baked through, and a toothpick inserted into the center will NOT come out clean – if it does they are over baked. Remove from oven and allow to cool, in pan, on a wire rack for at least an hour prior to slicing. Wrap tightly to maintain chewy texture.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Kate says
My kids want to make cookie bars today, but I don’t have 11 tablespoons of butter. Do they come out to same if margarine is substituted?
Kelly says
I have made these before, and they are simply delicious! So much more than a cookie or “regular”bar we’ve all made. I have a pan in my oven as I type this. 😋. It will be shared at a church function! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!!
Ann says
I baked mine for 25 min. And the toothpick came out totally clean. I’m glad I didn’t bake them for 30.
Christi Johnstone says
I always recommending watching any recipe closely in the oven towards the end of the bake time as factors such as oven temperature (very few ovens hold the temp perfectly the entire time), altitude, humidity, what type of pan you use and even the temperature of the ingredients will impact bake time.
julie lievens says
I took out cookie bar out of the oven a half hour ago, the center seems doughy still. I’m nervous once they cool, the center still won’t be cooked through. the pan is still warm. should I put it back in the oven?
Christi Johnstone says
Do you have an oven thermometer? If you don’t, they are super inexpensive and really helpful – you might have needed a bit more time. That said, carry over cooking let’s baked goods continue to bake after you pull them out of the oven, so it’ll likely set up when cool.
Anonymous says
These are amazing! I made them today!
Steve says
Delicious thank you for the great recipe .I was going to use the nestle recipe again and tried this one instead, glad I did. I ate mine with a scoop of rocky road that may have been wrong but what the heck. Thanks again
Chery’ol says
Everyone just simply devoured them, so I consider that a hit
Marianne says
If I leave out nuts, do I need to add more chips?
Thanks!
Christi Johnstone says
You don’t have to add more but you certainly can.
Colleen says
You are a life saver. I needed to make cookies for a cookie exchange and had knee replacement surgery almost 2 months ago. Regular cookies would still be too hard but these were easy and turned out perfect. I doubled the recipe and it is amazing!!! These are going to be a hit!
Debbie says
Prepared as written. These cookie bars are moist and so delicious. My entire family enjoys them. This is now my go to recipe for chocolate chip cookie bars. Thank you for posting.